Food dependence: how to get rid of it?

About what food addiction is writtenhundreds of articles. This problem is especially urgent for us, women, in connection with our desire and lose weight, and eat chocolate at the same time. Of course, food takes a big place in our life, and it is absolutely indispensable. But where is the line beyond which love for a chocolate or a hamburger turns into dependence on food? And what if you notice the first signs of anxiety? Can I get rid of food addiction? How can you get rid of it? This article is devoted to these and other aspects of food dependence.

How does dependence on food arise?

Agree, the food is not indifferent to manypeople, however, only a small percentage of cases refer to food dependence. What is the difference? Food dependence is a condition in which a person eats not because of a physiological need for food, but in order to solve their psychological problems, and the reasons for these problems may be different. These can be attempts to cope with anxiety and anxiety, find a job or have fun. As a rule, a person turns to food when he can not achieve these goals by any other means. The psychology of food dependence is always associated with a feeling of emptiness within a person. Its inner reality is perceived as "empty" or "unfilled," and bodily signals about this emptiness are read by the body as signals of hunger. And since this is a famine, it can always be dulled by food. As a result, food becomes one of the fastest ways to fill the void and get pleasure. After eating, a person changes his sensations, bringing comfort to the inner reality. So there is a food dependence. Psychologists describe a number of reasons that contribute to the emergence of food dependence:

Lack of purpose and meaning in life. There is an attempt to fill the emptiness with eating food, tk. it is much easier than to search for the real purpose and meaning of life.

The situation of loss and disappointment is divorce or, conversely, when a woman marries and the "goal" is "achieved."

Crisis condition. There is a significant threat associated with the achievement of an important goal or placing its importance in doubt. Examples of such situations are the transitional age, the struggle for love and the attention of parents, the threat of dismissal, etc. ...

Food as a means to achieve another goal. For example, a small child wants to eat everything, even if he does not want to - so he gets the love and approval of his parents. Then this kind of behavior is fixed for life.

No matter what the reason isthe emergence of food dependence, subsequently a new internal reality is formed in man. She, as a fat layer, protects a person from anxiety, emptiness and psychological discomfort. And it is she who changes the relationship with food, turning it into the meaning of life. Thus begins the "novel with food." Everything that is connected with food, satiety, tasteful pleasures, is important, causes excitement and joy. Everything that is not related to food is thrown out of life, including everything that has an unpleasant content. First of all, with the help of nutrition, a person tries to "digest" negative emotions. In general, everything that suppresses problems and helps to solve them is suppressed. The choice is narrowed to food and is determined only by its desirability and accessibility. Nutrition becomes a substitute for life and its goals, the main value. New internal reality is characterized by the following features:

Calm, lack of anxiety and psychological discomfort.
Pleasure, search for pleasure, diversity and celebration.
The illusion of interaction, contact with others, the replacement of relationships with people on the relationship with food.
Feeling of chosenness, prosperity and elitism due to the traditions and culture of eating food.
The desire to return to childhood, especially ininfancy, when nutrition is the main occupation and goal. Through him, the child learns the world, satisfies desires, ties up and maintains relationships with people, especially with the mother.
Distortion of ideas about your body. A person can not perceive signals from his body at all, exclude him from a new inner reality.

Nutritional dependence is characteristic of children from difficultfamilies. As a rule, they have despotic, overwhelming initiative or cold, unloving, inattentive parents. In the family, there is often a ban on the expression of emotions, especially negative emotions. For example, a child is subjected to punishment or contempt for the expression of anger. Particular importance in the development of eating behavior is played by the relationship with the mother. Punishing or encouraging the child by feeding, the mother accustoms him to manipulation, distorting the process of nutrition. By imposing a rhythm of feeding against the desires of the child, the mother imposes on him a distrust of himself and the world around him. The desire to make a child "eat everything" forms a habit of overeating. Eating as a reaction to stress occurs in childhood and becomes a habit that negates the search for a more productive method of dealing with stress. As a result, overeating takes place not in case of severe hunger, but in situations of anxiety, stress and discomfort. Women are more likely than men to have food dependence. There are several reasons for this. First, food in the life of a woman takes a greater place than in a man's life (it is we who often become housewives, we buy and prepare food). Secondly, because of greater care, women are more subordinate and passive in childhood, respectively, are more inclined to addiction (food dependence is one of the least blamed in modern society, at least for women). Signs of food dependence:

constant thoughts about food - what tasty to cook, what would be a bite to eat today;
impulsive eating behavior - passing by, a person will necessarily eat the candies left on the table;
problems with self-control in relation to food - a person can not resist and not eat the whole box instead of one or two sweets;
the desire to comfort yourself with "tasty" in an unpleasant or difficult situation;
the absence of a favorite food leads a person into a state close to "breaking" - he becomes irritable, he has unpleasant bodily sensations;
the desire to retire with food;
lie about how much he ate today - hides too much or too little food;
feeling guilty after eating;
reluctance to share your favorite food;

Types of eating disorders

You might think that when we talk about fooddependence, it is mainly about overeating and overeating. However, these are far from the only variants of distorted relations with food. Psychologists, and sometimes psychiatrists, describe several more variants of dependence on food, when it seems to the person that eating does not relieve him of internal discomfort:

Taste is a dependence on tastespecific product When we focus on pleasant taste in an unpleasant situation, it helps to remove negative experiences from consciousness. We are talking about "special" products - coffee, tea, sushi and, most commonly, chocolate. Dependence is due to the fact that chocolate brings great pleasure to the person who eats it, and eating it often turns into a game.

Fasting As a rule, it is a consequence ofrefusal of food to change appearance. In some deplorable cases it reaches a degree of mental disorder - anorexia nervosa. Her psychological signs include avoiding food that, according to the girl, "fills" her, a distorted perception of her own body (the girl seems to be fat, although this is completely wrong), denial of the problem, panic fear of getting better. The person becomes irritable, depressed and touchy. There is a sudden interest in everything related to food (cooking courses, reading relevant literature, interest in diets, etc. ...). There are changes in behavior and relationships with others: the girl is absent from meetings and family dinners, stops communicating with loved ones, seeks to go in for sports outside the home or for a long time sits in the bathroom. As a risk factor, psychologists refer to adolescent and adolescent age (unstable self-esteem, susceptibility to external influences), poor psychological climate in the family, perfectionism, inferiority complex, feelings of insecurity and inadequacy to others.

Nervous bulimia Girls suffering from it,paroxysmally absorb huge amounts of food, eat constantly, without interruption even at night. The onset of hunger is usually painful and is characterized by a sharp increase in appetite, general weakness, pain in the epigastric region. Girls suffering from bulimia often resort to weight control by inducing vomiting or using laxatives. Nervous bulimia and anorexia are often combined, because they have similar causes and mechanisms of occurrence.

Psychological recommendations

In case of anorexia, bulimia and other fooddependence, interfering with your normal life, you need as soon as possible to turn to a specialist (psychotherapist or psychiatrist), because this is a serious mental disorder, which in the absence of the necessary treatment can lead to serious physical illness. It is better we will not aggravate the problem and get rid of it with the help of a specialist! If you "hear" only the first alarming bells and are confident in your strong-willed abilities, then our advice can be a good option for answering the question of how to get rid of food dependence yourself:

Honestly, tell yourself what the currenthabit and appearance. Most likely, this is an opportunity to fence off from the outside world, an excuse to do nothing or an attempt to evoke sympathy and sympathy. Determine what you really want at the moment when the famine is coming.

Strive for changes in life, not in appearance. Realize that you have the opportunity to change and perceive yourself as a new person in the process of change.

Determine the worthy goal that you wantto achieve is what you will get when your appearance changes. Use the "positive" key, the words "like", "love", "get" and any other pleasant and attractive images. Eliminate words like "lose weight", "get rid" and "get better".

Relive the goal. Imagine yourself with a new appearance in all its details: your body, face, self-awareness, new clothes. Feel the positive emotions associated with the new appearance: joy, comfort, pleasure. Periodically immerse yourself in this pleasant state and imagine yourself like that.

Determine the relationship with people - do not eat when you want love and communication, for status or out of courtesy. Communicate instead of eating.

Train the right eating habits andbehavior. Eat only in cases of true hunger (nonphysical hunger is greedy, satisfied not just with food, but with something sweet or fat). In the case of negative emotions, try to express emotion, and not "seize" it. Finish the meal after the disappearance of hunger.

Work with your negative thoughts and attitudes. Find them and make a list of "for" them in their favor and a list of "against" them. Read the lists and make a rational decision.

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