Hunger vs Appetite: Stop Eating Stress

With the help of food, many give themselves joy, as well as with the help of surfing the Web, watching TV shows, games, drinking, shopping. Behind all our addictions is an attempt to feel a life filled with joy and delight, as in childhood, when we knew how to enjoy and get carried away with little.

In the rigid rhythm of the primitive or animal world, everything is calculated simply: impulse – action – result – satisfaction. Again, an impulse that prompts action, then an action that leads to a result, and the result itself, which allows you to survive the next day. The modern world is moving further and further away from this scheme, offering a surrogate substitute for “impulse – action – impulse – action – impulse – action.” This is a scheme in which obtaining a result and, as a result, satisfaction is not provided.

Instead of a fair running competition, we are offered running in a wheel, a process instead of a result. In advertising, culture and established stereotypes, the result is often replaced by the process. As a result, we begin to think that they are one and the same.

With regard to food, this is especially easy to trace. Real hunger occurs at the moment when we really want to eat, and is satisfied with exactly the portion that is sufficient for the body to replenish its energy reserves. The alternative to hunger is appetite. You probably know the phrase “appetite comes with eating.” Appetite is not hunger. It has nothing to do with the real needs of the body. It is an impulse that requires action and that can be repeated and repeated even when the body is full.

Hunger or appetite?

You are satisfied, but you continue to eat. Familiar state? This is what happens at large feasts, when the guests have already eaten salads, but then they brought hot, and it is delicious, festive … And after the hot there will be dessert! At the same time, real hunger was satisfied even at the salad stage. The real result was achieved in the first quarter of the feast.

But we eat too much, not only on holidays. Food is one of the ways to receive and replace true joy. A small cake makes us happier, but overindulgence in sweets leads to constant dissatisfaction and an endless, exhausting cycle that is extremely difficult to break out of.

To stop running in circles, you need to recognize the problem, understand what is happening. Then the next steps will become conscious and it will be possible to stop, achieving the result. Stop eating when the body no longer needs it, leave the store after buying the desired thing, turn off the computer after receiving the necessary information.

food for stress

Most often, stress drives us into this cycle. The inability to enjoy life leads to attempts to get it artificially. But substitutes do not give joy, only its illusion. Feeling that you are experiencing the same event again, that you cannot get rid of thoughts about the past or anxiety about the future, you need to find the cause and try to draw up a plan of action to get out of the situation.

The main thing is not to let yourself hang in a state of stress. Each of us initially has mechanisms that help to cope with any problems. You need to come to terms with yourself, feel and understand the value of the moment. This will open up new opportunities, allow you to get results, and not live in an endless purgatory between an unsuccessful past and a disturbing future.

You may feel like you are already living in the present. But is it? You sat down to watch a movie, from the first frames you remembered some situation from the past, then you saw something that “clings” your expectations for the future, and as a result you ate a whole pack of chips, but you can’t remember the plot of the film. “Being in the moment” means being fully aware of your body and being present in the present.

Learn to live in the present

How to achieve this? Look at animal movements. They have to constantly feel the body, otherwise they will not survive. Animals are great at relieving stress. Passing a slight shiver through the body, they relax the body and restore the psyche. Man, having gained intelligence, has lost many important skills. Faced with problems, we begin to “think stress”, endlessly scroll through unpleasant moments. We block stress in our body, not giving it an outlet, and it destroys everything it can reach.

When we start getting real emotions, we immediately change. We gain access both to the joy of pleasant sensations in the body, and to self-regulation, allowing us to effectively cope with situations. We “let go of stress”, removing blockages, and get the opportunity to live peacefully on.

For the mind, living in the present can be boring at first: don’t jump over associations, don’t rush into the future or the past. But gradually you will notice that you have begun to perceive the world more vividly and sharply. Over time, you will only need a couple of minutes to recover and relax. Gradually, you will begin to receive joy and pleasure, as in childhood. Children live in the present, they are not disturbed by either the past or the future.

Do not give up all habits and addictions. It is necessary to satisfy our needs, that is, to achieve a result in order to understand what exactly we need. You need to work with self-worth and attitude towards yourself, show love and care for yourself, respect your desires.

Practice

1. Start taking time to look after yourself every day.

Track your state and emotions. Learn to pull yourself out of the flow of thoughts into the sensations of the body: this will relieve tension and bring relaxation. Try to really feel what you would like to eat. Learn to separate appetite and hunger.

2. Don’t fall for appetizing smells and pictures.

Think about what your body really wants. Determine in advance the composition and size of the dishes you need. Don’t overeat.

3. Try to eat every 3-4 hours and each time eat as much as you decided in advance.

Our body is not stupid: it loves tasty food, but at the same time separates the harmful from the useful. Eat slowly, savoring every bite. Eat a light salad or snack first. It is important to eat without a phone or TV, to be alone with food, to feel the taste and stop eating when you stop feeling it. Think of it as a food date. Food no longer interests you? End this date.

4. Keep a diary, on paper or on the phone.

Set a reminder and do 5 minutes of exercise at regular intervals throughout the day. Take time to feel how your body feels right now. Observe it without criticism or judgment. Feel where it is tense and where it is relaxed. Just watch and after a minute check if your emotional state has changed. Write it down in your diary: it’s important.