Food and Depression
Do the holidays make you feel sad?Do you ever feel depressed for no reason?For a lot of people, depression is a very real, upsetting, time consuming thing that sucks up a lot of our energy.
When people talk about weight gain, usually you hear about it in terms of: a death in the family, going away to college, having children, not making the sports team in high school, being injured as a result of being on a sports team, breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, getting divorced or any other thing along those lines.
For many people weight gain is due to depression, feelings of guilt or sadness.
It can also be due to living a sedentary lifestyle.
For example, when my grandfather died, my grandmother became a recluse, staying in her house the majority of the time.
She was depressed and resorted to eating as a way to fill the void.
She would make her favorite dishes that she would cook for her husband when he was alive.
It was easy for her to eat since the refrigerator was right there.
There are actual medical facts which show that carbohydrates in foods stimulate serotonin production.
As you may recall, serotonin is that chemical that your brain releases which regulates things such as anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep sexuality and apetite.
The best way to battle depression is to be honest with yourself and try to understand your emotions and what you are feeling.
Sometimes, people who are depressed don't even realize that they are depressed.
And if they do realize that they have a problem, sometimes they need to seek the advice and help of a professional such as a psychologist, philosopher, psychiatrist or some other medical doctor.
If you can, keep a diary to record how you are feeling as well as how you were feeling just prior to eating something as well as how you felt afterwards.
This information may be invaluable as well as insightful into telling you how or what it is that is triggering you to eat.
Before you open up the refrigerator, ask yourself, "Am I really hungry? Why am I here again?" The next time you feel the urge to eat something; try to distract yourself by getting some exercise.
If you know that eating poorly or overeating is a problem for you, try to make sure that you are out of your apartment of house as often as possible, this way it will be easier for you to resist the temptation.
If you do feel the urge to eat something, try to pick something healthier.
If you happen to spend a lot of time at home (i.
e.
you work from home or you are a stay-at-home mom), the next time you go food shopping, only purchase healthy items to stock your house with, this way you won't have a choice except to eat healthier.
Join a gym or an exercise group.
If you are married or in a relationship or have a close friend, confide in them and see if you can work together to get over your depression.
When people talk about weight gain, usually you hear about it in terms of: a death in the family, going away to college, having children, not making the sports team in high school, being injured as a result of being on a sports team, breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, getting divorced or any other thing along those lines.
For many people weight gain is due to depression, feelings of guilt or sadness.
It can also be due to living a sedentary lifestyle.
For example, when my grandfather died, my grandmother became a recluse, staying in her house the majority of the time.
She was depressed and resorted to eating as a way to fill the void.
She would make her favorite dishes that she would cook for her husband when he was alive.
It was easy for her to eat since the refrigerator was right there.
There are actual medical facts which show that carbohydrates in foods stimulate serotonin production.
As you may recall, serotonin is that chemical that your brain releases which regulates things such as anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep sexuality and apetite.
The best way to battle depression is to be honest with yourself and try to understand your emotions and what you are feeling.
Sometimes, people who are depressed don't even realize that they are depressed.
And if they do realize that they have a problem, sometimes they need to seek the advice and help of a professional such as a psychologist, philosopher, psychiatrist or some other medical doctor.
If you can, keep a diary to record how you are feeling as well as how you were feeling just prior to eating something as well as how you felt afterwards.
This information may be invaluable as well as insightful into telling you how or what it is that is triggering you to eat.
Before you open up the refrigerator, ask yourself, "Am I really hungry? Why am I here again?" The next time you feel the urge to eat something; try to distract yourself by getting some exercise.
If you know that eating poorly or overeating is a problem for you, try to make sure that you are out of your apartment of house as often as possible, this way it will be easier for you to resist the temptation.
If you do feel the urge to eat something, try to pick something healthier.
If you happen to spend a lot of time at home (i.
e.
you work from home or you are a stay-at-home mom), the next time you go food shopping, only purchase healthy items to stock your house with, this way you won't have a choice except to eat healthier.
Join a gym or an exercise group.
If you are married or in a relationship or have a close friend, confide in them and see if you can work together to get over your depression.
