Understanding how our brains work and the nature of emotions can be a useful way to gain perspective on compulsions like binge eating or compulsive overeating. When you feel powerless against your urges, by understanding what's happening in your mind and emotions, you can learn how to manage urges to overeat. For a free binge eating breakthrough course and further tips, visit http://www.bingeeatingbreakthrough.com.

1. What's the Difference
Between Mood and Emotion
(and what does that have to
do with binge eating)?
www.bingeeatingbreakthrough.com

2. When we are trying to deal
with the world of emotion, we
can often forget or be
confused about the
differences between moods
and emotions.

3. Moods are generally emotional
feelings that last for an extended
period of time, say at least one or two
days. When we have these moody
periods, they often feel like stages
that we are going through and they
are hard to shift. Mood is something
a person may not express whereas
emotions may be expressed.

4. In contrast, emotions are things
that tend to come and go quite
quickly. Emotions are aroused in
people by some specific objects
or situations. For example, if a
person gets angry, he expresses
that emotion towards someone.

5. When compared to moods, emotions are
more extreme. They're also much more
likely to be caused by immediate
circumstances. Emotions are likely to be
more sharper than moods, and also more
varied; whilst we can have a great range of
exquisitely different emotions, we tend to
have moods which are more generalized --
i.e. a good mood, a bad mood.

6. We can experience emotions
at the same time as moods,
but they seem to ‘sit on top’ of
moods. For instance, in a bad
mood it's quite possible to
have brief feelings of
happiness and joy.

7. Emotions are aroused in
people by some specific
objects or situations. On the
other hand, moods are not
created in someone because
of any specific object or any
particular situation.

8. Our emotions are susceptible to
the mood we are in, and this also
make us more likely to interpret
our environment in particular ways
and distort our thinking. When we
are in a bad mood, it is much
easier to misinterpret things in the
light of this bad mood.

9. So what's this got to do with
binge eating?

10. Suppressed emotions, or emotions
one feels embarrassed or ashamed
about, can drive one to turn to
something associated with comfort,
pleasure or security…like food.
Feeling overwhelmed by an emotion
like grief, anger, sadness or loneliness
can drive you to seek security or
comfort that food often provides.

11. Often you're not conscious of
what's driving your behaviors,
and you operate in an "autopilot"
mode as you turn towards the
thing that comforts or relieves you
(like food, especially sugary or
fatty foods).

12. Not only was food comforting and
nourishing to us as babies, but as
primal humans, sugary and fattening
foods often were in short supply. When
we came in contact with them, we
would hoard them. Food has always
been a link to our survival but also our
pleasure and delight.

13. When you're troubled by an
emotion, the stress can trigger
your brain to operate in a
"survival" mode…causing you to
crave sugary or fattening foods,
or to want to eat more than you
normally would.

14. Often you don't realize what's
happening…you just know
you have a craving.

15. As you indulge in these cravings and
urges, you find pleasure, comfort and
relief from your stress. Naturally,
when you start to feel the stress
again the next day, you'll again turn
to the thing that gave you pleasure
and comfort the day before. In a short
time, you can then form a new habit.

16. Understanding how our
brains work and the nature of
emotions can be a useful way
to gain perspective on
compulsions like binge eating
or compulsive overeating.

17. When you feel powerless
against your urges, by
understanding what's
happening in your mind and
emotions, you can learn how
to manage urges to overeat.

18. For a free binge eating
breakthrough course and
further tips, visit
www.bingeeatingbreakthrough.com