6 Ways To Feel Good Without Food
Updated: Jan 1
Do you find yourself turning to food frequently as your only source of happiness, or to bury out some other pain? I get it. I've been there and I am still, after years, working on my ever evolving relationship with food. If you are anything like me, this habit and cycle is not working out the best for you. However, we’re not alone; millions of people around the world suffer from food addiction.
Food addiction has nothing to do with being greedy, as some people may wrongfully assume; but rather a psychological condition that binds to food. Somewhere along the way in childhood we experienced a dopamine release when we ate certain food. It was reassuring and felt really awesome. We wanted to feel it again so that food or type of food became associated with good feelings. As a result, throughout life, we turn to these foods as a comfort to deal with our emotions. I mean, it's far easier to eat the pain away than actually having to deal with some of those emotions.
So is there any way out? Yes, absolutely! It's a long journey, but that journey must begin with the first step. Here are 6 ways you can experience that same dopamine hit you get when you eat some of your favorite foods. If you slowly work on replacing some of your cravings with a different activity, then you can begin shifting your relationship with the food you intake into your body.
1) Move That Body
I hate the word exercise. It conjures up imagines in my mind of sweatyness, huffy puffy me, and a general no fun vibe. This means it is hit with automatic walls of resistance. “I don't wanna”, that childlike inner spirit arises and takes over. So instead of exercise I prefer to move. It just seems a little more lax and less structured.