Overeating Due To Social Phobias

[trickynix]

Hey everyone,

I guess I was just wondering if any of you had a problem with overeating when faced with certain anxieties; for example being alone, yet unable to communicate with anyone. Or not being able to meet new people and make new friends...I guess what I mean is connect with someone. (At least have someone understand you.) Do you, specifically, overeat over any of these issues?

 

[DespairSoul]

Hello,

Yes i tend do overeat me. I comfort me with mix of food to forgot about my pain and being depressed.
And sometimes i do opposite and stop eating to punishing me because i can't looked myself anymore. And i know food is my huge passion. So u aren't alone.

 

[EscapeArtist]

hey trick, sorry to hear you are dealing with overeating.
I overeat for the exact reasons that you mentioned. Being alone is my biggest fear, I hide in technology/books/music all day from it, but it is even worse when you think that you won't be able to manage not being alone. Not being able to make new friends is the prime suspect for me at the moment. Overeating is such an addicting act... especially if you eat while on the computer or TV, seeing as then you are achieving as close as a feeling of human connection as possible- computer screen generates false perception of being socially connected and food presses all the right pleasure areas in the brain. It's a toughie. So try to stay away from eating your meals in front of the computer or TV.

I would say the best thing you can do for it is to get out of the house as much as possible. This will force you to face the real reason for overeating, the constricting comfort zone caused by those anxieties, while preventing you from overeating (at least for that moment) by being away from the house. Not to mention, just being in a social atmosphere can help sometimes. Even a 'hi' from a cashier can help tremendously when you're feeling lonely
Also exercise. It does well to stifle the urge to overeat out of anxiety or depression.

 

[sullyS25]

I definitely over eat but have never really observed the mood i am in while i am doing it. i am lonely a lot though so that could be it. I am also an addict so it makes it really easy to abuse anything that changes my mood like eating, exercising, smoking, or whatever else.

 

[Newtype]

Ya, I gained 30 pounds... I look like Diddy Kong now.

 

[Systemfy]

I overeat because I'm alone most of the day. I've been doing it for a number of years and I just today figured with all this extra time alone, I should be productive with it. I'm going to start jogging everyday to bring my weight down. I'm hoping that it will raise my self esteem, and maybe make me more social.
I'm 6ft and 250 pounds.

 

[ShyChild]

Yes I overeat. It has a very numbing effect. I feel so lonely & have not figured out how to cope or deal with it so I binge on food. Then I'll feel even lousier because of it & so the cycle perpetuates. I've tried going to group therapy (OA, eating disorder groups, etc.), but there seems to be a lot of that "feeling sorry for yourself" kind of attitude. A while back I got put on Topamax to decrease my appetite. It worked very well, but I had to go off because it causes memory loss & I'm in school. ::

 

[fitftw]

I think I smoke more than overeat. But I do both.

 

[Deus_Ex_Lemur]

I underreat. Interesting. I mean if more than normal SA/anxiety. I can eat more otherwise. But... I dont gain much weight. Ectomorph.

 

[trickynix]

I would say the best thing you can do for it is to get out of the house as much as possible. This will force you to face the real reason for overeating, the constricting comfort zone caused by those anxieties, while preventing you from overeating (at least for that moment) by being away from the house. Not to mention, just being in a social atmosphere can help sometimes. Even a 'hi' from a cashier can help tremendously when you're feeling lonely
Also exercise. It does well to stifle the urge to overeat out of anxiety or depression.

I would have to agree with you; I generally overeat the most when I'm lonely and trying to be in a good mood, and this typically happens when I'm in front of the TV more than anything. It DOES make it feel like I have some kind of extensive social network when I do this because I'm so absorbed with what I'm watching. But then during every commercial I get distracted, realize I'm completely alone, living my life watching a little box in the middle of a room, and thus I feel the need to go straight to the kitchen and binge eat This ultimately just perpetuates low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness/inadequacy, and so I think to myself, "hm, I can just make myself feel better about overeating by overeating..." Stupid mentality but... *sigh*

And I will also agree with you, getting outside is the best possible solution. I used to feel what I've mentioned above SO MUCH MORE a couple of years ago, but now that I'm a little more comfortable with myself, I go out into the world when I'm lonelier and suddenly feel less like eating. You are absolutely right, being in a social atmosphere DOES work. Sometimes I just sit in the library because it feels nice being in "reality", if that makes sense?

Thank you for your input

 

[trickynix]

I overeat because I'm alone most of the day. I've been doing it for a number of years and I just today figured with all this extra time alone, I should be productive with it. I'm going to start jogging everyday to bring my weight down. I'm hoping that it will raise my self esteem, and maybe make me more social.
I'm 6ft and 250 pounds.

This used to happen to me alot when I was younger, especially in Highschool (and now that I'm in college, on breaks when I'm back home...) I live in a single parent household with a mother who works at night and sleeps during the day. My brother, my only sibling, used to like to stay in his room all the time doing god knows what.

Anyway, that left me alone in the living room, watching TV, with no one really to talk to. Then, to exasperate this problem, me, my mom, and my brother never fully understood each other because well...we are vastly different people. I felt completely alone. I wasn't allowed to get a job because I was supposed to be a "full time student". This wouldn't have immediately helped anyway since I had a problem talking to people, but it would have at least kept me busy and out of the house. Anyway, it was the being alone part with alot of time that got me down, like seems to be the case for you, if I read you correctly. It's a real bummer to ever have that situation be the case...I can tell you, even to this day, I always run to the kitchen to satisfy SOMETHING in me if that happens... But I guess the main point here is: keep yourself busy. Create stupid projects, silly goals...anything. Jogging sounds like a good idea. More than anything, focus on being busy and content with being busy. Worrying about your weight too much may just make you feel a little worthless and inadequate. I would recommend combining that goal with something else as well, with just...doing. Trust me: I completely understand.

 

[Duraldo]

I overereact alot of the time, most of the time I don't think it's warranted, in fore sight. Most of the time I tend to overeact in secret about situations. I tend to read into things that aren't really there and overeact (like when a girl stops talking to me for a small period of time, or does something small to offend me). Like the other day, some really cute girl was taking pics at me for the school paper, I couldn't think of anything to say to her till when I was already home, and I just blew it all out of proportion.

If take it way out of porpotion, and don't know how to deal with it. If i tell anyone, most of the time it's like "get a real problem" or something. IDK if it's the same. I just sit here get high or drunk in silence, but it only makes me overeact later, not now.

 

[trickynix]

It is the same, because I tend to overreact too and then just eat... So. Yeah.

 

[TheFurryConfused]

I tend to overeat when I am bored usually. When I get lonely or anxious, I paint or clean up.

 

[Shant]

I think it's an escape factor, not necessarily due to the anxiety but things like depression, self-devaluation and loneliness that can come from the anxiety.

I've had binge eating habits and almost always have some kind of shame from it, often I end up dealing with it by forgetting/ignoring what I just did. I've considered the possibility of an eating disorder along those lines; I'm not bulimic but at the moment the reason I continue to take my AD(H)D medication is because it often makes me lose weight to counteract the weight I would've gained from eating much. At one point I was overweight just because I gained weight from this and didn't do anything about that.

It could be worse, I suppose, there's other addictions that are more harmful.

 

[trickynix]

Hm, yes this is true :/ I've had the same problem for years, although I've been able to stop it in time before I've gained too much weight, but it's still a problem. Even though yes, I am more social now, I would agree with you. I binge and then tend to get really down about it.

 

[Duraldo]

>.< I read that as overreact haha not over-eating, but I do both. -_- I don't even remember posting that, *sigh* I don't know what state of mind I was in then hah.

But yeah, I over-eat even more when I drink. I used to before, but now that I'm un-sober , it's gotten worse. I've given up on working out because it doesn't seem to matter, doesn't make me feel better, doesn't seem to get girls wanting to talk to me more, all I get is a compliment from my vain mother who is borderline anorexic and has told me my entire life I'm fat, so I really could care less to do that >.<

And now I have learned to cook.....lol....that has exasperated the problem.

 

[kerunia]

When Im depressed I overeat. When Im anxious I dont eat at all. :/

 

[nicole1]

I shop and waste money or over eat because of it. It's a lonely disorder....