Did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month? This and the emotions around the chocolate you may have consumed over the Easter weekend provides an opportunity to explore how stress plays a big part in emotional eating.

When you become stressed, your levels of adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones) rise, and your happy hormones (dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin) decrease.

Your mind needs these happy hormones, and if it doesn’t get them in the right way  your internal dialogue will guide you will look for them elsewhere- binge eating, binge drinking, shopping, gambling etc.

Your mind is trying to protect you and help you seek comfort.

Junk food and chocolate is easily accessible, relatively inexpensive and gives instant relief so no wonder it becomes an easy fix when you’re feeling stressed.

You eat the food, then the self-loathing starts, and the cycle begins again.

So, managing stress constructively is an important aspect of beating emotional eating over the long-term.

To break this cycle, we need to address the underlying stressors and emotions that drive our eating habits, not just the symptoms.

No diet plan will help until you understand the psychology around your eating habits and learn how to regulate your emotions.

This is where hypnotherapy comes into play as a powerful tool for change. Hypnotherapy for stress, sugar addiction, and overeating doesn't just tackle the symptoms; it delves into the subconscious to identify and resolve the emotional triggers behind stress eating.

In my hypnotherapy sessions with clients, either in person in Manchester or online, I utilise a range of tools. These include deep relaxation, positive suggestions, and guided visualisation to help you develop healthier coping mechanisms and discover ways to regulate difficult emotions more effectively, fostering a more mindful and balanced relationship with food.

So, if you’re struggling with stress eating or emotional eating, why not give hypnotherapy a try, contact me today for your free no-obligation consultation and take the first step towards a healthier happier you.

Maria Baldwin is a CNHC registered hypnotherapist, offering hypnotherapy online as well as from her therapy room in Worsley,  Manchester.

Cover photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash