I never thought of myself as an emotional eater. I don't really like ice cream all that much, so the stereotype of a distraught woman eating a pint of ice cream just doesn't fit. But I do enjoy eating. I really enjoy good food and I can afford good food on a regular basis, so I go out to eat a lot.
A few days ago, while looking at a restaurant menu, I thought, "I've had a tough day and that steak would make me feel better". I was a little startled by that thought, but I got the steak anyway. It was tasty and I did feel better.
Part of me wonders if eating makes me feel better because I'm getting my way. When things aren't working out, I can go to a restaurant and get exactly what I want, so at least something is going my way. This line of thinking is kind of silly for me because I get my way most of the time.
I joked with some friends once that I was "living the dream" because I had a nice computer on which to play video games. But then I realized that I really am living the dream. I have pretty much everything I ever wanted and more. That is a wonderful and humbling realization. I am so lucky to have the life I do.
Flush with the realization that my life is pretty awesome, it seems ridiculous that I would ever eat to make myself feel better. But like anything, living a good life desensitizes me to real hardship or sadness. That doesn't make my sadness any less real, but some perspective often helps lighten the load and makes my troubles easier to bear.
Now that I've realized I eat emotionally I can do something about it. Nothing like a little character development to make a dream even better.