Poll Do You Use Food For Comfort?

[SeptemViginti]

My greatest and most utilized coping mechanism. It's expensive... Now I drink soylent most of my meals.

 

[marblemaze]

Unfortunately yes, I'm trying to work on it without judging myself.

 

[A little lost]

No. I mostly actively avoid eating now since my symptoms have increased. I'm not sure of the full reasons but I don't fret about not eating because I'm a bit lardy anyway. Losing a few pounds is no bad thing, I'm not exactly going to starve to death. I try to overcome it by seeing it as sustenance/fuel rather than food, though that doesn't always.
It's natural for me that I totally lose my appetite when stressed out, the thought of food just makes me feel nauseous. I sometimes wonder if it's my subconscious' way of punishing myself, hurting myself or something like that....it isn't something I fully understand.
I don't know if its tied in with my parents attitude to food. They had very little money, so fed us what they could, mum often skipped proper meals for meals so we and dad could eat. As kids we were made to eat everything we were given. If we didn't like it, that was just tough luck. We weren't allowed to leave the table unless the plates were empty. If it turned into bedtime or whatever, we got the same plate back to finish for the next mealtime (breakfast etc) straight from the fridge. It would be all we were allowed each mealtime until the food on that plate was all eaten or until it started going mouldy. At that stage we would be forcefully fed it by both parents holding your nose and mouth shut and stroking your throat to make you swallow. So eating is an issue for me. Seeing a can of butterbeans can be enough to make me heave now. I can understand why they did it though, which makes the issue hard to work out how I should feel about it.
It doesn't help that there are times when just having anything in my mouth brings in full on memory reactivation for other trauma related reasons ...not all the time but when tired or already broken down emotionally. I've tried eating soup at those times or meal replacement drinks but they have the same memory activation, so it turns into a no win situation. I need to wait til a more settled time.
I hear about comfort eating and think that I am just a weirdo for my reactions.

 

[whiteraven]

I used to. At some point last year food became this horrible thing I avoid like the plague.

 

[Changing4Best]

I answered "sometimes" but I also have times when I am so upset that I cannot eat at all!

 

[8888]

Yes, I do often. I didn't when I was being abused but I was only 4 then. I've eaten a lot more since I remembered my abuse.

 

[Ronin]

Currently, yes, hugely.

Also because I need to undig myself from years of starvation & it's more triggery than it was the years I had nothing to eat.

 

[SeedMan]

Yup, I use food for comfort, (and celebration, and motivation.) I don't like it that I do. I'm seeking better, healthier ways to be present with myself.