This holiday season is, usually, a time for excess – whether it be food or drink. And the old saying ‘A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips’ might ring true for many as they sneak yet another chocolate or glass of festive bubbly. 
And then come the often futile New Year resolutions to eat sensibly, drink responsibly and generally ‘be good’ as the guilt hangover kicks in.
While the winter has been mild so far, colder weather can lead to ‘binge eating’ or ‘comfort’ eating. The darker hours also lead to the need for chocolates and other sugar-rich comfort foods which are also often consumed at this time by people who are anxious, depressed or unsettled.
All of this leads to unwanted weight gain and problems like guilt and add to the anxiety and depression levels.
If you are currently in a state of mental unrest, be it financial worries, overworking, relationship troubles or any other negative emotional pattern, it can often be ‘the reason’ for that extra drink, another slab of chocolate or some other form of indulgence and, before you know it, overindulging may become second nature.
The festive season brings its own worries too (shopping costs and so on) and there is usually a surfeit of food and drink.
Over indulging is a problem behaviour which is defined by the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) as an unwanted habit or addiction. It is something people feel they have no control over and it can affect their lives.
Habits such as overeating or smoking are the most common, but there are many other behaviours that affect people’s lives, make them unhappy or cause a risk to their health and the health of those around them.
The NCH says a hypnotherapy weight loss programme allows the hypnotherapist to ask the client’s subconscious to modify the lifestyle without any undue stress or distress.
According to the NHS, it is not clear what causes binge eating, but, like most eating disorders, it’s seen as a way of coping with feelings of unhappiness and low self-esteem. Things that may increase your risk of developing problems with binge eating include low self-esteem and a lack of confidence; depression or anxiety; feelings of stress, anger, boredom or loneliness; dissatisfaction with one’s body and feeling under pressure to be thin; and stressful or traumatic events in the past.
It is not too late to break the habit of over-indulging. Over-eating at Christmas will see you putting on the pounds and will leave you feeling bloated, suffering from indigestion, and, if you are unlucky, having to deal with gastric problems.
The NCH has a therapist near you who can help. Simply use the NCH directory of therapists by clicking here and your binge-eating could soon be a thing of the past.