The Food Mood
You’re in a bad mood and craving comfort food. What do you do first before deciding?
The Short Answer
Pause. The first thing you do is create space between the craving and the action. In that space, identify the actual need — are you hungry, or are you using food to manage emotion? If it’s emotional, acknowledge that food might help temporarily but won’t solve the underlying mood. Then decide consciously: eat if you choose to, but don’t eat automatically. The goal isn’t perfect control; it’s conscious choice.
Something to Sit With
The craving is real. The question is what it’s actually asking for.
What if you listened before you answered?
Learn More
Why bad moods trigger cravings. The connection is real:
Stress hormones. Cortisol increases appetite, especially for calorie-dense foods.
Comfort association. Past experience links certain foods with feeling better.
Distraction. Eating provides temporary escape from uncomfortable emotions.
Serotonin. Some research suggests carbohydrates may temporarily affect mood-regulating neurotransmitters.
Habit. Repeated pairing of bad mood and eating creates automatic response.
The pause. Creating space before deciding:
Stop. Don’t reach for food immediately.
Breathe. A few deep breaths activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Notice. What exactly am I feeling? Where is it in my body?
Name. Anxious? Sad? Frustrated? Bored? Lonely? Tired?
Ask. Is this hunger or something else?
Questions to ask in the pause. Clarifying what you actually need:
Am I physically hungry? When did I last eat? Does my stomach feel empty?
What am I actually feeling? Can I name the emotion specifically?
What do I really need? Rest? Connection? Resolution of a problem? Distraction?
Will food solve this? Or just temporarily mask it?
How will I feel after eating? Better or worse about myself?
The conscious choice. After the pause:
You can still eat. The pause isn’t about denial — it’s about awareness.
Choose consciously. “I understand I’m eating for emotional reasons, and I’m choosing to do it anyway” is different from automatic eating.
Consider alternatives. What else might address the need? A walk, a call to a friend, a few minutes of rest?
If you eat, eat mindfully. Don’t zombie-eat. Be present for the experience.
Building the habit. Making the pause automatic:
Practice. Every time you reach for food, pause and check in. Even when hungry.
Expect imperfection. You won’t always pause. That’s okay.
Learn from eating. After emotional eating, notice: Did it help? How long? What’s the aftermath?
The deeper skill. This isn’t about never eating for emotional reasons — it’s about building awareness that allows choice. The goal is sovereignty over your actions, not rigid control.
Further reading:
- Albers S, Eating Mindfully — The pause practice
- Kabat-Zinn J, Full Catastrophe Living — Mindfulness and reactivity
- Tribole E, Resch E, Intuitive Eating — Emotional vs. physical hunger
- Kessler D, The End of Overeating — Conditioned responses to food cues