Why can’t I stop snacking when I have a project to finish?
Something I hear all the time, from people across the spectrum of disordered eating is: why do I constantly snack when I have a project to finish??
Whether it’s a paper for a class, a report for work, or a household task we’ve been procrastinating, there seems to be a common root of using food to get through it. (I want to note that this ALSO occurs among people without disordered eating, it just tends to be a bigger issue for those with.)
Here are my thoughts about why this might be happening...
To energize.
Food is stimulating. It quite literally provides energy to the body.
It also recruits our senses, which we need to stay present and connected.
To capitalize.
For anyone who fears or restricts food, eating may “sneak in” while the focus is on something else.
We may subconsciously give ourselves permission to eat while we are paying attention to the primary task. (This can also happen with watching television.)
To procrastinate.
When we’re not particularly excited about a project (or we have perfectionism around it -- read fear of failure and/or dreading the energy of expectation), we may use food to procrastinate. Eating is still doing, so the brain still perceives the pursuit of accomplishment (related to dopamine).
To manage cortisol.
When we are stressed, the body produces cortisol (a stress hormone).
This hormone signals threat to the body (we’re stressed! Must be danger out there!) And if there is a threat, we might need to fight or run.
The body signals a need for sugar/carbohydrates to provide energy for that, because our biology is still not caught up to modern day causes of stress (it still assumes we are fighting cave bears, not creating spreadsheets).
To regulate (“secondary stimulation”).
Have you ever noticed that it’s easier to focus if you have a sense wrapped up in a secondary task?
This may be a feature especially of neurodivergent brains (anxiety, ADHD, autism).
Eating is an easy way to get that “hit” of a secondary source of stimulation to provide focus and regulation for the primary task.
X factor.
