Do you constantly think about food day in and day out? If you think about food all day long, we’ve got you! Continue reading to find ways to stop thinking about food!
Do you think about food all day long? What we mean by constantly thinking about food all the time is your intrusive thoughts. We’re not talking about ideas like the ones you have when anticipating a nice meal at home, a new treat you can’t wait to try, or an exciting forthcoming dinner with friends when we talk about food being continuously on your mind.
Instead, we are concerned about your intrusive thoughts that you don’t want to have, but they keep popping up in your mind. For example, when your thoughts about food take charge, are endless and make you feel obsessed with food, then you must make an effort to change this.
Do you constantly think about food?
One of the most obvious signs that your relationship with food is out of balance is when food occupies all your thoughts about food and attention.
When food starts to feel like the centre of your existence, your decisions and actions will be affected by your ideas about food or when food exerts too much power over your everyday activities.
There is a distinction between eating being a happy aspect of our life and it taking over our lives. When food feels like the centre of your existence or starts affecting your behaviour and daily activities, it no longer benefits us.
When people constantly think about food nonstop to the point of tiredness, they form an all-in relationship with food. So what’s an all-in relationship with food?
An all-in association with food is one where we consider food to be only a source of nourishment and nothing else. When you have such thoughts about food, you no longer emphasize finding pleasure in eating. When you have this perspective about food, you may track your intake, meticulously plan your meals, and constantly doubt your food-related decisions or activities when they are not entirely and solely motivated by nutrition. In short, you intensely focus on your dietary and nutritional choices.
If you also have a similar relationship with food, you must understand that taking out joy from food or eating is the root of many problems. When you focus only on nourishment and neglect joy from food, eating becomes a duty that you must perform to nourish your body and nothing else. As a result, you might experience chronic stress, anxiety, guilt, or overload.
It’s draining when we’re thinking about eating all the time. It ultimately becomes so exhausting that we are unable to continue. And when we finally snap, we move quickly and in the opposite direction and find ourselves in an all-out mindset.
So what exactly is an all-out relationship with food? It is a mindset that is opposite of the All-in concept. When you have an all-out approach towards eating, you neglect the nourishment part of food and focus only on joy and instant gratification. When you can no longer hold out after a strict all-in relationship with food, you often go out and eat mindlessly, making you more stressed and the cycle of all-in and all-out keeps going endlessly.
So why do you constantly think about food?
When you get caught in the endless all-in and all-out cycle, you only see food as black and white. As a result, it becomes a source of tension and a significant influence in your life.
When you develop a mindset that you can either nourish or enjoy food, food takes up your thoughts and attention and often disturbs your daily life. Thus, being unable to find a balance is why you constantly think about food.
How to find a balance and stop thinking about food?
You must establish a healthy, long-lasting relationship with food if you want to change your all-in all-out relationship with food and stop thinking about food all the time. A healthy relationship with food places equal importance on nourishing oneself and having fun.
A positive or healthy relationship with food is one where you know how to create meals that feed and give you energy. You also learn how to make satisfying and rewarding meals where you can prioritize nutrition while still living a fulfilling life.
So how to improve your relationship with food?
The way to transform your negative relationship with food into a healthy one is to start practising balance with your eating. Begin by recognizing the all-in and all-out tendencies we addressed and your thoughts, preferences, and habits.
You should ask yourself when and how you end up going all-in or all-out on eating. For example, specific circumstances, stresses, or triggers could cause you to behave in a particular way.
You should reflect on yourself and be empathetic to yourself. And once you become aware of your tendencies, you may begin to break old behaviours and form new ones. This way, you will no longer end up at the extreme spectrum of eating, which will help you stop thinking about food constantly.
