Moms’ Stress Eating Impacts Daughters Also As a holistic food therapist,
Works with women who struggle with emotional and stress eating— an especially complex issue for mothers of daughters. “These women struggle to prioritize their wellness needs, which impacts their relationships, specifically with their daughters,” Thacker says. “Having intentional time to re-energize and restore mentally, physically and emotionally is essential to reducing stress, but it’s often lacking for stressed moms. The emotional eating then becomes a vicious cycle of stress causing eating and eating reducing feelings of stress.” For busy moms, the primary barrier to implementing healthy practices to reduce emotional eating, such as meal planning and preparation, exercise, mindfulness, and relaxation, is time, she says. “Moms often put themselves at the bottom of their priority list, setting an unhealthy example for their daughters, who learn more by example and observation than by what they are told. Neglecting your own needs creates additional stress for the whole family and leads to additional stress eating.” While time alone is critical for moms, so is healthy mother-daughter time, she says. “When you are less stressed, you will inevitably be triggered less and resort to emotional eating less. Finding healthy practices to integrate into your daily routine that includes your daughter, such as meal planning and preparation, healthy movement and quiet moments of relaxation spent together, will support stronger relationships and promote more positive emotions.”
Sarah Thacker, a licensed counselor, art therapist, yoga therapist, yoga instructor and EMDR clinician. Location: 280 Madison Ave. For more information, contact her at 718-482-7197, email WholisticFoodTherapy@gmail or visit WholisticFoodTherapy.com
