Surfing the Sea of Urges: Learning How to Cope with Food Cravings

Do you turn to the pantry when you’re feeling upset? If you eat to help manage your emotions, you probably already know that it doesn’t work that well. Once you’re done eating, you might even feel worse.

In today’s episode, we’re sharing an excerpt from clinical psychologist Jennifer Taitz’s audiobook End Emotional Eating: Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to Cope with Difficult Emotions and Develop a Healthy Relationship to Food.

Dr. Taitz knows that eating can all too easily become a strategy for coping with depression, anxiety, boredom, stress, and anger. It’s also a reliable reward when it’s time to celebrate. If you’re ready to experience emotions without consuming them or being consumed by them, End Emotional Eating can help. You’ll learn how to manage you emotions and urges gracefully, live in the present moment, learn from your feelings, and cope with distress skillfully.

In this excerpt, Dr. Taitz addresses the cycle of craving, caving, and guilt, that can so often feel endless. Instead of feeling helpless, she offers an effective technique to “surf” over your urges—whether or not they center around food.