In this blog post, we’re delving into the profound connections between suppressed feelings, stress, health, and emotional eating.
I will show you how the remarkable insights about the relationship between stress and health presented by Dr. Maté also correlate with emotional eating patterns.
You will find my comments and correlation with emotional eating written in Italics.
Stress and Its Far-Reaching Impact
Dr. Maté’s video takes us on a journey through the impact of stress on caregivers, people pleasers, individuals with weak boundaries, and those carrying the weight of childhood traumas or authoritative parenting experiences. As we listen to his words, it’s fascinating to see how the factors contributing to chronic illnesses can also be closely linked to emotional eating habits. It’s like connecting the dots between our emotional experiences and our relationship with food.
I highly recommend watching the entire video, as this blog post provides just a glimpse of the wealth of information he shares. Below are some of the thought-provoking topics he touches upon.
Telomeres: Stress And Cellular Aging
Imagine our DNA strands as shoelaces, with telomeres acting as protective glue at the ends, preventing fraying. Over time, these telomeres naturally shrink, contributing to cellular ageing.
Dr. Maté talks about a research study of caregiver mothers of chronically ill children and control mothers of healthy children. Women with the highest levels of perceived stress have telomeres shorter on average by the equivalent of at least one decade of additional ageing compared to low-stress women.
These findings have implications for understanding how, at the cellular level, stress may promote earlier onset of age-related diseases.
It’s not a call to step back from caregiving; rather, it underscores the importance of not just caring but also the way we care.
Interesting to note that stress is also one of the main reasons for emotional eating, aka. stress eating.
Unravelling the Impact of Suppressed Feelings
Another captivating topic Dr. Maté talks about in the video is the suppression of healthy anger as a significant risk factor for illness. The way we handle anger can have a profound impact on our health.
Let’s break down the ways we deal with anger according to Dr. Maté:
Repression
People who consistently prioritize pleasing others often bury their anger. This emotional suppression can lead to autoimmune diseases and cancer according to him.
What I found working with my clients is that the suppression of anger can also be a common trigger for emotional eating. It’s like seeking solace in food when emotions are left unaddressed.
Expression
On the flip side, giving in to anger and expressing it through rage can have adverse effects, including heart disease and strokes. Interestingly, studies have shown that after a rage episode, the risk of a heart attack doubles for the next two hours.
Healthy Processing
Dr. Maté introduces the concept of healthy anger expression—a skill many of us lack.
Learning to process our feelings in a healthy manner can diminish our reliance on food as an emotional crutch too. I explored this topic in the two blog posts below:
The Impact of Suppressed Feelings
Dr. Maté refers to a study that tracked 1700 women over a decade, revealing a striking correlation between suppressed emotions and mortality. Unhappily married women who suppressed their feelings were four times more likely to die compared to their counterparts who expressed their emotions. This underscores the critical importance of emotional expression and its influence on our well-being.
Integrating Mind, Body, and Soul for Lasting Change
Dr. Maté highlights the disconnection between mind and body within Western medicine. He emphasizes that emotional and physiological aspects are intertwined, contrary to the conventional medical mindset. While autoimmune illnesses are often treated solely on a physical level, mental and emotional factors are frequently overlooked. This separation remains, even when addressing mental health concerns.
In my 12-week End Emotional Eating coaching program we take a holistic approach. By addressing the mind, body, and soul, this program recognizes the interconnectedness of these facets. Balancing the body is challenging without addressing the mind, and vice versa. Disruptive thought patterns can undermine even the best dietary intentions. Furthermore, unattended emotional voids can lead to cravings, often fulfilled through overeating.
Stress and Its Impact On Early Life
Our environment and suppressed feelings
Dr. Maté delves into how our environment shapes us. He provides three compelling examples to illustrate his point. One particularly powerful illustration is how infants absorb their mother’s stress. This early imprinting teaches infants to suppress their own pain to maintain a relationship with their stressed caregiver. Although unintended from the mother’s side, this dynamic leaves a lasting impression on our behaviour and emotional responses.
Attachment and Authenticity: Balancing Two Basic Needs
Dr. Maté introduces two fundamental needs: attachment and authenticity.
The more immature we are the more important the first need becomes. A connection with another human being for the purpose of being taken care of is an absolute need of a small child, they can’t live without it.
To be authentic means that we know who we are, and what we feel, we are able to express it and able to honour it in our behaviour.
But what happens if we need to suppress who we are and need to suppress our authenticity because the expression of them would bring us into conflict with our caregivers and threaten our attachments? Then as adults, we’re still behaving like little kids who need to attach and need to be liked, accepted and approved of at the expense of our authenticity.
Bridging the Gap: Emotional Eating and Suppressed Feelings
Let’s connect these insights about the surprising links between suppressed feelings, stress and health to the realm of emotional eating.
As authenticity and feelings are suppressed, emotional eating often becomes a coping mechanism. Over time, this pattern ingrains itself as a neural habit, making it challenging to break without proper tools.
My 12-week End Emotional Eating coaching program offers these tools through a 12-week journey of self-discovery and transformation.
Prioritizing Health and Authenticity
In closing, the suppression of feelings, as illuminated by Dr. Maté’s presentation, can manifest as severe health conditions like cancer and autoimmune diseases. It’s a call to action, inviting us to explore these connections and their potential impact on our lives.
If these insights about the connections between suppressed feelings, stress, health and emotional eating resonate with you, consider taking a step toward understanding and healing.
My 12-week End Emotional Eating coaching program offers tools to address emotional eating at its core while fostering a deeper connection between mind, body, and soul. And if the notion of emotional eating doesn’t yet compel you, let the potential health implications drive you to delve into these intricacies. Dr. Maté’s presentation serves as a powerful reminder that our emotional well-being is intimately connected to our physical health.
If you’re ready to explore further, I invite you to book a free consultation to discuss your unique situation. It’s a step toward understanding, growth, and potentially unlocking a healthier, more authentic you.
