Do you frequently eat snacks when you’re under pressure? Do you turn to junk food when you’re faced with making a difficult decision? Does eating seem to help you calm down when you experience anxiety or a sense of urgency? Nearly half (48%) of obese adults report stress as a contributing factor as to why they are overweight. Using food to manage stress can have lasting effects on your overall health. Here are some other ways to take control of your health so you can stop using food as an escape from stress. 

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Do carbohydrates make you feel run down? Does skipping breakfast make it hard to get your day started? Does chocolate give you a temporary rush of happiness? Experiencing mood changes shortly after eating is a result of the composition of chemicals changing in your brain. Once your brain becomes accustomed to your diet, it will begin to crave certain foods depending on your mood. Serotonin, galanin, and dopamine are some of the chemicals in the brain that react to the foods you choose to eat. Some foods you can use to safely alter your mood include: 

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The term “eating disorder” is often used in a broad context; however, various types of eating disorders exist and to understand what affect this disease has on the male population, it is necessary to define each one. 

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Everyone overeats at some point in their lives whether it's at a major life event, like a wedding buffet, or at traditional large meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, people suffering from food addiction overeat almost every day. This eating disorder is risky and detrimental to a person's physical, mental and social health. 

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Many Americans struggle every day with poor self-image and weight loss issues. Losing weight and being active is a good thing, but taking an unhealthy approach to shedding some pounds can cause more harm than good. Crash diets are often popularized by celebrities, but this method of weight loss is not a long-term solution. 

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Purging, or frequent, self-induced vomiting for weight loss, is a sign of a serious eating disorder. It is most often associated with bulimia but can also be a symptom of anorexia if it is accompanied by periods of intentional starving. Purging has serious, negative effects on the body. 

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Bulimia and anorexia nervosa are both serious mental health disorders related to eating. Bulimia is roughly defined as frequent, self-induced purging of food after eating and anorexia is associated with almost starvation-level diets. Bulimic and anorexic patients usually share a negative self-image and low self-esteem. However, these serious, and sometimes fatal, eating disorders must be treated differently, so it is essential to learn the similarities and differences between bulimia and anorexia. 

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Major life changes are full of excitement, but they also come with a great deal of stress. Moving is a time of uncertainty as you wonder if you’ll be able to find new friends and if you’ll like the new area. Planning a wedding should be joyous but is often a time of strife and stress as the decisions mount up and the deadline moves. Having a baby can be the most stressful time of your life as the fears and concerns grow along with the child inside you. Solace counseling is here to help you prepare mentally for the major life change that is coming your way. Learn healthy ways to deal with the stress so you don’t turn to self-destructive coping methods. 

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An addiction is a mental or physical dependency on any substance, feeling, emotion and thought. People do not become addicted to a substance without first using it. Some substances are more addictive than others. Moreover, some people become addicted to certain things easier than other people. The reasons for this are mostly genetic makeup and environmental influence. 

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Recovering from an addiction can seem like an insurmountable challenge, but it need not be. Many people succeed in improving their lives by leaving addictions behind and you can too. 

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Chances are, you know someone with an eating disorder. Eating disorders affect many people, especially girls and women in their teenage and young adult years. Sometimes they are well hidden, but sometimes the symptoms are not so subtle. There are three main types of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Although the symptoms of each disorder vary, in most cases they coexist with some sort of psychological issue such as low self-esteem or stress. If you know someone who is coping with an eating disorder, here are some ways that you can help them out. 

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