A sure sign of someone who may be suffering from major depression, is someone who is an emotional eater. Especially if the person eats when they are feeling sad, anxious, angry etc.

Women tend to do this a lot. We eat our way through our depressions and sometimes don't even recognize what we're doing until 20 pounds later. The food acts much like a drink of alcohol or a drug would - it medicates you temporarily but then only exacerbates the original problem.

So what do you do? Most antidepressants increase your appetite. Diets haven't worked. Well, you need to try and get to the emotional core of things and try to offer yourself alternatives and choices to eating.

Tips to try and end eating your way through your depression...

1. Get Moving. Try some sort of exercise routine. Something that has a mental/phsical connection is even better. Thai Chi. Yoga. Pilates. But whatever you do will work...running, walking, dancing, floorwork.

2. Delay Eating. Your hand is on the snack drawer, what do you do? Stop and think about it for 5 to 10 minutes. Can you rationalize eating this snack? Is it healthy? Is it really caloric, sweet, or salty? Can you wait until later? If you delay and think about what you are about to put into your mouth, you may walk away entirely.

3. Start writing. Get out your journal or a plain piece of writing paper and start jotting down your feelings. How do you feel right now? Are you anxious, bored, angry? This will help you make a connection between your eating and your feelings. And give you something else to do!

4. Find another oral fixation. Find something else to keep your mouth busy while doing mindless things like watching t.v. Drink water. Suck on a sugarless lollypop. Chew on a ginger stick. Chew gum.

5. Talk about it. Don't forget one of the major pieces in battling depression. Talk about your feelings with someone you trust. A close family member or friend. Your religious leader. Your counselor or therapist. Your physician. Just keep talking:)

*TIP: Try this book: Break Free From Emotional Eating

---

Lisa Angelettie, "GirlShrink" is an online advice authority. Her site GirlShrink.com is the #1 "Advice & Counseling" site on the web. Visit her site for a personal advice session. Please visit us for more discussion on this topic in the depression forum to talk about it further. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for topics in the news, new articles, website & book reviews, and other useful mental health resources. Subscribe below.