So here's a question. Lately I have been emotionally eating because one of my day care children that I've been taking care of since nine months old is now ready to leave. I feel like a mother that has a child going off to college I've been so heartbroken over it that I've been doing some emotional eating. How do you cope with emotional eating and emotional difficulties and what do you do instead of eating? I just feel so sad..

My baby is leaving.. Everyone at work makes fun of me over being so sad, but since 9 months (she's now 3 years 4 months) we have had an emotional bond. I have clothed, cleaned, groomed, potty trained, and bought clothes for this little girl. She called me 'Mama' (has no mother in her life) before my actual name. She clings to me at work. I think she knows Friday is her last day.

I'm new sorry for posting too many times! Lol

Edited August 20, 201411 yr by planningband07

This is another attempt to remove my redundant post ????

Edited August 20, 201411 yr by planningband07

That's a very hard question. Probably most, if not all of us here do some emotional eating. Since you love children so much, maybe you can try and transfer the bond you had with this child to another child in day care. Sure can't be easy, I guess that's how foster parents might do it?? <br> Also, you could ask her caregiver if you could babysit on weekends occasionally to be able to still keep up with her. <br> Either way, the only way to avoid emotional eating is not to be emotional, which is impossible! So the next best thing again, would be to tell yourself "my emotions don't make my decisions, logic does. Overeating made me unhealthy and uncomfortable, so now instead of eating I chose to ______."

Sometimes we can all find reasons to emotionally eat. The bottom line is, like all of us, you deserve better than to regain. Give yourself permission to be sad for a while, but don't stay there too long. You can't eat away the sadness so try to find something else to make you feel better; walk, pray, meditate?