Night Eating Syndrome – Getting Help from Your Friends

If you have, this means that you may have tried to eat more regular meals during the day, and to keep track of your thoughts and emotions when you are eating at night. You may also have tried some of the stress-reduction exercises, such as diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Although you can perform most of these exercises and activities as an individual, remember you have others out there to help you. Don’t forget that social support from family, friends, and others will also help you to overcome your night eating.

Reaching Out to Others
The first step in getting support from others is reaching out to them, letting them know you want help. If you have the tendency to keep your night eating a secret, this could have come about for many reasons. You may be embarrassed by it, or you may think that others might not understand. You may have told someone about your problem in the past, only to receive unhelpful comments in response. Have you heard, or even imagined, people saying things like, “Well, just don’t get up and eat,” or “You must have no willpower.” Listening to feedback like this when you are trying to get support can be discouraging and frustrating.

Opening up an honest dialogue with a friend, significant other, or family member can help you and them get past such superficial comments that are meant to help, even if they are misguided. Sitting down with someone and talking about your struggle with night eating takes courage. If you know someone who you think would be supportive of your efforts to end your night eating, then summoning the courage to hold this conversation will be worth your while. How do you go about opening an honest dialogue?

First, pick a time to talk to a supportive person (or people) when there will be few interruptions. Second, pick a place to talk that will be comfortable for you. You may feel comfortable talking to someone at a crowded mall or restaurant, while someone else may feel more comfortable in a quiet room at home. Setting up the right time and place will help ensure that the person you choose to trust will be able to devote full attention to you. It will also ensure that you will have enough time to explain the full impact of your night eating and how he or she could be helpful with your goal of overcoming this condition. (Note: For the purpose of the remainder of this discussion we will assume your friend is a girl or woman. We understand that your friend may be male, but we are choosing to make the text easier to read.)

Related posts:

1. Who Else Has Night Eating Syndrome?
2. Night Eating Syndrome – Getting Help from Others
3. Night Eating Syndrome – Starting a Journal and Dealing with Family and Roommates
4. Night Eating Syndrome – Feeling Angry at Yourself
5. Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (NS-RED) and Night Eating Syndrome
6. Night Eating Syndrome and Disturbed Sleep
7. Mood Disorders and Night Eating Syndrome
8. Night Eating Syndrome and Polysomnography
9. Binge-Eating Disorder and Night Eating Syndrome
10. The Genetics of Night Eating Syndrome