Can’t Stop Craving Chocolate? This Is What It Says About Your Health
You’re going for pleasure
When it comes to motivation, consciously or unconsciously, people will always focus on two things: seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.
Chocolate is famous for activating the pleasure receptors in our brains, reducing the perception of pain, and triggering a positive feeling in the body. “When we consume chocolate we get sugar and caffeine, and the dopamine levels in our brains start firing and we feel good and get a boost in our glucose levels, which makes us feel like we have more energy,” says Taylor Newhouse, a registered dietitian at the Texas A&M School Of Public Health. But there’s only a small step from pleasure to aversion.
How to fix it: You don’t have to rely solely on chocolate to feel good. It might be the easiest option but you can also try other things that bring you pleasure and satisfaction like going for a walk in a park or having a long, relaxing bubble bath. Try to do things that you like on a daily basis, whether it’s sipping your morning coffee or reading a few more pages from your favorite book.
You’re avoiding the pain
Many people find comfort in chocolate and other types of foods that provide some sort of consolation, like ice-cream, to avoid negative feelings and distressful experiences. When do you usually go for chocolate? Is it after a long, stressful day at work? After a fight with someone close?
Chocolate might taste great but it’s not going to make all your problems disappear for good. Its effects might be fast, but they don’t last forever. You will have to deal with anxiety and loneliness and, maybe a pinch of guilt for overeating chocolate.
How to fix it: Instead of finding solace in chocolate squares, try to find the real cause of your negative emotions and find a way to cope with it. If you feel lonely, call someone, get involved in volunteer activities r play with your pet (animals are known to make you feel better in an instant). If you feel tense and anxious, don’t focus on what could go wrong in a situation. Keep your eyes and mind on the goal!
