Do you find yourself sensitive to certain kinds of stimulation? Do loud noises, excessive talking, bright lights, and other audio-visual elements cause you discomfort? Do you retreat to a quiet or dark space for relief? Or like me, a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), do you also overeat to cope with the associated stress? Many of us understand how a turbulent childhood and other life circumstances can cause us to seek out food for relief. So too can high sensitivity.
Although high sensitivity has received increased recognition in the psychological arena, its correlation to addictive behavior has yet to be given its proper due. Despite its designation as a neutral trait, it was by undertaking a Fourth Step inventory that I realized how my chronic aversion to overstimulation contributed to my almost constant pursuit of food.
For example, if I was exposed to lots of noise, talking, or activity on a given day—or even a single overstimulating event—I would seek out food to combat my distress. The calming effect of food would soothe my countenance and physical symptoms, much like medication does for what ails us. However, since high sensitivity is a lifetime personality trait, habitually turning to food is not a feasible long-term option. Before I took that seriously, however, I ate and ate, putting on excess pounds. Now I had a second dilemma: how would I handle my high sensitivity without overeating and jeopardizing my health? The answer, as it would also be for my other triggers, lay with Overeaters Anonymous.
I discovered that Overeaters Anonymous was a catch-all to overcome everything that caused me to overeat. If OA helped me curtail my intake because of a stressful job, it would do the same for my neurological orientation. The Twelve Steps of OA and the OA Tools of Recovery, such as meetings and literature, could be applied towards the triggers originating from my high sensitivity.
The Twelve Steps of OA and the OA Tools of Recovery, such as meetings and literature, could be applied towards the triggers originating from my high sensitivity.
We can do our best to minimize overstimulating situations, but we cannot always avoid them. When our good faith efforts fail, we can always turn to the program. It supplements our quest to avoid the maladaptation of overeating under less-than-ideal circumstances.
So add high sensitivity to the sundry reasons why we feel compelled to eat. No problem. OA can take care of that too. OA is a one-stop shop to remedy compulsive overeating, whatever the cause.
—Linda L.
