The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Anxiety

Basic Emotion Regulation Skills 137

I can improve my eating habits by

1)

2)

overeating and Undereating

Also, be aware that some people with overwhelming emotions use food in self-destructive
ways, either by drastically overeating or undereating. Sometimes people overeat because the food
makes them feel emotionally calm, or even numb, for a short amount of time. And, again, these
feelings lead to the person’s behavior being repeated in the future. Equally dangerous is the fact
that some people try to control their overeating by engaging in purging activities like vomit-
ing. Frequent purging can lead to a very dangerous eating disorder called bulimia that can have
devastating effects on your body.
Drastic undereating can also make a person feel good for a short amount of time. Undereating
can serve as a form of self-control. Many times, people with overwhelming emotions feel like their
lives are out of their own control, and undereating gives them a sense of power over their lives
that makes them feel better. However, this quest for control can be dangerous because excessive
undereating can lead to anorexia, an extremely unhealthy and potentially life-threatening eating
disorder characterized by a person’s drastically reduced weight.
If you engage in any overeating or undereating, identify what those behaviors are in the space
below. Then identify what the temporary rewards might be. And finally, identify what the long-
term costs and dangers are due to those behaviors.

The overeating or undereating behaviors that I engage in are

The temporary rewards for my behaviors are

The long-term costs and dangers of my behaviors are