Sheepdog Tip of the Day, After Combat tip 49
Some people lose their desire for food when overly stressed, but the more common response is to develop an enhanced appetite. The midbrain is a simple organism, and it can only do one thing at a time. When anxiety eats away at you, the puppy pokes his nose through the screen door, whining and whimpering. So you eat a big piece of chocolate cake, which is the same as giving him a bone to gnaw on for a while. While you overeat, the puppy stays busy and you get a break from your anxiety. When you stop, however, he is back at the screen door whining and whimpering, as once again your anxiety gnaws away at you. It is a vicious cycle because not only are you not dealing with the cause of your stress, your attempt to placate it with food leads to obesity and the many health problems associated with it. This is why daily vigorous exercise is so vital. Pumping iron, running, and basketball burns off the stress hormones that motivate you to eat. It also burns off a few calories, which makes the body healthier (or the "tub" a little larger) so that you can more easily handle the incoming stress. The better shape you are in, the more motivated you are to continue to burn off stress hormones in a healthy way, rather than trying to appease it with comfort food.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Combat
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Additional Resources
For PTSD, Shepherd Resource Group.