Emotional Excuses: When a Hug Looks Like a Cupcake

Have you ever found yourself standing in the kitchen after a long day, thinking, “I just need something sweet”?
Not because you're hungry. Not because it's time for dinner. But because your nerves are fried, your patience has packed up and left, and your brain is screaming, “I need a win.” or “I want to relax and now it’s my turn.”

Or maybe it’s not even about stress. Maybe you had a good day. You got a lot done, you kept things together, and now you want a reward. And that reward just happens to look like a cookie. Or a drive-thru order. Or that giant glass of wine that can fit the whole bottle in one glass.

The problem is that cookies aren't about hunger at all. It’s your brain asking to be seen, soothed, or celebrated.

Welcome back to our 6 part series on excuses called Excuses Exposed. Today we’re talking about emotional excuses. The ones that whisper things like, “I deserve this,” or “I just want it,” or “It’s not fair.” These are the moments when food becomes your therapist, your reward, or your tiny rebellion.

And listen, I get it. These thoughts feel true. But what they’re really doing is putting food in charge of your feelings—and that’s a lot of pressure to put on a bag of chips.

Before we dig in, let’s do a quick recap of where we’ve been and where we’re headed.

In Episode 1, we broke down what excuses really are. Not signs of failure. Not personality flaws. Just mental habits—ways your brain tries to avoid discomfort. We talked about the four-step Excuse-Proofing Process: Pause, Ponder, Pivot, and Practice.

Today, we’re taking that process and applying it to one of the most common excuse families: emotional eating.

But for now, let’s get into the messy, very human world of emotional eating.

Ready? Let’s go!

 

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