Eating Political Anxiety: When Politicians Eat their Feelings

‘I remember this one time I got home from parliament and I was just exhausted, and my daughter was crying and crying. I remember telling the Nanny “just give me a moment” and I got back into the car and drove to Spar. I remember sitting in the car eating a packet of chips and crying’ – former member of parliament in South Africa.

Alarm at 5am, team briefing at 7am, media statement signed-off by 9am, committee meeting at 9.30am, party meeting at 12pm, a seat in the House by 14pm; four hours of emails and social media (when the camera is not looking); run back to the office at 18h30; thank the team, freshen up; depart for civil society event at 19h30.

Being a politician is a constant battle to be on time and perform at the best level. When Dianne Kohler Barnard, South African MP says, “you have to be made of steel to do this job”, she is not exaggerating.  Yet, whether you are made of steel as a politician or not, the risk of turning to food to soothe your exhausted state is real. According to studies, the brain craves caloric and fattening foods when people are in an amplified level of anxiety. This, in the body and mind of a busy politician can translate into a binge eating habit (as well as other addictions and substance reliance).  

With stress and anxiety as the baseline of the political experience, how a politician handles it matters for their own wellbeing as well as the democratic outcome. But how do we stop devouring food? Can we press the off button? Is there another way to cope with the strains of a political life? Like with any other aspect, binge eating needs to be understood in order to be tackled.

Binge eating disorder is very common where large and continuous amounts of food are eaten in a state of anxiety and emotional discomfort. It is accompanied by a feeling of being powerless during and after eating. When binge eaters overeat, they are in a decontrolled state of mind, not being able to stop. While it seems comforting for a brief second, the aftermath works hand in hand with feelings of guilt, shame and depression. The effects of continuous binge eating can cause physical, emotional and social isolation problems.

How can we turn binge eating into a self-soothing method in politics?

Most experts agree that a robust and enjoyable eating cycle is a great start to reducing the risk of eating your feelings. This is incredibly difficult for most people, and impossible for politicians. For most of their week politicians do not get to determine what they eat and when, let alone whether they will enjoy it. For example, Eleni Bakopeni, former Canadian member of parliament, explains that all too often ‘you eat crap because you go to all these cocktail [events] after you’ve been working all day’. The temptation to give in to junk-food cravings is ramped up when 7pm arrives and you still haven’t eaten yet. ‘The House of Commons served terrible food’, she says, ‘until we all protested…we asked for fruits, tea, and other things’.

In theory, once a healthy eating cycle has been sorted (it can take a while), other ways to deal with the feeling of anxiety and decontrol can be integrated. In other words, alternative self-soothing methods need to be created at the ready. In the absence of that reality, simply being aware may help:

‘I never thought about it [binge-eating] as self-soothing at that time, but that is exactly what it is, looking at it objectively’, the former MP shares. ‘But it would actually help to be prepared as a politician to know that you are going to reach points of exhaustion and despair; you’re not going to avoid them and so it helps to think in advance what your self-soothing fixes could be ready for when they arrive’.

What might work for one politician won’t necessarily work for another, it is a matter of trying, and crucially, always feeling in charge of your decisions. Many politicians seem to find their self-soothing method in driving alone or enjoying a latte by themselves, while others stick to a controlled binge eating. As long as it is your decision and you are in control of it, any self-soothing method can work. It is all a matter of awareness, intention, exploring what works and creating a sense of heathy control over the experience.

Binge eating is there, it is an escape route, but there are many other ways to deal with anxiety and stress that can bring more joy and wellbeing.