You're standing still. Heart racing. Vision narrowing. Palms slick. And then-suddenly, underneath the chaos-an unignorable pull toward food.
Not because you're hungry. You might have eaten an hour ago. But the craving arrives anyway, urgent and specific. Sweet. Salty. Dense. Something you can put in your mouth right now.
You might fight it for a few seconds. Tell yourself this doesn't make sense. But the feeling of anxiety can be intolerable, and many people have learned that eating in response to this feeling is soothing. So you reach for whatever's closest.
When Fear Rewrites the Hunger Script
Most people assume food cravings are an effort to counteract or regulate negative mood, and they're not entirely wrong. But during an anxiety attack, something more immediate is happening.