Ever find yourself tucking into a box of donuts and ravaging an entire load of chocolate even though you're not hungry? Well you're not alone.

Mark Hyman, MD,discusses the growing problem of emotional eating and how most emotional eaters use food to suppress their emotional issues. The food numbs their feelings temporarily, but more often than not leaves the emo-eater even more depressed, due to the loss of self-control.

Hyman advices emotional eaters to accept themselves and their emotions first. Seek to tend your emotional wellness by opening up to a trusted friend or talk to a professional to find some enlightenment, if not, solitude from your mental mess of rigidity, judgment and pain. After finding other outlets to let go of your pain, you'll no longer need food to save you from your feelings.

Practice compassionate communication with your body and mind and watch with utter amazement at the healing occurring deep within.

Is this easy? Not necessarily. Is it worth it? 100 percent! Begin slowly, go easy on yourself and yet challenge your deepest-held beliefs. In this time of high-speed living, where we can easily become lost in the race to the finish line, ask yourself what is worth sacrificing your health for and what isn't.

It's easier to read advice than to apply it. But it all boils down to willpower. Do you love yourself enough to make a change? Start by doing what's right for your mind and body.