The following scenario is familiar to a lot of people: they live in a state of dizzy activity from Monday to Friday. Then, from Friday night to Sunday night, they give themselves up to reckless abandon and indulge in a pleasurable activity almost all the time. They tell themselves that they are entitled to have some fun during the weekend. The problem is that, on Monday morning, they’re exhausted, somewhat guilty and miserable from their ‘weekend binge-fest’. They are not alone and here are three examples of weekend binge-fests and how they can have a negative impact on life.
Food
Dr. Christopher Fairburn (author of ‘Overcoming Binge Eating’) offers this definition: “What is central to binge eating is the sense of loss of control. This feature above all distinguishes binge eating from everyday over eating.” It is estimated that at least one in five women binge on food.
Experts say that, for single women, after five days in a busy office, the weekend can seem pretty lonely. It only reminds them that they are still alone and unmarried. The fact that they comfort themselves with food when they encounter a negative thought is something that women have become used to from childhood: as babies, when they cried, they were fed. As teenagers, food was an effective remedy against boredom. As adults, they have come to see food as an ‘all-encompassing pick-me-up and a powerful drug against depression and stress.’
What are the usual kinds of food that women binge on? Well, chips, chocolate, ice cream and cake are the obvious choices. However, there are women who also binge on full buffets – they go to five-star hotels every weekend and sample everything on offer in the buffet.
Shopping
Here’s a typical story of someone who binges on shopping:
Two years ago, Jane’s office was situated in a shopping mall. She made it a habit to visit the shops during her lunch hour and spent a total of about $300.00 a week buying clothes, bags and shoes. A little perturbed by her mounting credit card debt, she was very happy when the company she works for relocated to a new place miles away from the shopping mall. Only, now, she goes back to the mall every weekend and ‘makes up for lost time’ by spending up to $500.00 during each visit.
Jane’s story, experts say, is an example of what is called ‘Deprivation Factor’ – a woman feels that she has been denied an activity for some time and goes wild when she finally gets to do it.
In their book ‘Consuming Passions’, Ellen Catalano and Nina Sonenberg say, “Shopping becomes sewn into your daily routine, and changing that habit can feel like ripping the very fabric of your life. When shopping habits involve lying about and hiding purchases, the mental, physical and emotional toll goes up.”
Sleep
Experts believe that when a person spends too much time doing one particular activity, their body’s natural rhythm is interrupted. For example, for five working days, a person has been going to bed at ten o’clock at night. Suddenly, on Friday and Saturday night, this person sleeps at four o’clock in the morning. Just when the body has adjusted to the new pattern of sleeping at four o’clock in the morning, he has to sleep early on Sunday night because of work on Monday. This will, naturally, have a negative impact on his general well-being.
Here are some signs to look out for if someone is indulging in binge-fests each weekend:
- When he is engaged in the activity – be it watching five movies in a row, attending three buffets or having twenty hours of sleep – it seems as though he’s lost control.
- He plans his weekend around his binge. For example, he will not skip that buffet to attend his cousin’s wedding reception.
- He prefers to do his bingeing alone. For example, he’s quite content to go to the cinema and watch five movies all on his own.
- It does not bother him that his credit card has reached its credit limit. This is especially true for those who binge on shopping.
- His binge-fests are a deep and dark secret.
As explained above, any one activity, done in excess during the weekend, is of no benefit at all. A person’s weekends should be filled with a balance of activities – if he were to sleep adequately, watch a movie, do some shopping and socialize, his weekends are likely to be restful and relaxing.
Sources:
Fairburn, Christopher. Overcoming Binge Eating. The Guilford Press; Reissue edition (March 10, 1995)
Catalano, Ellen Mohr and Sonenberg, Nina. Consuming Passions: Help for Compulsive Shoppers. New Harbinger Publications (June 1993) .
Aneeta Sundararaj - Aneeta Sundararaj is an established freelance writer and published author who writes well-researched articles on various topics.
