Facing Emotional Eating During a Pandemic

Living in a year of constant change has been a struggle for everyone. We have seen people struggling physically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually. With an alarming increase in mental health issues during COVID-19, people are reaching out for help with anxiety, depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and eating disorders among other conditions.

As existing mental conditions begin to strengthen due to lockdowns, unemployment, social distancing, masks, grief, and death, people are experiencing co-morbid mental conditions. For example, what may have started as anxiety and depression in one person may now develop into obsessive cleaning and sanitizing, emotional eating in the form of binges and starvation, and complaints of physical ailments like headaches and muscle tension from stress.

How the Pandemic Affects Emotional Eaters

When the lockdowns began, many people wandered into their local grocery store only to discover empty shelves and limits on food. This food scarcity created a panic even in areas where the COVID-19 virus had not made an appearance yet.

Where items were found, people often bought in bulk unless restricted. This situation left emotional eaters in a panicked state, either with little food to come by or a home environment laden with too much food.

Psychologically, emotional eaters may feel the need to “get what they can when they can” or take comfort in the security of having lots of food in their homes. But this sets up an emotional eater for trouble. When a sudden binge hits, the eater may not be able to stop until they are painfully full. For those eaters that live in areas with a food shortage, they may feel anxious and depressed.

Other triggers from the pandemic may reinforce eating disorders with OCD behaviors. The fear of infection and spread of viruses creates a constant cleaning and sanitizing scenario in which some people may feel that they can only consume certain foods that are easy to clean or emptied into other containers.

Reliving past trauma, abandonment, or neglect issues can trigger emotional eaters to reach for the nearest food to help them feel safe and secure, especially during isolation. Eating alone is an issue for emotional eaters without the support they need for accountability.

The challenges of unemployment, working from home, illness, grief, and loss adds to the pull of trying to create an area of control. Even after lockdowns lifted, many emotional eaters found themselves using their freedom from home to reward themselves with trips through fast-food drive-thrus or daily specialty coffee stops.

Tackling Emotional Eating

Tackling emotional eating is not easy and often you may be unaware that you are in the middle of a binge as you try to fill a hole in your heart; a feeling of emptiness, chaos, or (strangely enough) celebration. Here are a few tips to help you move past the urge to emotional eating:

• Ask yourself if you are really hungry. Does your stomach feel empty? Is your stomach growling? Are you thirsty? Try drinking a glass of water to make sure your body is not in desperate need of hydration. Decipher if this empty feeling is a physical one in your stomach and not an emotional one – the need for comfort.
• Make healthier choices when you eat. Sugar can trigger a binge as your body craves more. Ask yourself if you are hungry enough to eat an apple or a boiled egg? Oftentimes, cravings and binges will lean toward specific items such as ice cream, potato chips, or chocolate. If you were truly hungry, you would probably not turn down an apple.
• Watch your portion sizes. Emotional eaters tend to skew portion sizes, often overeating. Try serving portions in small bowls or containers instead of eating directly from a bag or pint. Invest in measuring spoons and cups until you can (accurately) measure out an appropriate portion.

• Actively engage your body when you feel the urge to eat. Do something physical like taking a walk, practicing yoga or Pilates, or dancing around the living room. When you move your body, your energy level rises and your stress decreases. Try incorporating movement for at least fifteen minutes a day to start and increase the time by five minutes every few days. Eventually, work your way up to 30 minutes a day (150 to 300 minutes per week) which satisfies the physical activity guidelines from the CDC.
• Go outside. With periods of isolation and lockdowns, you can still venture outside and breathe fresh air. Try sitting outside and journaling what you see: people (socially distanced, of course), birds, animals, nature. Read a book or take a walk. There is something peaceful about observing, really seeing God’s creations, that carry over into the humble heart of humanity. It is a chance to pray and worship God during trouble and yet still be grateful for His blessings.
• Call someone for support. If you have a friend or family member who understands your struggle with emotional eating, give them a call when you feel you are sliding towards a binge. The good news in the middle of this pandemic is that you are not alone. Many people are having similar struggles to come to terms with the “new normal” or their new lives impacted by COVID. If your emotional eating is due to the new work schedule and processes, perhaps there is a coworker you are close to that is feeling the same stress. Parents all over the country are learning to balance working from home (and outside the home) while homeschooling their children – a tough job for anyone. You may find a supportive ally with another parent who feels the call of the pantry too in the evenings after everyone has gone to bed.
• Get enough rest. You would think being home on lockdown would mean that people would rest more. Instead, people stress and try to keep busy. Unfortunately, stress raises cortisol in the body which creates a cascade of unwanted effects like muscle tension, anxiety, weight gain, and high blood pressure. Try going to bed a little earlier. By setting an earlier bedtime goal, you might avoid a late-night binge. Often, our bodies are searching for energy when we stay up too late and this craving can lead to a binge. If you are not sleepy, begin by going to bed fifteen minutes earlier every few nights until you reach your goal.
• Take inventory of your basic needs. Emotional eating is typically due to a root cause. The behavior could be a response from childhood or adult trauma or neglect. This is the time to confirm that your basic needs are being met: food, shelter, utilities, and clothing. Are you missing one of these? It might be food if you live in an area with shortages. If you have lost your job, you may be struggling with keeping a roof over your head. These situations can trigger emotional eating. Ask for help from local agencies and church organizations.

The last tip we want to mention is that sometimes when the basic need of believing in something is lacking, we wake up feeling empty inside. We know there is something more, but we cannot pinpoint what it is. Perhaps we know God is out there, but we do not really know God. The lack of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can leave a hole in our souls begging to be filled with something, so we turn to food for comfort.

How We Can Help

If your struggle with emotional eating has taken its toll, there is help. We can work with you to uncover the root cause of your eating pattern and teach you techniques to overcome the urges and habits. You are not alone during this pandemic. Others are facing the same challenges day after day. We offer personalized individual sessions and group counseling that lean on the understanding of psychological science, God’s grace, and Christ’s empowerment.

We want to see you heal in every aspect: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), counseling, and other techniques, we can help you overcome.