COVID and emotional eating
By Ophelia Tam, Digital Content Officer, Mind HK
Emotional eating is a coping mechanism for many who are facing a difficult situation, such as the many circumstances spurred on by COVID-19. Moreover, over the last year, social restrictions, cancellation of events, closed venues, and the ‘work-from-home’ arrangement — the pandemic lifestyle many of us have adapted to — has made us stay at home longer. Research shows that over 70% of people have changed their eating and exercising habits due to the rise of COVID-19 (HKACS, 2020).
People have found themselves engaging in emotional eating behaviours, which means eating as a reaction or in response to negative emotions and stress, even though we are not hungry. It is common to increase food intake to feel better, or using food to respond to anxious feelings, from the pandemic itself, or the anxiety or negative feelings that rise from the change in their eating habits (Renzo et al., 2020).
Emotional eating is a common behaviour that affects everyone, regardless of age, gender and background; the pandemic has only made it more pervasive. We may wander into the kitchen to search for snacks when we feel bored, eat comfort food when we feel sad, or look for something to chew on when we feel anxious. Eating relieves our negative feelings and emotions temporarily; however, some may find themselves feeling guilty and shameful afterwards, which maintains the vicious cycle of increasing food intake, or engaging in compensatory behaviours (e.g. purging or overexercising).
When we are exposed to the vicious cycle for a long time, it can damage our relationship with food, and increase the risk of developing an eating problem or an eating disorder. Eating problems and emotional eating behaviours often coexist with other mental health problems, such as anxiety (Swinbourne, 2013), trauma and PTSD (Scharff, Ortiz, Forrest & Smith, 2021), depression and other mood problems (Mangweth et al., 2003). Managing the feelings behind emotional eating behaviours is critical for your mental health.
Here are some tips to help you when you are experiencing negative emotions:
Be Mindful
When we experience negative emotions, our feelings and thoughts can overpower and influence our behaviours. Practicing some simple mindfulness exercises or utilising your five senses to connect with your body and the external environment can help you to acknowledge your thoughts and feelings and help you to refocus on your current task.
Psychologists sometimes recommend a technique called ‘urge surfing’ when helping individuals to manage intense cravings or urges often associated with eating problems. The idea behind this is to visualise that your urges or cravings are like waves, in that they will rise in intensity, and peak, but will also eventually crash. Rather than immediately give into the urge or craving, stop and acknowledge your urge, and see if you can notice all the sensations in your body that come up. See if you can notice how these sensations feel and shift. Use breathing to help you ‘ride out the waves’ (i.e. the urge), and try to observe each breath as you ‘ride out each wave’ that arises.
‘Out of sight, out of mind’
Try to move away as many snacks within your eyesight as possible. It minimises the distraction from the presence of food, and helps you to focus on what you are supposed to be doing.
Engage in enjoyable activities
Engaging in hobbies or activities which are enjoyable to us helps moderate stress as well as supporting positive mental health. Research has shown that those who have hobbies have a lower risk of low-mood, depression and anxiety. When we engage in enjoyable activities, whether they are creative, academic or athletic, it gives us a sense of mastery and allows us to rediscover our strengths. Hobbies that involve engaging with others (e.g. team sports, book clubs, courses) is also helpful in building a supportive community. Hobbies can help us cope with the underlying causes of our emotional eating.
Record your trigger
Note down anything that triggers your food cravings — whether it is during a movie, working on a deadline, or feeling extra stressed after a hectic day. Recording this can help yourself identify your emotional hunger trigger, so you can be better prepared to cope with these situations the next time you encounter them.
If you have been diagnosed with an eating disorder, or have a history of experiencing problems with your eating, you may find that the above tips are challenging to achieve on your own. We therefore recommend that you seek advice from a healthcare professional.
Problems with eating can be common, if you are experiencing worsening problems with your eating, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, you are not alone. If you suspect that you may have a problem with your eating, or suspect that you may have an eating disorder, please seek advice and support from a professional.
This article is informative only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Related article: Eating Disorders in Hong Kong: https://medium.com/mindhk/eating-disorders-in-hong-kong-6035f3aa56c0
For more information on Eating disorders: https://www.mind.org.hk/mental-health-a-to-z/eating-disorders/about-eating-problems/
Youth resources: Eating and body image disorders for young people: https://www.coolmindshk.com/en/resource/eating-body-image-disorders-young-people/
Eating disorders awareness week:
https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/edaw
Managing eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic:
https://www.mind.org.hk/mental-health-a-to-z/covid-19/managing-eating-disorders-during-covid-19/
Hong Kong Eating Disorders Association Limited: http://www.heda-hk.org/
For a list of emergency contacts, please visit: www.mind.org.hk/find-help-now/
For other local mental health services, please visit our Community Directory: www.mind.org.hk/community-directory/
For more information on mental health in Hong Kong, please visit: https://www.mind.org.hk/mental-health-in-hong-kong/
For more information on seeking help in Hong Kong, please visit: https://www.mind.org.hk/getting-help/
Questions? Email the team at media@mind.org.hk
