Lockdown chronicles. Of doomscrolling and emotional eating

Hirra Azmat –

After spending endless hours on Netflix and doomscrolling for all pandemic news, the packet of chips or a bar of chocolate always brings a temporary respite. Doesn’t it?

The fact is COVID induced anxiety, fear, uncertainties and inevitably lead to emotional eating.

‘Emotional eating’ is not a clinical term, but a term used to describe the phenomenon of eating in response to an emotional state, rather than hunger. People naturally eat for a wide variety of reasons—emotional states among them—and this is perfectly normal.

However, emotional eating may become a problem, if it’s your only coping mechanism. And research shows that emotional eating is more common among those who do not eat enough.

That’s right! Those who do not eat enough for their energy requirements may find food comparatively more rewarding and contributing to increased emotional eating as well as binge eating.

According to the latest survey by British Nutrition Foundation, in this pandemic 27% have reported eating less healthily, 48% do not feel motivated enough to eat well 63% state boredom as the reason for eating unhealthy food.

Further, the long-term nutritional consequences of experiencing an eating disorder include having nutritional gaps in the diet, experiencing a heart condition, and, in extreme cases, death. Psychologically, eating disorders can take a toll on a person’s well-being.

How to Manage Emotional Eating

Learning to differentiate between emotional and physical hunger.

If your stomach is grumbling, or a headache is coming on and you feel lightheaded – then you are actually hungry. But, if you are eating when you feel low, bored, unhappy, and have specific cravings like chocolates, ice-cream, cakes, or pizza – you may not actually be hungry; you are just trying to soothe an unpleasant or unwelcome feeling.

Once this difference is established, countering it becomes easier. People generally blame food for gaining weight but overdoing any kind of emotional eating – even if it is salads – can be detrimental. The individuals need to find intervention for the negative emotion, not food.

Break the cycle of emotional eating

• Identify the problem: Find out what’s making you binge eat? Then change the environment around you to counter that emotion
• Process your emotions: Try journaling, venting it out or accepting what you are going through
• Indulge in healthy, yet balanced food: If you go on fad diets, you will end up messing the system even more. Focus on eating right
• Don’t get caught in the guilt of gaining weight: Rather, shift your focus towards feeling fit
• Having meal plans and routine is key in breaking the cycle: Stock up your pantry and plan meals for the week to avoid eating junk

Breaking the cycle of emotional eating will take time. While you’re working towards it, be kind to yourself, try to take up some form of physical activity and stay hydrated.

(Author cover health at The Kashmir Monitor. Email: [email protected])