How to Cope With an Eating Disorder and Depression

The relationship between food and feelings is a common connection made in our everyday lives as we try to deal with and cope with negative emotions. Ever heard of “eating your feelings?” It’s well-known how often we use food as a substitute for emotional regulation. According to the American Psychological Association, 27% of adults say they eat to combat stress, and 34% of those who stress overeat report this behavior as a habit. Balancing this sort of “emotional eating” can become even more complicated when you’re also battling an eating disorder alongside depression. 

Food can be a quick outlet to numb feelings and fill that emotional void. Many of us use food at some point to cope with feelings of stress, sadness, or anxiety. While this is a common experience, for some, this coping mechanism will spiral into binge eating, exacerbating those original feelings of guilt, sadness, and shame and creating a cycle that can be difficult to break out of. 

Yet, with understanding, self-compassion, and the right support, it is possible to break free of your eating disorder and depression. Both will require awareness, attention, and motivation to recover, but if you want to heal, you’re ready to tackle your struggles with patience and resilience.

Why We Turn to Food

Depression and anxiety are increasingly common disorders in America, and yet, finding an effective solution can still seem so inaccessible. Unlike physical conditions, the wound doesn’t just close up. This explains why something tangible and accessible like food can have such a powerful hold over ourselves and our emotions.

For many, it’s a placeholder, a distraction, a way to soothe overwhelming feelings. In a world filled with pressures, it’s easy to use food to escape, to feel in control, or to simply feel something other than sadness. But while the comfort it brings is real, it's fleeting. And afterward, it often leaves behind even deeper emotional wounds, along with potential physical consequences like weight gain, health problems, and further isolation.

Many people use food as a form of emotional regulation. However, as a coping mechanism, the comfort is only temporary and often exacerbates the very feelings we’re trying to numb. The cycle of emotional eating doesn’t just mask the underlying issues—it compounds them. The harder you try to find comfort through food and the more you eat, the deeper you sink into the negative feelings you’ve been trying to avoid. 

The Link Between Binge Eating and Depression

It’s crucial to recognize that binge eating and depression often go hand in hand. Depression can lead people to seek comfort in food—particularly foods that are sugary, salty, or high in fat. These delicious foods deliver dopamine into our brain’s reward center, temporarily boosting our mood. However, after those good feelings fade, what often follows is a wave of guilt, self-loathing, and sadness that works to reinforce your depressive symptoms. In turn, these emotions may trigger another binge, and thus the cycle continues.

Depression can also diminish motivation and lead to feelings of hopelessness, making it even harder to break away from unhealthy habits. When emotional eating becomes the go-to, it becomes harder for our minds to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger. 

And that is where the cycle becomes so hard to escape. In this space of hopelessness, it can feel like you’re trapped, chained to your emotions. However, it’s by understanding this eating disorder and depression cycle that we can start taking the first steps toward changing.

Healthier Ways to Reroute Your Stress

Breaking free from the cycle of emotional eating isn’t easy. But it’s possible. It begins with the conscious decision to confront what lies beneath the urge to binge eat and to seek alternative methods for managing stress and anxiety. Small steps toward change can lead to profound shifts in how we approach food and our emotional well-being.

Here are some practical tips to help you start breaking the eating disorder and depression cycle:

1. Pause and Reflect

Before you eat, pause for a moment and ask yourself if you're truly hungry. This simple act of mindfulness can be incredibly powerful. If the answer is no, try to sit with your emotions for a bit. It might be uncomfortable, but acknowledging your feelings is essential in understanding why you turn to food. For instance, take a journal and note how you're feeling before the impulse strikes. Are you stressed? Bored? Anxious? Identifying your emotional triggers is the first step toward change.

2. Find Alternative Coping Strategies

Replace emotional eating with healthier coping strategies. If eating is your “prop,” then quitting cold turkey won’t work. Finding something else to uplift and support you instead is the way to find a healthier outlet. Gaming, knitting, reading, listening to music, going outside, and so many other activities will help lift your mood without relying on food. Deep breathing, meditation, or journaling can also calm your mind. These activities not only provide immediate relief but also help to build emotional resilience over time.

3. Seek Connection 

Loneliness and isolation often fuel both eating disorders and depression. Take your phone out and just text somebody; reach out to supportive friends or family members when you're feeling down. Sometimes just talking through your emotions can provide the relief you’re looking for without resorting to food. 

4. Make Small, Manageable Changes

You don’t need to overhaul your life all at once. Battling an eating disorder and depression at the same time is so hard, but you can find your way back to a fulfilling life. Focus on making small, daily changes—like adding more nutritious foods to your meals or taking just five minutes to practice mindfulness. Incremental progress is key to sustaining long-term changes. For example, instead of cutting out entire food groups or drastically changing your diet, focus on adding more vegetables or drinking more water. It’s all about adding to your life instead of taking away that will motivate positive changes.

Take Care of Your Mental Health

While it’s important to learn how to manage binge eating and other eating disorders on your own, professional support can be invaluable. Therapists, counselors, and coaches who specialize in eating disorders and depression can help you dig deeper into the root causes of your behavior and provide you with tools to make lasting changes. There's also the pharmaceutical approach, as myself and many others have found help through mental health medication. Always make sure to talk to a psychiatrist about your concerns.

There are also so many wonderful spaces online that can support your recovery as well. Podcasts can help spur your motivation individually or you can find greater support in the form of community groups both online and in-person. Digital platforms like Instagram and Facebook can provide a safe space to share your experiences, learn from others, and gain a sense of community. 

If you’d like to go down the in-person route, find a group with others who understand what you're going through. Together, you can feel less alone in your journey and gain the encouragement you need to stay on the path to binge eating and bulimia recovery.

Lastly, Take Care of Yourself

Don’t underestimate the power of self-compassion, either. Healing from an eating disorder and depression requires patience, kindness toward yourself, and the understanding that recovery isn’t linear. There will be ups and downs, but each setback is an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s important to remember that setbacks are not failures. They are part of the recovery process, and with the right support, you can continue to move forward.

The journey to binge eating and bulimia recovery may be long and challenging, but every step forward is a step toward freedom. By learning to understand your emotional triggers, seeking healthier outlets for stress and anxiety, and reaching out for professional help, you are taking powerful strides toward healing.

Remember, you are not alone in this struggle. There are so many out there who have lived with the same struggles and have still found their way to the other side. It’s not about perfection; it’s about progress, self-awareness, and treating yourself with the kindness and compassion you deserve. Healing begins with one step, one decision at a time. And with every choice you make toward recovery, you're moving closer to the life you’ve always wanted.

With Peace,

Whitney Chase

Whitney Chase is the Writer and Content Manager for Sarah Lee of Sarah Lee Recovery. She holds her degree in Psychology from Georgia State and has a strong passion for the mental health field, writing, and advocacy work.

Posted on August 22nd, 2024.

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