Eating disorders are more common than you might think, and they’re a type of mental health condition that stems from outside factors. Most people consider an eating disorder the result of a person’s view of their body image. In reality, it’s the effect of factors such as heredity, family dynamics, environment, society, and culture.
The causes of eating disorders like binge eating are so complex that it takes a trained specialist to navigate a person successfully past their disorder. Some of the top centers in places like Burlington, Vermont, offer various early intervention and treatment options to help in the recovery process and beyond.
Regardless of the type of binge-eating treatment, most professionals agree that stress is a significant contributing factor. Building resilience to this trigger gives the patient the best chance of successfully recovering from their disorder in the future. This blog discusses how stress and binge eating are related and why resilience is the key to preventing eating disorders.
Linking Binge-Eating and Stress
When you watch TV or listen to music, it’s common to see or hear scenes where the main character is depressed or stressed and grabbing a pint of ice cream to drown their feelings. This is represented so often, linking stress with eating, because it’s relevant and relatable.
Studies show that we begin connecting stress and eating as early as adolescence. As life events make us uncomfortable or anxious, we turn to our favorite comfort foods to temporarily soothe us. But this feeling of comfort is short-lived, and soon, the guilt and self-loathing sets in.
For binge-eaters, the pattern results in feelings of hopelessness and desperation that cause the person to eat even more. However, this isn’t always recognizable at first because it’s connected to our fight-or-flight response triggered by stress.
As humans, stress activates our adrenal system, which releases hormones like cortisol directly into the bloodstream.
This hormone is designed to increase hunger to give us energy to tackle the stress we’re facing. Since junk food is highly caloric, they’re the first things we often turn to. But those same foods have ingredients that cause sugar crashes, increase our stress, and contribute to medical conditions and weight gain.
Building Resilience to Stress Can Stop the Cycle
When you’re under significant stress, your eating habits often change. You may forget to eat for a while, then load up on junk or comfort food in unhealthy amounts. Or, you may eat more frequently to avoid thinking about the things that are causing your stress.
This becomes binge eating when you are consuming an excessive amount of food in short periods. Overeating from stress would be a form of binge eating. If you have at least one episode of this weekly for three or more months, you have what would be classified as a binge eating disorder (BED).
Because the disorder is directly linked to your level of stress, finding ways to increase your resilience can simultaneously reduce your binge eating cycle.
Mental health therapists who specialize in eating disorders can guide you as you attempt to face the problems you’re dealing with instead of allowing yourself to use food as a distraction. Try to stay busy doing things where comfort foods are not around, and make self-care through activities you enjoy part of your daily life.
If you must binge eat, try to limit your “treats” and eat foods that healthy but highly caloric, such as almonds, raspberries, salmon, or grass-fed beef. Still craving something sweet? Dark chocolate is your best option to curb that desire for candy or cake.
Binge eating disorders stem from complex factors, and they can be challenging to treat without the help of a professional. If you’ve tried to handle your stress and overeating alone and haven’t succeeded yet, there are many resources available near you. Reach out for help, and take control of your life back.