Struggling with Binge Eating During COVID-19? Five Tips for Getting Help

Do you feel stuck at home in San Diego and elsewhere, watching the news on COVID-19? Perhaps you’re filled with fear as you see the number of cases and deaths rise. Your kids may be climbing all over you or running around the house, screaming like banshees. You feel overwhelmed, isolated, and alone.

Do you feel flooded with anxiety, trapped, and you don’t know where to turn? Your eyes might drift to the stacks of food, knowing that if you start eating, you can get some temporary relief. You may even wait until everyone goes to bed to start eating so no one will know. When you do binge, does it seem like you’re detaching from your problems and numbing out?

Afterward, you might feel shame, regret, and disgust. You promise yourself that you’ll never do it again. The next morning, you may even limit your food. Then the anxiety and hunger build throughout the day, and you could end up binging all over again. You aren’t able to see an in-person eating disorder therapist or seek eating disorder treatment. What can you do to get help with your binge eating?

Tip #1 — Call an online eating disorder therapist

I know it might feel scary to start working with a virtual eating disorder therapist. You might think, “It’s hard enough to talk to someone in person about these thoughts and behaviors—and I feel so much shame about them. How am I going to disclose this stuff to someone over the computer?”

As a therapist in San Diego who specializes in eating disorders, I’ve been doing video therapy for over a year with people who live throughout California. It’s amazing the level of trust I’m able to build with clients—even over a screen. Online eating disorder therapy can be incredibly helpful. Researchers indicated that online psychotherapy, also known as telemental health care, can be just as effective as face-to-face work. Some of my clients even feel safer at home, as they wrap themselves in soft blankets and cuddle up with their pets. Interested in this option? Click on the orange button to schedule your free, 15-minute phone consultation using the online scheduler.

Tip #2 — Contact an online eating disorder dietitian

It’s awesome to work with eating disorder dietitians. Not only do they have specialized training in eating disorders, they can target the binge/restrict cycle that is so prevalent in people who grapple with binge eating. They are also well-versed in intuitive eating, which is an amazing approach of learning how to get back in touch with your hunger and fullness cues and learn that you CAN trust your body to tell you what it needs. Scroll through my blog pages and check out the interviews with amazing San Diego eating disorder dietitians—their contact information is in each blog post.

Tip #3 — Join an online eating disorder support group

Given the COVID-19 health crisis, a lot of excellent online eating disorder support groups have emerged. These groups are typically free and run by eating disorder therapists over a secure video platform similar to Zoom where you see everyone’s faces. Everything of course is confidential, and it’ll help you feel less alone. Eating disorder treatment programs in San Diego and around the U.S. are providing them.

Check out the online eating disorder support groups from Alsana, Center for Discovery, Eating Recovery Center, Renfrew Eating Disorder Treatment Facility. The online platform Eating Disorder Hope offers a one specific to binge eating. It’s important to remember that online eating disorder support groups are not a replacement for eating disorder treatment. It’s for additional support.

Tip #4 — Access reliable, online eating disorder resources

With social media, YouTube, and other websites, there is a lot of false information out there about binge eating and eating disorders. It’s important to access resources based on research and what top eating disorder professionals recommend, instead of reading what an Instagram influencer or even an unqualified blogger or podcaster who isn’t an eating disorder specialist says you should do. Check out six reliable online resources for eating disorder recovery.

Tip #5 — Read good eating disorder books

Similar to online eating disorder resources, it’s important to acknowledge that there are books on eating disorders that are helpful and those that are not so helpful. San Diego eating disorder professionals and I have compiled a list of our top contenders. The book Life without Ed, although not on the list, is an excellent starting point. Written by Jenni Schaefer and her therapist, it’s filled with easily digestible, short chapters that resonate with people struggling with binge eating and other eating disorder symptoms, such as negative body image, etc.

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Hey everyone, I really appreciate you reading my blog!  Have a wonderful day. :)  

Marianne 

If you are struggling to find online eating disorder treatment with help with binge eating or other eating disorders in San Diego, schedule a free, 15-minute phone consultation using the online scheduler (just click on the orange button), and I will help you get where you need to be! 

You can find more information about me on Instagram @drmariannemiller or on my Facebook page.