How to Navigate Triggers to Binge Eat
I see a lot of articles online sharing the most common binge eating disorder triggers. The truth is, however, that a trigger can be anything. In my 10 years of clinical practice, I have seen a very wide variety of binge eating triggers that are anything but common and could certainly not fit into a box of a list of 5 or less.
For some, that trigger to binge eat is very much food related. Maybe this person feels a strong urge to binge when they are on a diet, restricting their food intake, counting calories and generally not nourishing their body enough. Certain foods may also correlate to emotions or memories.
For others, it is the discomfort of having being put on a diet in the past, often in childhood. Of having a lifetime of losing their autonomy over food which leads to its overconsumption in the way of a binge. This sometimes relates to all foods, and other times relates to foods they were never allowed to have. There is something very empowering about being the one who gets to decide what to eat and when. This is the gift of recovery and food freedom.
And yes, for others, their binge eating disorder is triggered for emotional reasons. For some, this is a trauma. I have sadly seen too many who have dealt with sexual abuse and other forms of trauma which has lead to binge eating as a way to cope (burry emotions, feel safe, change body physically). And yet for others, this presents in the way of an emotion triggering the urge to binge. Maybe this is anger, frustration, being bored, discomfort with a spouse, lack of motivation in life, etc. There is in fact a difference between binge eating and emotional eating and this is something I will dive into in another blog post in more detail.
Whatever the reason (and there are MANY more I have seen beyond the above examples), it is important to notice that the binge eating disorder is serving a purpose in your life. Yes, truly. There are much more loving ways to cope that recovery helps you learn, but the way you are currently using food is a tool you have picked up to navigate those triggers (restriction, autonomy, emotions, trauma, etc).
We therefore cannot simply stop binge eating. It is much more nuanced and layered than that. When we remove one way of dealing with things in our life, it can lead to a lot of uncomfortable emotions, thoughts, feelings and memories. It is so important that you are able to not only identify what that triggers for your eating disorder are, but also find the right tools to implement for those triggers as you begin to work towards engaging with the eating disorder less and less.
The first step is to become aware of your triggers.
You already may be crystal clear on this, I find many are. But some truly are not sure what triggers them. If you are one of these people, I would love for you to take a week and get curious with yourself (and take notes!).
Whenever you have the urge to binge, note down what was happening in your life:
Were you bored?
What time of day was it?
Were you at home, at work, or on the way somewhere?
What were you feeling?
Were you stressed or anxious or anticipating anything?
Were you alone or with someone?
Were you spending time on the screen? (social media, TV, gaming, etc).
I really want you to get curious here. Become an observer of your life and simply notice what you notice without placing judgement on it.
Now that you know your triggers, it’s time to implement some other tools:
Alternate Activities:
Not everyone loves this one, but for those who feel called to try it, I find it can be very helpful. For my own personal binge eating recovery journey this was one of the tools that really served me.
This is how it works:
Take pen to paper and jot down a list of alternate activities which are things that you cannot easily binge while doing, but yet are easily doable in your everyday life. And don’t worry too much about finding the perfect thing. This is trial and error and you will amend this list as you work through it (you will find that some things serve you really well and others simply don’t!).
Some examples of alternate activities may include: taking a bath or shower, going out for a walk, going to a store you love, video calling a friend or family member, painting your nails, doing yoga, meditating, etc. It can honestly be anything that works for you!
Now that you have your list, keep it somewhere you can easily access. Maybe you take a picture and save it to your phone, keep it in the notes of your phone, or tape it somehwere in your home (or other place in your life that you most often binge) that you see often.
Now that you know your triggers, practice becoming very aware of them. Maybe you know that being bored in the evening is a trigger to binge, for example. If so, don’t even wait for the urge to binge when you feel this. When you feel your trigger, work on getting ahead of that binge. Choose 1-2 alternate activities from your list to do that evening and see if you can create some space from the trigger and/ or urge to binge, and the actual act of it.
Keep practicing! This takes time. You will sometimes be able to catch it, and other times it will feel like a tornado blowing through you. Stay present and stay patient. In time, you will have more and more moments of being able to notice those urges and triggers and therefore more opportunities to make another choice.
2.Urge Surfing:
Did you know that on average, it takes 20-30 minutes for the urge to binge to peak and then dissipate? It can feel so overpowering, but I find this knowledge really helps. It means that when the urge to binge eat begins, the clock does to. In half an hour it will feel like a ripple instead of a wave. To me, that is an empowering thought that could put me back in the drivers seat.
With this knowledge, we can utlize a tool called urge surfing. Here’s how it works:
When you notice your trigger or feel an urge to binge, set your timer for 30 minutes. You can adjust this time to your specifics once you learn how long your urges typically last for.
I like to pair this tool with that alternate activity list. Pick something, and engage in it for that duration of time (do your nails, go for a 30 minute walk, give your kids a bath, put on a yoga video, do a 30 minute meditation, take a shower and take the time to pamper yourself, do your hair…anything goes!).
Inhale, exhale and ride the wave. Each urge is just that- a wave of intensity that will rise and then fall.
In my work within the Binge Eating Recovery Program we look together at what your triggers are, really exploring this, and from there begin to put the tools in place that will serve you the most.
Whatever tool you choose, remember that this is a process, not a quick fix. Binge eating recovery is never linear. You will have days where you are able to catch it before it happens and utilize a different tool that we have explored here, and other days where you have a binge and only notice afterwards what happened. This is entirely normal.
And as always, if you are looking for more support, reach out! I am always happy to set up a free call with you to help guide you to the next best steps for support in your recovery journey.