Eating disorder resources for current and previous clients

Understanding Stress Eating and Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is often described as eating in response to how you're feeling—whether those emotions are welcome, like excitement or joy, or more difficult ones, like sadness, fear, or anxiety. Nearly everyone has turned to food for comfort at some point, especially during stressful times. This is a very human response, not a sign of failure or weakness.

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How Eating and Emotions Are Linked

It’s important to understand that emotional eating doesn’t automatically mean you have an eating disorder. However, when food becomes the primary way of coping with stress or difficult emotions, it may be worth exploring whether there's a deeper struggle beneath the surface—and speaking with an eating disorder professional can be a helpful next step.

That said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with emotions being part of the eating experience. Food is deeply tied to community, culture, connection, and love. Eating with emotion—sharing a special meal with loved ones, celebrating milestones, or simply savoring a dish that evokes memories—is a meaningful part of being human.

Eating as a Means of Suppressing Emotion

What we often call emotional eating or stress eating is, at times, more about trying to disconnect from emotion than feeling it. When emotions feel too big or overwhelming, food can become a way to numb or avoid them rather than process them. In those moments, we may eat mindlessly—not because we're truly connected to what we feel, but because we’re trying to escape it.

In doing so, we unintentionally bypass what our bodies, hearts, and minds are really asking for: care, attention, and compassion. Recognizing this isn't about judgment—it's about learning how to gently reconnect with yourself and explore other ways to support your emotional needs.

Why Do I Stress Eat?

Stress eating is a term many of us have come to recognize—often hand in hand with emotional eating. When life feels overwhelming or pressure builds up, our relationship with food can shift. For some, stress may dull the appetite, while for others, it can lead to eating beyond the point of fullness in search of comfort or relief.

Again, it’s common that the way we eat is sometimes affected by difficult emotions that stress brings up. Problems at work or school, financial pressures, or relationship conflicts can trigger anxiety, loneliness, anger, or sadness.  

However, over time, the guilt or shame that can follow stress eating may take on a life of its own—creating a spiral that persists even after the original stressor has passed. Eventually, the eating itself can become a new source of stress, fueling a cycle that can feel overwhelming and difficult to break.

Signs You May Be Struggling with an Emotional Eating Disorder

It’s not always easy to recognize when emotional eating begins to affect our well-being, sense of self, and daily life. These patterns can sneak in gradually and often feel like the only way to get through tough moments.  

However, there are some signs that may indicate it’s time to pause and reflect:

• Frequently eating beyond the point of fullness

• Eating in isolation or secrecy

• Feeling guilt, shame, or embarrassment after eating

• Hiding food to eat later

• Avoiding food and not fueling ourselves to meet our nutritional needs

If you find yourself regularly turning to food as your main way of coping and feel caught in a cycle of stress or emotional eating, it is recommended you seek support.

Disordered eating is not something you can—or should—try to overcome through willpower alone. In fact, it’s often the pressure to “just be stronger” or “try harder” that keeps the cycle going. These struggles are not about lack of discipline—they’re about unmet emotional needs, pain that hasn’t been acknowledged, and coping strategies that developed to help you survive.

Working with an eating disorder therapist can offer a safe space to explore how emotional eating has been serving you. You can begin to build new ways of managing stress, regulating emotions, and caring for yourself.

How to Stop Stress Eating: Practical Tips

Challenging stress eating takes time, self-compassion, and practical tools. Here’s a framework to help you begin:

1. Recognize when it’s happening

The first step is simply noticing. Are you reaching for food when you're not physically hungry? Are you eating quickly, without really tasting the food? Becoming aware of the moments you turn to food for emotional reasons is essential.

2. Understand how it’s serving you

Stress eating isn’t random—it’s doing something for you. Is it helping you avoid a hard feeling? Distracting you from something painful? Providing a sense of comfort or control? When you understand the “why” behind the behavior, you can begin to explore other ways to meet those same needs.

3. Explore alternative ways to cope

Once you identify the role stress eating plays, you can begin to build a toolbox of other coping strategies. These might include journaling, mindful movement, calling a friend, grounding exercises, or simply naming what you're feeling.

4. Practice those skills consistently

New habits take time. The more consistently you use alternative coping strategies—especially during lower-stress moments—the more accessible they’ll become when you really need them.

A Mindful Approach to Stress and Self-Care

It’s helpful to acknowledge when you’re feeling stressed, rather than pushing through with a “just tough it out” mindset. Without a plan in place for how you’ll care for yourself, it’s easy to fall back into automatic patterns like stress eating.

Also, be realistic about the coping tools you choose. If a strategy feels too difficult or out of reach, it probably won’t be helpful in the moment. Start with small, manageable steps that feel doable for you. And remember, self-care doesn’t have to be expensive, time-consuming, or aesthetic—it just needs to meet your needs.

Practical Tips to Support Yourself and Reduce Stress Eating:

• Integrate mindfulness into your routine
  Try breathing exercises, short meditations, or time outside to reconnect with your body and calm your nervous system.

• Eat balanced meals and snacks regularly
  Skipping meals or undereating can increase emotional vulnerability and make stress eating more likely. And remember, “balanced” doesn’t mean “diet” – it means a variety of items of different tastes and textures that both nourish and satiate you. All foods fit!

• Keep snacks on hand
  Being prepared helps you make intentional choices, especially when you're busy or on the go.

• Prioritize rest and sleep hygiene
  Lack of sleep increases emotional sensitivity. Getting adequate rest is foundational.

• Reach out for support
  You don’t have to do this alone. Whether it’s a friend, partner, or therapist—asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.

Challenging stress eating isn’t about willpower—it’s about understanding self-compassion and creating new patterns from a place of care rather than criticism. Be patient. You’re learning how to show up for yourself in a new way, and that takes courage.

When to Seek Help for Stress Eating

If you're finding it hard to integrate other coping strategies into your daily life—and feel like you're constantly relying on food just to get through the day—it might be time to reach out for professional support.  

An eating disorder provider can help you explore what’s really going on beneath the surface. They can work with you to understand whether a more mindful, compassionate approach to your needs might help heal your relationship with food—or whether your emotional eating may be a sign of a deeper issue, like a diagnosable eating disorder that would benefit from specialized care.

Whatever the case, seeking support early can make a big difference. Emotional eating can evolve into more entrenched cycles of restriction and bingeing, which can take a toll on both your emotional and physical well-being.

How Eating Disorder Treatment Can Help Manage Emotional Eating

There are many supportive options available to help you work through emotional eating. The level of care that’s right for you will depend on your unique needs and how much your eating patterns are affecting your daily life.  

Outpatient Eating Disorder Providers

An outpatient eating disorder provider can guide you in understanding those needs and help determine the most supportive path forward.

IOP, PHP, and Residential Treatment

For some, more structured support may be helpful. Higher levels of care—such as intensive outpatient (IOP), partial-hospitalization (PHP), or residential treatment—offer a safe, trauma-informed, compassionate environment where you can focus deeply on healing. These programs provide comprehensive assessments, including medical, psychiatric, and nutritional evaluations, to create a personalized treatment plan.  

Individual and Group Therapy

Through individual therapy, you'll explore the emotional roots of your relationship with food. Nutritional counseling will help you rebuild trust with your body and develop practical tools for nourishment. Group therapy can be a powerful space for connection, where you’ll meet others who truly understand your experience—reminding you that you’re not alone.

Evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are often used to help you reframe unhelpful thought patterns, regulate intense emotions, and develop habits that align with your values and goals.

Reach Out to Begin Healing Your Relationship with Food

Whether you’re just beginning to notice changes in your eating patterns or are feeling overwhelmed by how they’re affecting your life, know that seeking support is an act of strength. Taking the time to understand your needs and explore more balanced, sustainable ways to cope is a deeply meaningful step toward healing.

Recovery from emotional eating is possible. And it doesn’t mean restricting yourself—it means learning to nourish your whole self: physically, emotionally, and nutritionally. It’s about honoring your hunger, your feelings, and your worth. You deserve to be seen, supported, and truly satiated.

When you’re ready to take that next step, Monte Nido is here to walk alongside you with care and compassion. Healing is a journey—and you don’t have to take it alone.

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September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to shine a light on one of the most pressing issues in mental health: suicide. While conversations often focus broadly on depression or trauma, it is essential to recognize the deep connection between eating disorders and suicide risk. Studies show that individuals with eating disorders experience some of the highest rates of suicide among all psychiatric illnesses. For example, suicide is one of the leading causes of death for those with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.

This heightened risk is tied to the immense emotional pain eating disorders bring, including feelings of hopelessness, shame, isolation, and self-hatred that can overwhelm anyone. Talking openly about suicide can reduce rather than increase suicidal thoughts, making education and awareness critical tools for prevention.

This blog post provides a curated list of suicide prevention resources specifically relevant to eating disorders. Whether you are an individual struggling, a loved one seeking to support someone, or a clinician looking for tools, these resources are designed to open pathways toward hope, safety, and healing.

Understanding the Elevated Risk of Eating Disorders and Suicide

• Suicide rates in anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders.

• Contributing factors: depression, PTSD, impulsivity, trauma.

• Why this intersection demands awareness.

Eating disorders are among the deadliest mental health conditions, with suicide being the second leading cause of death.  

Research indicates that individuals with anorexia nervosa are up to 18 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. Those with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder also face elevated suicide rates compared to peers without eating disorders. LGBTQ youth with a diagnosed eating disorder are nearly four times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year compared to peers who have never had, or only suspected they had, an eating disorder.

Several factors contribute to this intersection. Many clients live with co-occurring depression, PTSD, anxiety, or trauma histories that compound their risk. Traits such as perfectionism, impulsivity, and intense emotional pain also increase vulnerability. People experiencing eating disorders often feel overwhelming guilt, shame, and hopelessness, which can create a dangerous cycle of self-criticism and despair.

The urgency becomes even clearer when looking at global data: suicide is the #1 cause of death among adolescent girls, and the #2 cause of death for individuals aged 10–34. Within eating disorder populations, risk factors such as weight suppression, social isolation, and medical complications add further strain.

Because eating disorders and suicide share such a dangerous overlap, raising awareness is not optional - it’s lifesaving. Families, clinicians, and communities must be equipped to recognize warning signs, understand contributing factors, and offer timely interventions that combine eating disorder care with suicide prevention strategies.

Why Support for Eating Disorders & Mental Health Is Crucial

Stigma and shame remain major barriers for those living with eating disorders and suicidal thoughts. Many feel silenced by fear of being judged or dismissed, making it less likely they will reach out for help. Without compassionate intervention, isolation can reinforce the dangerous belief that no one cares.

Early support changes outcomes. Asking directly about suicidal thoughts does not increase the risk. In fact, research shows it can reduce suicidal ideation by breaking through secrecy and showing that someone is willing to listen. Communities, caregivers, and professionals who create safe, nonjudgmental spaces play a crucial role in reducing risk and encouraging treatment engagement.

Eating disorder recovery requires not only nutritional rehabilitation but also attention to the emotional struggles that accompany the illness. By combining evidence-based therapies with suicide prevention strategies, treatment can address the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. Supporting those at risk is about more than safety; it is about affirming their worth and helping them envision a future beyond the eating disorder.

Curated Directory of Resources for Eating Disorders & Suicide Risk

Crisis Hotlines & Immediate Help

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.): Call or text 988 for 24/7 confidential support from trained crisis counselors.

• Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor.

Warning signs of acute suicide risk include talking about wanting to die, seeking access to lethal means, or showing dramatic mood changes. If these behaviors appear, immediate help is necessary. Parents, friends, and caregivers should never wait to act - call 911 if someone is in imminent danger.

Eating Disorder–Specific Support

• Monte Nido: Offers inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP, and virtual treatment, with suicide prevention integrated into care.

Eating disorder–specific hotlines and organizations provide targeted support for those whose struggles with food and body are closely tied to suicidal thoughts.

Broader Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Organizations

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): Offers research, advocacy, and support groups.

• The Trevor Project: Crisis services for LGBTQ+ youth, who face elevated risk for both eating disorders and suicide.

These organizations provide a wider net of mental health resources that complement eating disorder–specific supports.

Safety Planning & Emergency Tools

If an individual is struggling with suicidal thinking, a mental health professional can help develop a Safety Plan which can be designed to give individuals a step-by-step approach for managing suicidal thoughts when they arise.  These plans can offer a crucial bridge between a crisis and ongoing treatment.

Professional & Educational Resources

Mental health professionals are trained to provide a suicide risk assessment and when needed to help someone into the level of care that can best assist them.  Additionally, there are numerous continuing education programs designed to equip professionals with the latest knowledge and to ensure that suicide prevention is embedded in treatment programs, schools, and healthcare systems.

How to Use These Resources

• For individuals: keeping numbers accessible, joining groups, therapy.

• For loved ones: listening, validating, helping with safety plans.
  For clinicians/educators: screening, integrating safety planning, awareness in programs.

Suicide prevention resources are most effective when they are accessible and actively used. Individuals living with eating disorders can benefit from keeping hotline numbers saved in their phone, downloading safety planning apps, and exploring peer support communities. Therapy and structured treatment programs remain essential in reducing long-term risk.

For loved ones, the role is to listen without judgment, validate feelings, and encourage the use of crisis services when needed. Parents and caregivers can help teens create safety plans, remind them of available resources, and normalize asking for help. Even if conversations feel unproductive, research shows that those at risk are often listening closely.

For clinicians and educators, resources should be integrated into daily practice. Screening for suicide risk, creating safety plans, and connecting students or clients with crisis services are essential steps. Educational institutions and treatment centers alike can reduce stigma by openly discussing suicide prevention and ensuring that staff are trained in compassionate intervention.

The key is to make these tools part of everyday life—visible, accessible, and actively used, so that when risk arises, help feels within reach.

Taking Action: Support for Suicide and Eating Disorders

Suicide prevention starts with awareness and action. Saving helpline numbers, sharing them with others, and talking openly about eating disorders and suicide can create life-saving connections. Each conversation helps break stigma and reminds those struggling that they are not alone.

Monte Nido offers evidence-based, compassionate treatment designed to address both eating disorders and the co-occurring risks that come with them. If you or someone you know is in need, reach out today. Every step toward connection is a step away from isolation, and toward recovery.

Hope and Healing Beyond Suicide and Eating Disorders

Eating disorders carry a high risk of suicide, but risk does not define destiny. With timely support, compassionate treatment, and strong community connections, healing is possible. Talking openly about suicide does not create risk - it creates relief, reminding individuals that their pain can be shared and lightened.

No one has to face this alone. Help is always available, and recovery is within reach. By raising awareness this Suicide Prevention Month and beyond, we can help more people move from despair to hope—and toward lives full of meaning and possibility.

Maybe you’ve heard it, maybe you’ve said it: “I want to get better, I just don’t want to gain weight.” It can be a challenging feeling – especially if weight restoration is recommended by your team. And for those who need it, emotional and mental recovery happen when physical health is reestablished through weight restoration. Body and mind really are inextricably intertwined.

Once you get to the other side of weight restoration, the emotional and psychological healing that is likely to occur can make weight changes more manageable. Many people even come to appreciate their healthy bodies and have trouble remembering why weight mattered so much. I know that might be hard to believe right now, but it’s true, and it’s worth it, so take the leap of faith. Here are 5 strategies that might help.

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1) Focus on Your Values and Motivators

It’s normal to feel uncertain or ambivalent about eating disorder recovery in general – especially the weight piece. That’s why it’s important to figure out right at the beginning of treatment why recovery matters to you. These things are going to be harder to remember when you’re having a tough day, so write them down on an index card and use it as a bookmark so that you can keep looking back at it when you need a reminder.

To come up with your list, here are some questions to ask yourself.

• What things do you want to do that the eating disorder gets in the way of? For example, going out for dinner, getting a degree, or having a family.
• How has the eating disorder interfered with your values or who you want to be? For example, many people find themselves being less honest or isolating from family and friends, even though they value honesty and relationships.
• What do you dislike about the eating disorder? For example, you might dislike thinking about food all the time, the fact that you’re numb to positive emotions or that you lack energy or motivation for things you used to enjoy.

2) Learn about the Weight Restoration Process

When you know that weight restoration is part of your treatment plan, you might focus so much on possible body changes that you start to see almost everything as a sign that your weight is skyrocketing. For example, it is very normal to experience fluid shifts and digestive discomfort that may make you feel bloated and uncomfortable. These sensations happen regardless of whether or not weight is changing. It’s also common to believe that, since you are eating more, you must be gaining weight. However, your body is often using the added nutrition to make repairs rather than to restore weight.

The bottom line is, when living with an eating disorder, predictions about your weight are usually skewed. Knowledge is power, so talk to your team and ask them to explain what is happening to your body and what to expect during the course of treatment. And do your best to trust what they tell you – they’ve witnessed this process many times before.

3) Turn Your Attention Outward

The more we fixate on something, the more distorted our thoughts and perceptions get. For example, have you ever stared at your computer screen for so long that the words and images become blurry? Similarly, when we focus on our bodies for too long – including its appearance and sensations– our perception can become distorted, thus increasing distress.

Break the cycle by purposefully directing your attention outward, away from your body (but not onto other people’s bodies!). Focus on something in your environment, like the view out the window. Make a list of as many dog breeds as you can think of. Call a friend and ask them how their day is going. Color. Listen to music. Read. Anything that pushes body awareness to the back of your mind.

4) Talk Back to the Eating Disorder

Sometimes, it’s hard to shift your attention away from negative thoughts about your body, fears about weight change and body checking behaviors. When this happens, use your values, motivators, and what you’ve learned about the recovery process to challenge the eating disorder thoughts or “voice.” Practice disagreeing with it assertively and repeatedly. The more you do it, the easier it will get.

5) Practice Self-Compassion

Compassion is an alternative to judgment that recognizes difficulties as a universal part of what it means to be human. We experience compassion for each other when we notice that someone is having a tough time, feel emotionally moved by their pain, and therefore respond with kindness, warmth, and a desire to help. 

Do the same for yourself: recognize that you are having a tough time and respond with kindness and warmth. Speak to yourself in a gentle and understanding way, like you might speak to a friend. Try putting your hands over your heart or giving yourself a gentle squeeze. If it’s too daunting to give yourself kind encouragement, you might imagine an inner ally, a positive persona who voices kind and encouraging things to you, drowning out or talking back to the eating disorder’s negative voice.

Recovery Is Hard Work, But It’s Worth It

Of course, none of these strategies is going to guarantee you smooth sailing (that magic wand still doesn’t exist). Anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorder recovery is hard work, but that hard work is part of what leads to lasting health and happiness. If you let your team and support system help, and if you draw on these strategies for inner support, you will get through it. And yes, it will be worth it!

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