Emotional eating most often occurs to escape a negative feeling OR to create a less negative or more positive feeling. And it works. Which is why we continue to do it.
We can “emotional eat” to avoid feeling angst. “Emotional eating” distracts us from the angst that arises in a pause. During a pause like the COVID-19 situation, we may remember that our life is meant to be lived more fully, more freely than we are living it. However, when we feel that uncomfortable angst bubbling to the surface, instead of asking the angst why it has appeared, we focus on “controlling” the eating. That seems less scary.