The number one obstacle to overcoming your binge eating habit is when you close up and isolate. You feel embarrassed, ashamed, and guilty about your eating habits so you hide in your proverbial cave. Inside the cave it's cold, dark, and damp but at least it's protected from the outside world. In that cave you don't see anything, including yourself. You get to pretend your body, thoughts, and feelings don't exist. You get to pretend that others don't exist either.
While the cave is a familiar place to be, it's also uncomfortable. Because you're in the dark, you don't get to see anything. Because you're cold, you keep turning inward as you hug your jacket closer and closer to yourself. It's lonely too.
The type of behaviour that triggers a trip to the cave is when you've overeaten, eaten something you "shouldn't" have, or engaged in a binge. You cover yourself with blankets upon blankets of self judgement and shame. Into the cave you go. Self judgement sounds like this: "I can't believe I did that again." "Why can't I get this habit under control?" "Where is my self discipline?" Shame sounds like this: "What's wrong with me?" "I hate myself." "If people only knew who I really am..."
Self judgement and shame isolate you from yourself and others, make you feel depressed, spiral you into further food addiction, and erode your courage.
I'm inviting you to step into the light. Out in the light, you can see things. It is definitely more exposed. But it's warm, really warm. You can shed your blankets. If you can't look at yourself in this bright, warm light, at least let me look at you. Use me as a placeholder until you can do that for yourself. When you come into the light with your eating habits and start talking about this both to yourself and non-judgemental others, it's possible you will feel warm, supported, and interested. When you feel warm, supported, and interested, you can change your trajectory.
Will you come into the light? I see you. I love you. I'm waiting for you.
Until next time,
