Don’t Let Regrets Stress You Out or Push You Toward Food
Many people get hung up on regrets. What they wish they’d had or done takes up more real estate in their heads than the lives they’re currently living. To dwell in regret is like walking down a street looking backwards. While making yourself miserable, you miss the only part of your life that matters: now. […](Visited 58 times, 14 visits today)
What If Anxious Eating is About Things Insignificant and Inconsequential
A while ago, imagine my surprise when I turned left at an intersection and went through a red light. (I expected the yellow light to become a green turn arrow as it usually did at this intersection). Knowing the intersection has a red-light camera, I figured I’d probably receive a ticket. Immediately, feeling anxiety rising, […](Visited 130 times, 40 visits today)
Maintaining a Stable Sense of Self
Many dysregulated eaters find it difficult to keep a stable sense of self at all times, that is, to hold a core, positive regard for themselves that is undeniable and unwavering—no matter what. With an unstable sense of self, you feel fantastic about yourself when you’ve done well or when people like and praise you, […](Visited 61 times, 38 visits today)
Self-compassion Is the Key to “Normal” Eating
Many people lack self-compassion, but it’s especially crucial for people who’ve come to hate their food failures and bodies. Make no mistake, lacking self-compassion puts you on the fast track to self-hate, so it’s a quality that none of us can afford to be without. First off, self-compassion is not: accepting unhealthy habits, giving up […](Visited 76 times, 31 visits today)
Eating Is Not a Life Skill
A client who’s recovering from alcoholism mentioned in a session that when she was anxious, she really, really, really craved a drink. We talked about how having a drink would affect her afterward—the shame and remorse she’d feel—and how, by drinking, she’d really, really, really be missing an opportunity to practice crucial life skills. Addictions […](Visited 8 times, 8 visits today)
When You Can’t Get What You Really Want, You Eat
When dysregulated eaters think they can’t get what they really want in life, they too often turn to food. They’re not hungry (not a smidge!), but end up on a mission to find something edible to satisfy them. And heaven help anyone who gets in their way. I know just what this process is like […](Visited 40 times, 41 visits today)