|
Permanent Weight Loss - Healing Emotional EatingEmotional eating ends when you begin to access your aliveness and authenticity. Catherine L. Taylor As an emotional eating specialist and person who has 20 years of recovery from food addiction and binge eating disorder, I am often asked by people what was instrumental in my recovery. The following is a brief summation of my wisdom and experience on the path to permanent weight loss, peace, joy and freedom. Make a commitment to recovery. Invest in yourself. You are worth it. Get honest. Is this the life you really want? If not, develop the willingness to let go of the behaviors and patterns that are no longer serving you. Learn to meet your needs with other things besides food. Practice self-care by pampering and rewarding yourself on a regular basis. Become your own best friend. Get a handle on your sleep issues. Sleep deprivation leads to overeating, food cravings, lack of exercise, and obesity. Be willing to be uncomfortable and move forward into the unknown. Develop trust that you have the strength and capacity to change. You are far more powerful than you believe you are. Appreciate yourself for all you have done to survive up until now. You have made it this far. Your eating has been serving you. It developed to help you survive. You did the best you could with the skills you have. Before you can let go of it, you have to learn some new life skills. Be willing to set realistic limits and expectations of yourself. A mature person knows that they can’t always have everything they want, when they want it. Stop expecting instant results. Ditch the diet mentality. Learn to tolerate discomfort by delaying gratification. The best things in life take a while to achieve. Understand it's a journey and you will have setbacks and relapses. You will not always be motivated. The key is to pick yourself up quickly and getting back on the path as soon as possible. Be kind to yourself, beating yourself up only leads to more bingeing. Try not to attempt too many changes at once. Slow, gentle changes are best. Too much change all at once sets you up for failure. Ask Spirit or your inner wisdom for help. You have a core of divine energy within you. This energy will heal you. Start a regular practice of prayer, yoga, meditation, etc. Spend daily quiet time in nature or at home reading inspirational literature. Get support and learn new life skills by attending a group such as The Weight Loss Master’s Club. Get therapy and or medication if you are extremely overwhelmed, depressed, or suffering from extreme mood swings or anxiety. Taking medication is not an indication of being a failure. It also doesn't mean that you have to take it the rest of your life. It may be necessary for a while to establish some emotional equilibrium and stability in your life. Learn to eat normal, regular meals with mindfulness. Get personal support through having a coach and mentor like myself to keep you accountable and give you daily or weekly encouragement. Create a safe emotional space - a sacred sanctuary - for yourself. Be kind and gentle with yourself. Practice loving-kindness. Feed your Self with loving thoughts and kind words. Use affirmations. Learn to sit with your feelings and process them by writing in a journal daily. Feelings are not facts; they will pass if you will acknowledge them. What you can feel you can heal. Let go of the old hurts and resentments that are holding you back. Learn to express your anger in healthy and appropriate ways. Stop isolating. Focusing on the pain and or problem just envelopes you in it more. Get out of your self and into life. Have fun, help someone else, volunteer. Develop some hobbies. Spend time being creative. Begin to grieve and let go of the past. Acknowledge that there are things that you didn’t get; forgive your parents and yourself. Welcome yourself back into the circle of your own heart. Learn to give yourself what you really need and want in life, instead of trying to get it from external sources: people, places, and things. Develop strong, yet permeable boundaries. Detach from chaotic, toxic or draining relationships and situations. Learn to say no. Stop trying to be what you think everyone else wants you to be. Please yourself! It’s not the end of the world if someone doesn’t like you. Acknowledge all that is good about you and your life on a regular basis. Practice gratitude. Put your focus on your strengths and talents, not on what is missing. Accept that you will never be perfect. There is perfection in this. Allow yourself to make mistakes. It means you’re growing! When you fall, pick yourself back up quickly. Make peace with the fact that your spirit lives in a body and treat that body as the sacred vehicle it was meant to be. Feed and exercise it with love. It is here to serve you. Find the weight that feels right for you, and that's appropriate to your frame and genetic make-up, not what society thinks you should weigh.  Understand that losing weight provides only temporary satisfaction. Being thin will not bring you the long term happiness that you are seeking. It’s like getting a shiny, new car. Exciting, then the novelty wears off. You’re still left with you - a thinner version of yourself, with the same problems, issues, and life challenges. The best reason to lose weight and get fit is because you want to feel vibrantly and vitally alive! It is hard to feel truly alive when you are not in optimal health. Excess weight and lack of exercise drags your spirit down. The more aliveness you are able to experience, the more you can express your joy and true essence in the world. The more authentic you are, the less food and weight obsession will be an issue for you. Practice the “middle way.” Learn moderation in all things. Avoid thinking and living in extremes. Life, people, places and things - including food - are not good or bad, they just are. Accept that life in all its complexity is beautiful. Learn to trust and listen to the small, still voice within. The more that you acknowledge that voice and feed it, the more the critical voice will lessen. You are not your body, or a role that you play. You are a divine being here to express your true essence in the world. All that is required is that you show up fully in the present. Fill yourself up with the presence of your own heart by giving yourself the gift of your own attention. Shine the light of your awareness into the dark corners of your heart. You will find there is nothing to fear there but fear itself. Take small risks on a regular basis. Begin to tolerate fear and uncertainty. Stretch yourself past your comfort zone by taking baby steps into the unknown. Begin to let others see the real you. Give yourself permission to just be. Relax into the fullness of the moment. There is wisdom in the stillness. Trust that there is a higher plan for your life and that everything that happens is a lesson for your growth. Share your gifts with the world. Begin to express the love you have inside of you. Take baby steps towards your hopes and dreams. You have a lot to give. Learn to tolerate peace and happiness. Allow yourself to receive the things you have always wanted. You deserve it. Welcome yourself home. You are what you have always been looking for. There is nothing to do or to get. You have all that you need. It has always been there, waiting for you to find it. It is your divine birthright. Relax and open to it. Be it. Acknowledge it. Express it. Live, laugh, love, play, dance, and eat well. Celebrate and express your joy!  Let your light brighten the world. It is who you are. You’re a shining star! Related Articles The Benefits Of Mindfulness The Decision To Choose Life Starting A Weight Loss Program The Journey Awakening to Your Real Beauty Spiritual Awakening - Eternal Springtime of the Heart Note: This is not intended as medical advice. Consult a doctor before embarking on a weight loss or exercise program. Interested in weight loss or emotional eating coaching? Contact Catherine for a free consultation!
|
