Recovery from emotional and binge eating does not come with a perfect upward trajectory. So I get very excited when my coaching clients come to understand that they can CONSCIOUSLY turn things around even after a downward turn.
Allison (not her real name) was beating herself up after eating a lot during the the second half of a cruise (who doesn’t overeat on a cruise?). But rather than stay in that familiar, “I blew it, I’m hopeless” place, soon after she returned home she decided to turn to her emotional regulation and empowerment tools. She refocused her attention on [private_membership circle]creating the life she says she wants. So when an afternoon with her mother-in-law presented itself, she got clear about her desired outcomes… she chose to put her ego and old resentments aside in order to create something she really wanted, a beautiful garden for her new home. Here’s what she wrote in prep for our session the week after the cruise.
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I have been doing really well–and it is amazing after feeling so awful last week. This weekend alone I used the skills in a couple of really stressful situations and found my way to clarity.
I planted a garden in my back yard with my mother-in-law and decided (in advance, after using the skills) that because I really wanted the company and the help, that I was willing, eager even, to give my mother-in-law ownership and control of the process and not feel slighted. It was great. We had an amazing, fun day… and every time I had the feeling that this was MY garden or that I knew the RIGHT way to do whatever, I was able to let it go. Now I have an amazing garden and a partner willing and able to help keep it up. (And we both got to play in the dirt, and now she has a garden to come play in, and yard work to do any time she wants).
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In my experience, people also blossom in recovery!
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Ellen Shuman is a Life Coach who specializes in emotional and binge eating issues. She is the founder of A Weigh Out & Acoria Eating Disorder Treatment, Vice President of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), and Co-Chair of the Academy for Eating Disorders Special Interest Group on “Health at Every Size”, ellen@aweighout.com
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