Recovery from emotional and binge eating has its ups and downs. It just goes with the territory. When I feel stuck and I find myself becoming food-focused, again, I do the following.
I think of the one thing I would be willing to do today; something easy, not hard, that if I did it I’d start to feel like I was moving forward again. It could be paying my bills, cleaning out a drawer, or returning an email I’ve been ignoring. I make the task as tolerable as possible. For example, I take the piles of accumulated papers off my desk and choose to go through them while I’m watching a DVD in my den.
Instead of feeling stuck, “Poor me, I’m such a screw up. This is so hard. I’m hopeless! I’m going to order a pizza”, I do the one thing that feels do-able. As soon as I replace my runaway food thoughts (“food thoughts” are what I have gone to for years, out of habit, to go “mindless”), I start to feel proactive and mindful again. Then I feel more hopeful and willing to do more. This feels like “self-care”. For me, it’s like hitting the “Reset Button”. Mindful self-care begets more mindful self-care choices, and so on and so on. Before I know it, I’m no longer feeling stuck. Instead, I’m living a day that feels good. I’ve turned it around!
What’s your “Reset Button” today…the one task you’re willing to complete that will help shift you back into feeling more mindful and on top of your life?
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Ellen Shuman is a Life Coach who specializes in emotional and binge eating recovery. 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
