We all wish we had more control. Control over our decision making, and control over our bodies. For those with binge eating disorder, the core issues is a loss of control around food. And the result is that person feels intense guilt and shame.
“I should be able to stop eating!”
“I’m such a loser because I can’t stop this!” or worse.
The thought typically comes back to, “I need to just work harder at dieting,” and that restriction inevitably leads back to more loss of control eating – binge eating.
And people will deal with this shame and guilt by binge eating, writing themselves off as a lost cause and a failure. A dysfunctional relationship with food thrives in an atmosphere of shame. And because of this loss of self-esteem and self-worth, the eating disorder becomes more pronounced. It’s a wet blanket on the soul. Live this way long enough, it feels like that wet blanket is all that person deserves.
But that’s not the truth. We all deserve to live a life without shame, without guilt, and without regret for living in the body we are born to have.
When we let go of the need to control our thoughts and manipulate our bodies, we learn to listen to our bodies and live with our thoughts.
There is no shame in admitting that this is a hard thing to learn. There is no guilt as all encompassing as looking back on life and wishing you had lived it well.
By Andrew Walen, LCSW-C, LICSW, CEDS - Founder and CEO at The Body Image Therapy Center. If you would like to get in touch with Andrew please call 877-674-2843 or email [email protected].