The Secret to Beating Binge and Emotional Eating?
When it comes to binge eating, emotional eating, or restrictive eating behaviours, many believe that without a judgmental inner voice pushing them, they will become lazy or perhaps feel completely out of control. However, it is this punishing inner voice that erodes self-worth and undermines a belief in yourself that you have the ability to achieve anything you set out to do.
Conversely, being kind to yourself and embracing self-compassion can play a pivotal role in healing your relationship with food and your body. Self-compassion is often misunderstood as self-indulgent, selfish, or a sign of weakness, but it can significantly improve overall well-being and self-esteem, positively impacting struggles with eating behaviour and body image.
Indeed, research shows that self-compassion can help in the following ways:
Reduces binge eating symptoms
Leads to more positive reactions in diet-breaking scenarios among restrained eaters
Improves body satisfaction and reduces concerns about body image, shape and weight
Helps manage stress typically associated with disordered eating
Increases motivation and fosters a proactive attitude towards health
What Exactly is Self-Compassion?
Where compassion involves responding to someone’s suffering with empathy and understanding, self-compassion means treating yourself with the same kindness in moments of distress. While you may excel at extending compassion to others, you might struggle to show kindness to yourself.
Dr. Kristin Neff, a leading researcher on self-compassion, breaks it down into three components:
1. Self-Kindness
Seek to understand your situation rather than judging it harshly. When things don’t go as planned, it’s easy to be self-critical. Instead, talk to yourself in a more supportive way. For example:
I am more than this experience and have many valuable qualities.
I did my best.
2. Common Humanity
Recognise that pain and imperfection are part of the human experience. Connect with others' similar experiences rather than feeling isolated in your pain. For example:
Feeling this way is common.
Everyone has probably felt this way at some point.
3. Mindfulness
Observe your thoughts and feelings without becoming overly involved in them. Notice them without judgment. For example:
I notice that I’m feeling frustrated and angry instead of I am frustrated and angry.
Understand that while pain may not disappear completely, it will change over time.
This topic is explored in more depth in my upcoming book about how to overcome binge and emotional eating, where I guide you through practical exercises to help you embrace this approach. I also work extensively on this with my clients and have seen firsthand how powerful self-compassion can be in healing your relationship with food and your body.
If you would like to start creating change in your life now, download my FREE guide Breaking the Cycle - Your First Steps to Healing Your Relationship with Food to kickstart your journey today