I could tell when I entered the waiting room of my office that Samantha was having a bad day. She appeared depressed--she sat slumped in the chair and she was visibly upset. Her mascara was running and she looked like she had been crying. Unlike times when she was more upbeat, she was not distracting herself with her phone
painful childhood memories
Is Your Eating an Act of Rebellion?
October 7, 2014 – Posted in: compassion depression despair disappointment embracing emotions emotional eating forgiveness grief grieving hurts identifying emotions and needs loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments old pain overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories perfectionism rebellion reducing stress resentments resolving emotional eating self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-love self-worth stress eating trauma Uncategorized unmourned losses weight loss worthiness wounds from childhoodShirley, a 37-year-old wife and mother, looks forward to her nightly binges.They are the only time she feels totally free and in control of her life. She resents the fact that her husband doesn’t earn more money and that she has to work full-time while raising their three-year old. She’d like to have another child before time runs out, but can’t
Are you eating over losses and disappointments?
September 30, 2014 – Posted in: depression despair embracing emotions emotional eating grief grieving identifying emotions and needs loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments old pain overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories resentments resolving emotional eating self-love stress eating unmourned losses weight loss worthiness wounds from childhoodMost of us don't like to spend much time thinking about our losses and disappointments or painful childhood experiences.Yet, without much effort, they are brought to the forefront of our minds when something in our environment triggers thoughts of them. We see a happy couple and think "Oh, yeah, I had a loving relationship with
Are you eating to rebel against someone or something?
February 29, 2012 – Posted in: disappointment emotional eating forgiveness greiving grieving hurts losses and disappointments old pain overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories rebellion resentments resolving emotional eating unmourned lossesDo you find that you sometimes grab food (and eat even though you're not hungry) because you're angry at someone or about something? Or maybe because you're resenting some situation and feeling powerless to change it? You're mad or frustrated at these times and you certainly need something. In the moment, the food tastes good, calms you down and
Hope is everything
June 29, 2011 – Posted in: dieting emotional eating flexibility greiving grief grieving hurts losses and disappointments losses and disappointments old pain old pain overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories reducing stress stress and overeating stress eating trauma Uncategorized unmourned losses unmourned losses weight loss wounds from childhoodThe Random House College Dictionary defines hope as "the feeling that what is desired is also possible or that events may turn out for the best." It's certainly easy to have hope when everything is going your way--you just landed a great job, met the man/woman of your dreams, lost a lot of weight or won the lottery.
Are you overeating because your life lacks purpose or meaning?
June 11, 2011 – Posted in: dieting emotional eating flexibility losses and disappointments overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories stress and overeating stress eating Uncategorized weight loss wounds from childhoodNothing feels better than waking up and looking forward to the day. Life feels worth living. We feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction because our life has purpose and feels meaningful. And even better if we feel inspired and passionate about what we're doing. We can feel purpose and meaning from many types of
Are losses and disappointments sending you to the refrigerator?
May 29, 2011 – Posted in: emotional eating greiving hurts losses and disappointments old pain overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories reducing stress unmourned losses weight loss wounds from childhoodMost of us don't like to spend much time thinking about our losses and disappointments or painful childhood experiences. Yet, without much effort, they are brought to the forefront of our minds when something in our environment triggers thoughts of them. We see a happy couple and think "Oh, yeah, I had a loving relationship with Jack,
