Before you can do the work to overcome binge eating and body issues, you need to know what causes them in the first place. It really comes down to emotions and standards. I’m gonna break it down for ya…
 
You don’t know how to handle your body’s emotions.
 
When you don’t know how to handle your emotions, you’re likely to just numb out with food to avoid feeling a certain way. This means  you’re not addressing the root cause of your food and body issues. Numbing out with food is just a temporary “fix.” The feelings will return, and you’ll just binge eat again to make them go away.
 
Here’s the thing, emotions are just information. Anxiety, overwhelm, joy, sadness – all of these feelings exist to let you know what needs to be addressed or healed in your life. Emotions and feelings are how your body communicates with you. Instead of suppressing your feelings and missing the opportunity to learn, get curious.
 
You are not feeling your emotions.
 
I know, I know – we are conditioned to believe that emotions are a weakness. But that’s BS. Emotions and feelings are a superpower. Not to mention that when you’re disconnected, it’s hard to differentiate between physical hunger cues vs. emotional hunger cues.
 
Trust that you can feel your emotions and it will not overwhelm you. Allow yourself to feel. And then take inventory of what’s going on. Ask yourself:
 
“What is this emotion here to teach me?”
 
“What’s really going on?”
 
“How can I learn from this?”
 
Instead of distracting yourself with food (or anything else), take some time to feel into your emotions and connect with your body. The bottom line is you need to feel in order to heal.
 
You do not have high standards for what you put in your body.
 
Before you eat, ask yourself, “Is this food going to deplete me or energize me? Is it going to increase my vibration or decrease my vibration?” Instead of mindlessly eating, get present and curious with the intention behind your food choices.
 
What you eat is such an indicator of how you feel. Think of how you feel after eating a burger and fries vs. a salad or smoothie. Raise your food standards to align with what you need and how you want to feel. It’s an epic tool for self-love and honoring your body.
 
I also want to share the thing that really helped me derail binge eating…
 
Movement!
 
Move your body! You hold sooo much emotion in your body, and when you don’t move, you suppress it. When you’re on the verge of a binge, get up and move. It doesn’t need to be a long, complicated workout. It could be dancing to a song, going for a walk, a quick yoga sequence, or just flailing around in your pj’s 😉 The goal is to process the energy that is coming up for you.
 
Avoiding feelings through food usually just makes you feel worse in the end. Instead, allow yourself to feel, process your emotions, raise your food standards, and turn to intuitive movement to address and heal the emotionality in your body.
 
To watch the video version of What Causes Binge Eating (And Why You Can’t Control It), click here.