emotional binging-- HELP!

catlady66

I know I can beat this, but my 18yo daughter finally ended up in the hospital after being sick with a severe kidney infection. Right now my daughter and I have such a complicated relationship. Anyway, all that has made me binge on pretzels, milk duds and berries (not all at the same time.)

I just wonder if anyone knows how to stop all the voices in your head that tell you things are falling apart around you? Any lessons out there for those of us in the same place?

falcor76

I've recently been part of a support group for eating difficulties, and our group leader shared this story from the author of "Eating by the Light of the Moon": " “I truly believe that people can fully recover from an eating disorder” said Johnston, but it is imperative that they seek help, “I have never seen someone recover from an eating disorder without some type of emotional recovery.” It is not expected that someone who is suffering from an eating disorder immediately stop, in fact it is not possible. Johnston used another metaphor from her book, which expresses the need of someone who is suffering to hold on to their eating disorder. Johnston set an image in students’ minds that they are in a river drowning when a log comes along, they grab onto that log and it keeps them from drowning, but it gets to a certain part in the river where they need to let go of the log that had up until that point saved their life. The log is like an eating disorder, people use it in order to suppress and deal with other emotions. If they were to immediately let go of their eating disorders they would be overcome with those emotional issues the eating disorder had helped suppress, just as if you were to let go of the log, you may get halfway to land and begin to drown again. The only way you can deal with both problems is to fix each one a little at a time. Johnston said it is like letting go of the log and just floating until you begin to sink, and the log is still there to grab hold of, eventually you will find yourself treading water and then swimming to land. If you work on the emotional issues that caused the eating disorder, then you can safely leave it without feeling the need to hold on to it."

Be gentle with yourself if you're having a hard time - trust that you're doing the best you can to care for yourself under the current circumstances - hope the quote helps!

catlady66

Thank you, it does help. I guess I've never thought about the fact that if I "let go of the log" completely, all at once, that I would drown in emotions. There has been so much going on in the last year and a half especially, that it is easy for me to see the reason for binging on junk food. Thank you again and good luck to you.