How to recover from a binge + body image tips
What to do after a binge
I’m sure, like me, you know that feeling after a really “bad binge” all too well…?
We have the physical pain:
- A tummy so stretched and overfull it’s uncomfortable to breathe
- Possibly heartburn
- Dizziness or a weird feeling from all the sugar
- Feeling sick and like you never want to eat anything ever again
- Heart racing
- Hot sweats
And then of course there is the emotional pain which also brings with it physical sensations in your body:
- Shame
- Regret
- Failure
- Guilt
- Wrongness
- Self-abusiveness
- Embarrassment
- Sadness
- Frustration
- Hopelessness
- Powerlessness
- Broken
And everything in between.
The emotional pain hits hard.
I want to share with you one of the most powerful tools that I developed for recovering from a “bad binge”.
And that is learning how to separate the physical pain I experienced post-binge, from the emotional pain I experienced post-binge.
When I took the time to really separate my emotional pain and judgments from the physical pain, I realized that the physical pain of bingeing was really not much more uncomfortable than having to pee really badly, being way too hot or freezing cold, having an itchy sore rash, a hangover, or some other physical irritation.
Nearly all (99.9%) of my suffering after a “bad binge” was due to my emotional pain.
The pain of feeling shame, like I had failed. Again.
The paralysing fear of gaining weight.
The knowing of how shitty I’m going to feel in the morning when I’m still bloated and puffy.
The pain of my belief that there was something deeply wrong with me for not being able to “control myself around food.”
To take care of our physical discomfort after a binge looks like…
- Waiting it out, knowing that soon enough our body will have processed all the food
- Listening to our body and taking care of its needs. That might be drinking water, resting longer or doing some gentle body movement etc.
The physical discomfort goes away pretty quickly on its own once we get back to listening to our bodies.
Our emotional discomfort can be soothed in an instant via:
- Challenging our beliefs around what feeling full means
- Challenging our moral judgments around food and eating
- Challenging our beliefs around fuller bodies, weight gain and everything that envelopes that
- Developing a compassionate understanding of what diet culture has put us through and revisiting past body image trauma through inner child work
- Reminding ourselves that the states are extremely low in the realm of what we eat or don’t eat (unless you have a severe nut allergy and you eat nuts)
When we’re able to look at food as a safe and morally-neutrally source of pleasure and nourishment rather than a pass/fail test—we find peace…no matter what we eat.
Are you craving food freedom and peace around food and in your body?
Join us in the Body Love Buffet Group Coaching to heal your relationship with food once and for all.
Tips to improve body image
Disordered eating has everything to do with food and nothing to do with food!
Food behaviour and obsession is a “symptom” of poor body image 99% of the time
Ask “why” until you find the root and/or until you get annoyed with the word “why”
Accept the body you have now
Acceptance creates space for grief
Grieve your previous body and your “fantasy” body
Appreciate the body you have now
5-10 years from now you’ll want the body you have now. Our bodies are changing all the time. They’re supposed to.
Be kind to your body
It’s impossible to be kind toward something that you’re constantly being unkind to.
Be IN your body
Your body is not a billboard or an object of sexualisation. You weren’t born to give men boners.
Know that body image is subjective
How you see yourself isn’t how others see you therefore you can’t ever control how others see you. Body dysmorphia is common.
Remind yourself that your thoughts are not facts
Thoughts are not facts nor true be the watcher of your thoughts and feelings. You are not either.
Wash yourself with your hands in the shower
Mirror work
When you look in the mirror – practice non-comparison to a past or future version of you – “I’m meant to look like this”
Stop body-checking behaviours
Is your worth dependent on how you think you look?
What % of your self-worth is dependent on body image?
If I lost weight then I’d…
What would you do if you were in a smaller body? What activities would you do? Mark them in order of difficulty with a number and then start with the easiest one.
