You've had a bad day, things have gone horribly wrong and before you realise it you have devoured the contents of the kitchen cupboard, if this sounds like you read on for some tips on how to slow this down and start to regain some control over your binging.
Binging can be a complex problem and one that may require some support, particularly if you have been using it as a way of coping with your feelings for some time. When we binge it can make us feel good temporarily, it can give us a high or a feeling of relief or numbness from what is happening in our life for a short while. However, there is a BIG downside to this, afterwards can come feelings of guilt, regret and shame. Counselling can help you to start to work through your feelings and find other coping strategies but practical tips can also be helpful.
Below are 5 practical tips to help you start to tackle binge eating:
1 Try a breathing exercise
When you notice that you are feeling anxious, stressed, sad, bored etc and the thoughts about binging are entering your head, stop and try a breathing exercise instead. Any breathing exercise will do but I particularly like 7/11 breathing as it's simple and easy to use.
Check out this video on 7/11 breathing
2 Keep a food and mood diary
Record what you eat and when, including what you have eaten when you binge and also what you were doing, who you were with and what you were thinking / feeling before and after a binge, this can help identify any triggers.
3 Cut out triggers as much as possible
If you always binge on the same foods then don't keep them in the house, if you find yourself at the petrol station filling up on junk food at the same time as filling up your car on your way home from work then get petrol in the morning.
4 Binge with your non dominant hand
This will help to slow down the rate at which you are eating and also will not feel so automatic, as you will have to think a bit more about what you are doing.
5 Eat regularly
Being hungry and a drop in blood sugar can cause us to binge, keeping our blood sugar level stable can help manage binges so make sure that you eat regularly and include some protein in each meal.
If you feel that you need further support about how to manage your binge eating then please get in touch or take a look around the website to see how we can help you
https://www.completelyyou.co.uk/issues-around-eating
Comments