Welcome,
I'm Jenna,
And I'm going to walk you through a meditation to support you after a binge or emotional eating or other out-of-control eating experience.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position.
Sitting or lying down.
Take a few moments to feel where you connect with the floor or chair or bed or whatever it is you're sitting or lying on.
Release your weight into it.
Let it hold you.
And see if you can find a place between relaxing your body and letting it feel awake and present.
Notice any sensations.
You might feel a fullness.
In your belly.
A tightness in your chest.
The impulse to cry or scream.
You might feel heavy or sleepy.
Or shut down.
Or anxious.
All of this is okay.
Remind yourself,
This is just how my body feels right now.
It won't always feel this way.
My job is to just notice what's here.
Notice any thoughts that are running through your mind.
Note their texture,
Their speed,
Their content.
You might be speaking to yourself very harshly right now.
You might be resolving to do something dramatic.
You might be berating yourself or just wanting to be reassured.
Again.
Remind yourself.
This is how my thoughts are right now.
They will move through eventually.
And make room for new thoughts.
Now notice your emotions.
You might discover one or two primary emotions and other secondary ones.
Some common emotions after an experience like this include shame,
Guilt,
Remorse,
Sadness,
Anger,
Embarrassment.
And I say common because I want you to know that you're not alone.
So many people experience what you're feeling right now.
And it matters that you know it's not just you.
As you continue to breathe in and out.
Allow the full spectrum of your emotions.
Simply exist.
Reminding yourself.
This is how my heart feels right now.
It won't always feel this way.
Now shift your awareness to your breath.
And feel the sensation of air coming in through your nostrils and filling your lungs.
Followed by the sensation of breathing out through your nose,
Letting the breath dissolve into the space around you.
And let's just breathe together for a few cycles.
See if you can lengthen the exhale just a little bit.
This will help your heart rate to come down and allow your body to settle.
As you continue breathing.
Just listen to the words that I'm going to say.
I'm going to state some important truths about.
Loss of control eating.
Beginning with the fact that you are not broken.
You have done nothing wrong.
I know this doesn't feel good right now,
But you are doing the right thing by seeking support.
Thank you for trusting me with that.
Binging and emotional eating,
As confusing as they can be,
Are evidence of your body trying to feel okay.
They often happen in response to big or difficult emotions or physical states that feel impossible to tolerate.
Eating is how your body,
Mind,
And heart are trying to come back into a place of regulation.
Yes,
This often feels like it makes things worse,
But try to begin with that compassionate realization.
Perhaps even sing to yourself.
I was just trying to feel okay.
Binging and emotional eating are strongly connected to restriction.
If you skip or miss meals,
If you're cutting carbs,
If you're constantly judging your food choices and obsessing over making wrong choices.
This can lead to loss of control even.
This is not to shame you.
It's to help you understand the paradoxical relationship between trying to exert extreme control over food and your body and ultimately losing control.
This is not your fault.
It's the confusing diaculture messaging you're immersed in.
You might be tempted to harden against yourself right now.
You might be tempted to compensate by restricting.
But what you do in response to these thoughts is critical.
The way you break the cycle of binging and emotional eating is to let this experience soften you.
Speak to yourself with kindness.
Remind yourself that your body was trying to feel safe.
Remind yourself that you can learn and practice new ways of dealing with difficulty.
Nourish yourself consistently.
Allow yourself to rest.
Take time to slow down.
Reuse.
Or do something soothing for your body.
Allow this moment to touch you without using it to harm yourself.
Now bring your awareness back to your breath.
Notice how it feels as you inhale and exhale.
Maybe place your hand over your heart.
And feel your own warmth.
Notice any sensations in your body.
Has anything changed?
Shifted.
Intensified.
Or dissipated.
Notice your thoughts.
Their speed.
Their texture.
Their content.
See if anything has evolved.
Notice your emotions.
And whether that balance of primary and secondary emotions has shifted at all.
Just sit with that awareness.
For a few cycles of breath.
As we bring our practice to a close.
Rouse a sense of warmth and gentleness toward yourself.
You deserve it.
And thank you for practicing with me.
