How can I stop compulsive eating?

To heal compulsive eating, find out what you've been repressing. Asking questions is like summoning your own fairy godmother -- you powerfully ask for help and set the intention to heal. It's a courageous act that says, "Show me. I'm ready, already!" Take a moment and ask yourself the following questions: What am I repressing? What am I angry about? Is there anything I'm not doing out of fear or habit? Is there anything I'm keeping myself from saying? How do I avoid asserting myself? What am I afraid of? Simply allow the answers to surface in their own time.

After you find out what you've been repressing, take action. Do or say what you've been avoiding and set the intention to stop repressing your emotions in the future. Healing is one part excavation and one part relearning and retooling. If you want to stop stuffing yourself with Oreos at the next sign of stress, you've got to change how you're living, how you're responding to life's little (and not-so-little) hiccups. In this way, you will learn to break the habit of repressing in the first place!

If you feel that you're not entitled to say no or stand up for yourself, you will probably get angry and either repress or feed your feelings. When this happens, you're likely to eat at the same time that you're having an angry conversation in your head. You heal this pattern by expressing what you need to express from your heart and attending to the emotional issue that's come up rather than feeding it with food and more thoughts.

You might be afraid that people won't like you or that your spouse will leave you if you start speaking your truth, saying no when you mean no, or asking for what you want. When those kinds of fearful beliefs come up, record them in your journal and test them by taking them to inquiry. Then, ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that could happen if I express myself?"

Next, examine the structures in your life. If you're angry or resentful about the way your life is set up, you may need to make some changes. Stop doing things that you don't want to do, or at least take steps in that direction. Even though you may feel locked into your life, you don't have to spend most of your time doing things you don't want to do. To become empowered and stop repressing and eating your feelings, redirect your life so that you're doing what you love.