Why does it hurt so much?
Emotional pain is no stranger to someone with a food struggle. In fact, if you struggle with food, you probably find yourself stuck in the following painful cycle day after day: Uncomfortable feelings of dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression A pressing desire to get rid of these feelings Use of food to numb the feelings (binge, purge or starvation) Feelings of guilt, shame, self-hate, and hopelessness after the food abuse Resolution to never binge, purge or starve again Lack of ability to honor these personal boundaries Right back to number one to keep on repeating the cycle day after day… If you are trapped in this cycle life can be downright EXCRUCIATING. If you’ve lost some weight through diets and programs before and you find yourself back in your old stretchy jeans and black T-shirt then the pain can almost be unbearably. The shame and the inability to change can make you isolate yourself from people and sink into a deep pit of depression. Why does this hurt so much? There are two reasons why people experience deep emotional pain in this struggle: 1. Most people experience pain because of the symptoms and consequences of an eating disorders such as; obesity, clothes that don’t fit, shame about their physical appearance, lack of intimacy in their marriage, illness due to the disorder, relationship problems and social isolation because of the eating disorder. 2. Some people experience pain because of the spiritual problem behind their eating disorder: They feel a deep pain about the distance it creates between them and God, and a sorrow for not being able to live a life of self control. They despised being mastered by food and they ache because they let gluttony and idolatry into their lives. They also have a deep sadness about grieving the Holy Spirit in the …