Break the Bingeing Cycle
Friday, February 2nd, 2007One of the biggest enemies of a healthy weight, a clear mind and a lifestyle free of guilt is bingeing. Every once in a while some people seem unable to stop themselves from eating or drinking to excess. At the end of the bingeing period, they fall into the other extreme and go on a purge phase that is just as bad as the initial bingeing. The feelings of guilt and shame that characterize the purging period fuel the next binge and so everything becomes a cycle of self-destruction as the individual vacillates between extremes instead of living a normal life.
Bingeing means eating and drinking not because one feels hungry or thirsty, but because some unpleasant feelings that cannot be repressed force the mind to seek comfort. Self-indulgent overeating and drinking is usually a way of trying to bury emotional problems even deeper, but this kind of quick fix doesn’t work. The problems don’t go away and the bingeing – purging cycle goes on as long as the person in question can keep doing it. Punishing yourself with a purge does not stop future binges. It just reinforces a cycle of indulgence and punishment that grows stronger and stronger.
The most important thing is to find out what is it that pushes you to binge. It’s not hunger that prompts people to eat enough food for a whole party of twelve, which means that it must be something else. Some basic dissatisfaction with life or some stressful situations push us into doing a thing that we usually end up regretting later. It takes courage to look into that matter and see what is wrong. It takes willpower to put an end to this behavior and breaking the cycle. But it all starts with the question “Why?” and goes on from there to find a solution.
Resorting to professional help should not be seen as a sign of weakness. If the bingeing – purging cycle has gone on for some time, then it’s pretty clear that the person in question cannot stop it by him or herself. Therefore professional help may be required to get to the bottom of the problem and changing the harmful behavior. There are also books dealing with bingeing and how to stop it by understanding the reasons behind the compulsion. So, if going to a psychologist may seem like too big a step to take at once, then reading a book written by a professional is a good alternative. Actually, anything that puts an end to denial is a good alternative.
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