If you cannot remember your childhood or you binge eat, then this will be of interest because you most likely have unhealed childhood trauma and I have some suggestions on how to cope at the end of this post.
Ways to identify if this relates to you:
1. You were yelled at, shamed, or criticized for expressing emotions – so you learned to suppress your emotions to feel safe and loved.
2. Your needs, emotions and opinions were constantly invalidated and dismissed – so you learned that they do not matter and that you could not trust yourself.
3. You were constantly criticized for who you are, your appearance and your weight – so you learned that you were not good enough.
4. You were made to believe that you were responsible for other people’s emotions and needs, and that they mattered more than your own – so you learned to abandon yourself.
5. You were given the silent treatment and you were flat out ignored for hours or even days – so you learned that if somebody was disappointed or angry with you, that you no longer exist.
Stress and trauma, suppress and shrink the part of the brain responsible for memory and emotional regulation, so this explains why people are likely not to remember parts of their childhood and why some people have a hard time regulating their emotions - so people suppress them with food and that is why some people become a binge and emotional eater.
To heal your inner child and childhood trauma these techniques will help you to overcome these particular issues in time with repeated practice:
1) Spend time in Meditation;
2) Go for a Walk;
3) Install Boundaries;
4) Relax, close your eyes and feel the air whilst doing Grounding;
5) Listen to Soothing music;
6) Take a warm shower or bath;
7) Do some Stretching exercises
8) Do Focused Breathing;
9) Enjoy a Self-Soothing touch like a hand or foot massage;
10) Enjoy the aroma of Soothing smells like fresh crisp apples or freshly cut green grass.
If you have a support network around you, have an open and honest conversation with them about this so that they can help you on your recovery journey and ask them to be patient and understanding with you.
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