We’re just days into the new year. If you’re like many of us, you might have resolved to eat better — to eliminate sugar, to do better with carbs, to watch your calories, to monitor your fat intake. And by now, this might not have gone so well. You might have “slipped” up. You might have indulged at one time or another. You might have given into temptation.
I want you to know, that if you have, it is a-okay.
You do not deserve to further punish yourself with a serving of guilt. Let it go. Forgive yourself. You are doing the absolute best you can do with the circumstances that you are given. Punishment, shame, and guilt are not going to help.
Here are my 4 steps to help you release the guilt:
Step 1: Learn from this situation. Release that you overate for a reason. No, using food as an emotional release is not the healthiest coping strategy, but it’s still a coping strategy. It’s giving you a break or a release that you’re looking for. It wasn’t simply a lapse in willpower; it was a way of comforting yourself or dealing with your feelings in a way that is comfortable and familiar.
Step 2: Ask yourself, “What am I really hungry for?” Are you hungry for a release from stress? Are you hungry for love and attention from a loved one? Tap into what is really causing the eating trigger. How can you soothe yourself in other ways? For example, if you are hungry for a release from stress, could you get yourself outside in nature, or take a soothing bubble bath, or call a friend to vent? Brainstorm ways in which you can feed your soul to help you with your emotional hunger.
Step 3: Choose to forgive. Just be willing to accept and love yourself in this moment. Say aloud right now: “I choose to love, accept and forgive me.”
Step 4: Watch my tapping video where I lead you through a tapping sequence where you can forgive yourself. (This video is from Facebook live in the 21 Day Tapping Cleanse. I apologize that the video and the words didn’t sync correctly so you might enjoy listening and tapping along more than watching)
I promise you that guilt doesn’t get you anywhere but deeper into your own mess. When you forgive yourself for struggling, you will be able to pull yourself back up, dust off your knees, and pick up right where you left off.
