Honey... first of all breathe!!!
OK....now you have taken a breathe .. relax and stop being so hard on yourself about this. We have all done this and the trick is not to get into a tizz about it otherwise you will drive yourself to more eating.
You need to put it in perspective.. this is a journey not a race and the more negative you get about what is happening the harder you will make it for yourself hon.
Forgive yourself. Admit you made a mistake. Forgive yourself. Be very, very kind to yourself: Beating yourself up or criticizing you won’t make you change. Compassion and regret (not shame – there is a difference!) can.
Acknowledge the emotions you are feeling and how negative and self-defeating they are.. then let them go. Give yourself self acceptance. It’s easy to offer yourself approval when you’re on your “best” behavior. But when you make mistakes? Do you offer yourself love and support at those times, as well? It’s ironic that these low times are when we need our approval the most. Without our approval, we feel bereft, judged, unacceptable. We feel unlovable and not okay.
When we’re in this space, it’s very easy to go back to overeating because we’re feeling so badly about ourselves. Self-acceptance is what breaks the chain, so that you stop after one mistake, instead of piling them up, one after the other, until you hit rock bottom. Your unconditional love creates a safe container for you to change. It is what enables you to put the fork down and ask yourself, “What is really going on here?” and shift.
Have a starting over ritual. Showering, bathing, walking, brushing your teeth: any thing that signals to you that you are starting over, starting afresh or anew is helpful after a slip. I write out my feelings as part of my ritual. I get out my notebook and write down: “I am angry…,” “I am sad/regretful…”, “I am frustrated…” This emotional housecleaning feels so good. I then offer myself compassion and forgiveness: I love you so much even though you slipped up. I am proud of you for getting back on track. I am hopeful that you can love and care for yourself. I’m not a horrible person because I messed up; I’m merely human. (I know this sounds a bit "twee" but it really does work!! We hardly ever give ourselves care and compassion but frequently give ourself criticism and self-hate)
You did the right thing coming on here because it helped you get it out of your head; we can often distance ourselves from people when we have slipped up.. isolating ourselves from the very sympathetic ears that we so need instead.
When you’re ready, examine what happened. Slip usare fabulous learning opportunities. Try and examine what was going on: how were you feeling beforehand? What thoughts were running through your head? What expectations or "shoulds" ran the show? Write/think about the event and see if you can make sense of it. This can help you prepare for the next time. Think of how you can support yourself next time so that you can act differently.
I really hope this helps... it's what I have learnt on my CD journey over the last few months (with the help of some wise people on here).
