Have you ever downed an entire package of chips, crackers, or cookies? Ate pizza or cake until you felt sick? Drank more coffee or wine than your body wanted? I have.

Do you remember how you were feeling at the time?

I ask because sometimes we overeat to help distract us from emotional pain. Think about it—have you noticed that sometimes when you overeat you’re not hungry at all? What you are is lonely. Or angry. Or sad. Or resentful. Or frustrated. Or something else.

So what are YOU holding on to?

Tap Into the Power of Forgiveness

Wouldn’t it be more effective to address your uncomfortable feelings? One way is to practice forgiveness.

Forgiving is not easy, even for the most enlightened among us. If you’ve been allowing your present health to be controlled by past hurts, I urge you to commit to forgiving. These steps can help:

• Talk to sympathetic friends or family about your desire to forgive. You can also talk to a health professional. Chatting with others is tremendously comforting and a great way to process repressed feelings.
• Write a letter to the person you’d like to forgive. You can decide whether or not you send it.
• See the situation from the other person’s perspective—your own perspective may change. Try having compassion for the situation.
• Know there are many ways to live life not just how you live it or perceive it. Letting go of taking things personally or that your way is the only way will help. Allowing and accepting.
• Letting go of right/wrong, yes/no or white/black concepts about past events or current perspectives and opinions.
• Don’t forget to forgive yourself. Sometimes we can be harshest with ourselves.
• Understand that you are responsible for your own attitude. Don’t let holding a grudge or blaming keep you from feeling free, open, and powerful in your own life. Letting go for the need to be right is very liberating.
• Letting go and forgiving will free up constriction in your body especially around your heart.

Forgive and watch how much easier your relationship with eating becomes. Also little steps each day on forgiving people and yourself will allow you to forgive and let go easier in the future.