Food Addiction Recovery – #44

Food addiction folks probably don’t have any more issues with resentments than other folks as far as I know anyway. That said there is probably a sub-set of food addicts that have had a very bad time indeed. Maybe in their families there was emotional, physical or sexual abuse? Maybe in childhood and adolescence there was over the top teasing and bullying. Whatever the source of the resentments they need to be handled. Philosophers, religious leaders, and theologians have been saying for centuries that forgiveness is divine. Now scientific studies have been verifying this is indeed the case. Those who can forgive have higher levels of well-being and improved interpersonal relations. According to counselors Denton & Martin in the American Journal of Family Therapy, 26, p. 281-292, forgiveness involves the following:

“..two people, one of whom has received a deep and long lasting injury that is either psychological, emotional, physical, or moral in nature. Forgiveness is an inner process by which the person who has been injured releases himself or herself from the anger, resentment, and fear that are felt and does not wish for revenge.”

One of the key things one has to know about forgiveness is you DO NOT have to forget the injury itself, nor does it mean the other person does not have to face the consequences of his or her actions. A couple of good places to learn more about forgiveness are http://www.forgivenessweb.com/ or http://www.forgiveness-institute.org/ . Exercise forgiveness instead of eating because of resentment, anger, fear and revenge.

In addition, remember—forgiveness includes forgiving yourself. Beating yourself up will only make your food addiction recovery efforts harder.