Eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder (B.E.D.), have intricate origins and are known to have negative effects on an individual’s thought life and behavior. Those that suffer from eating disorders tend to live their lives around continual thoughts about food and their bodies. Whether an individual binges or starves, the underlying issue is a compulsion concerning food.
Binge Eating Disorder
Those that suffer from binge eating disorder in particular have impulse control problems. Once they have a thought about binging, they cannot stop thinking about it until they actually follow through with binging. This type of behavior can interfere with the normal lifestyle of an individual and can also lead to psychiatric problems and in severe cases- life threatening conditions.
For example, a person who suffers from binge eating disorder may wake up every morning and begin thinking about binging on fast food. She will obsess over this thought until she actually goes to a fast food restaurant and eats a large amount of food. This action can have a significant effect on one’s health, weight, and self-esteem.
Binge Eating Disorder can occur in those who are at a normal weight and also those who are obese. This eating disorder has a lot of adverse side effects, such as obesity and also other psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression. Binging tends to give sufferers a sense of control over their mind and weight, but it is actually very bad for them mentally and physically.
Mindfulness for Binge eating Disorder.
One of a very successful treatments for this problem is Mindfulness Therapy. Mindfulness is essentially being aware of the thoughts and feelings that are in the mind. Mindfulness therapy involves learning to sit still, empty the mind and become an observer of one’s own thoughts and feelings.
One way to become more mindful is to engage in the practice of meditation, as meditation is a tool that helps you to lower your brain reactivity, control your random flow of thoughts, which in turn will make you more self-aware, relaxed, and stop the urge to binge. It also helps you to experience more peace, concentrate and focus better, boost self-confidence, and helps in reducing negative thoughts in your mind. The lowering of brain reactivity alone will help reduce impulses associated with binging.
Meditation allows one to become one with self and/or spirit, and it is a very effective way to control your stress since it helps to calm down the body and mind. Those who struggle with Binge Eating Disorder can benefit greatly by meditating, as it will help them to become much more aware of their bodies and the need for their bodies to receive healthy, nutritious food in order for optimal health. Meditation will help people to recognize the dangers of binge eating and help control thoughts and impulses that cause binging.
Meditation also has very good effects in improving the overall health of an individual, as it boosts the immune system. This ensures that you enjoy your life as you become more self-aware, experience more peace and joy, experience less stress, and focus on more positive aspects of life.
To stop binge eating disorder, one can participate in mindful eating meditation practices daily. Mindfulness will help an individual become more in tune with the present and aid in stopping the negative thoughts associated with binge eating. Negative thoughts will dwindle away as positive thoughts replace them. Be assured that meditation and mindfulness can stop binge eating disorder.