This is a special episode. I interview Julie Simon, author of When Food is Comfort: How to Nurture Yourself Mindfully, Rewire Your Brain, and End Emotional Eating. This is the podcast’s first book on emotional eating, and its’s a gem.
Julie helps us understand why many of us reach for food in times of distress — simply, because we don’t have the right tools for managing upsetting emotions in healthy ways. I’ve been an emotional eater / stress eater / binge eater for a long time, and despite a healthy mindfulness practice, I still struggle with how to deal with life’s ups and downs without looking for a caloric escape.
It turns out it’s a lot about love and how we talk to ourselves. Many of us have not been raised with nurturing voices in our heads — steady, reliable, loving voices that provide comfort when life goes pear shaped. “Rewiring your brain” to include an additional voice of comfort and support goes a long way in helping you to cope without needing an unhealthy, external source of pleasure, like food.
Through practice, and honing the seven skills that Julie outlines in her book, there is great hope that we can fill the gaps in our self care practice to add a soothing voice to the “committee” of characters in our heads.
I hope you enjoy!
You can find more about Julie, her books and her therapeutic practice at her website, https://overeatingrecovery.com/.
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