The Origins of Overeating Aren’t Your Fault

You had no choice but to develop compulsions with food.

The origins of your food addictions are not your fault.

When you were very little, your environment didn't feel good for you in some way. That wasn't your fault. Kids don't feel bad for no reason; they are always perfectly reflecting the truth of the situation around them.

Understandably, children find that food helps them to feel soothed and loved and nurtured.

It’s not real soothing and love and nurturing, but a substitute that helps them avoid feeling bad.

Additionally, when you were little, your environment did not allow you to feel the true emotions you had. You weren't allowed to feel anger and rage, to really acknowledge your fear and terror, and you weren't allowed to cry and cry and cry as much as you wanted or needed. This was also not your fault.

You might have had parents who emphasized looks and body size and made fun of people who were overweight or suggested you wouldn't be loved and weren't good enough if you weren't thin. The fact you have these issues now -- it's not your fault.

The root causes of your issues with food are 0% your fault. They are 100% the fault of your parents.

Are you a victim now? Well, you were indeed a victim as a child. Are you responsible now? Yes.

But what you are responsible for now as an adult is to have the courage to discover the true causes of your overeating in your childhood.

You are also now responsible for feeling all the repressed emotions from your life.

These are choices only you can make, and nobody can do it for you.

So if you put off discovering the truth and feeling suppressed emotion, then yes, now you are responsible for continuing your food addictions when they don't have to continue.

But the causes of why you've ended up with eating issues is not in any way your fault, and you must have compassion for the little child who had no choice in the matter at all, and no ability to change this trajectory.

Photo by Magda Lucas via Unsplash