Do you find yourself feeling ashamed of your weight? What impact does that shame have on your life? And what would your life be like if you could learn to let go of the shame?
Shame is an emotion that you might find yourself doing anything to avoid. It feels so uncomfortable that you don’t want to think about it, and you might even find yourself actively avoiding it.
In fact, the topic might make you so uncomfortable that you are tempted to walk away right now. But stick with me. There is so much suffering that accompanies weight related shame, and just by talking about it you can let go of some of that suffering.
The shame that often goes hand in hand with weight or eating doesn’t get talked about enough. We hold it inside ourselves and carry the shame through all of our weight loss attempts. It brings a heaviness to these attempts and often colours many moments of your day.
In order to release the shame, it needs to be talked about. The more you hide the things that you feel shame around, the bigger the shame gets and the more difficult it becomes to overcome. It takes you hostage.
The solution is to talk about it. Normalize the experience.
As Physicians, there is often even more shame that accompanies weight. It’s the secret shame of feeling as a physician, you “should know better”. I’ve been there and most of the physicians I coach have carried this shame. It is such a waste of mental energy because it distracts you from noticing how amazing you are.
Here’s the thing. No matter what you are eating, no matter what size you are or how much you weigh, you are still you. Changing those external pieces of yourself does not change your worthiness, but we have been taught that it does. This is the belief that you need to work on for yourself.
You are worthy, no matter what your physical, external attributes are.
If you carry extra weight or struggle with your eating, there is nothing to be ashamed of. These are normal parts of living your life in this world.
Listen to the full podcast episode to learn more about how to overcome your weight related shame and move forward with kindness and compassion for yourself.
PS. If you find yourself trying to get back on track, check out my new Back on Track Workshop. This 2 session virtual series will teach you the essential skill of getting back on track with your healthy eating and weight loss efforts.
In this episode.
- How to acknowledge and move beyond the shame you feel surrounding your weight.
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