Summer Rewind: Why Do We Feel Responsible for Other People’s Feelings?

Aug 31, 2020Jan 29, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan ~ 14 Comments

This post from 2018 explores why we often take responsibility for other people’s feelings, and the subsequent impact on us and our eating behaviour.

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You’re about to send an email and you’re re-reading it for the tenth time to make absolutely sure there’s nothing in it that could be misconstrued and cause offence. Then you check it another ten times after you’ve sent it – just in case…

You bump into a friend in the street. As you walk away, you replay the conversation over and over in your head trying to work out if you said anything “wrong”. You’re still rerunning the conversation in your head as you lie in bed that night…

A work colleague seems a bit off with you. You instantly rack your brain to recall your most recent interactions with them. You spend the day desperately trying to work out what you did to upset them so you can apologise and make things right…

Sound familiar?

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Gentle Reminder: You’re Not Alone

A small heart-shaped planet earth, sitting on sunlit grass.

Mar 30, 2020Jan 30, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan ~ 18 Comments

“There is nothing so moving – not even acts of love or hate – as the discovery that one is not alone.” – Robert Ardrey.

Since we became aware of the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve witnessed feats of altruism that leave us in awe.

We’ve also seen acts of selfishness which make us hold our hands up in despair.

However, what I’m experiencing most often is a sense of connectedness and solidarity.

“We’re in this together” is the message I keep hearing.

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Expert Insight: A Gentler Way of Dealing with Yourself

Several pink heart-shaped flowers on a branch.

Mar 16, 2020Jan 30, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan ~ 25 Comments

“Change happens the way a plant grows: slowly, without force, and with the essential nutrients of love and patience and a willingness to remain constant through periods of stasis.

If change is what you want, you need to find a gentler way of dealing with yourself and others.” – Geneen Roth, “Breaking Free from Emotional Eating”

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How Do You Soothe Yourself Without Food?

Feb 10, 2020Jan 28, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan ~ 24 Comments

Trigger warning: binge eating.

Back in my binge eating days, I’d often hear a soothing little voice in my ear.

If I was having a tough day at work, the voice would whisper: “it’s OK, pick up some food on your way home”. Like co-conspirators, the little voice and I would plan the binge I’d have later.

Planning was part of the bingeing ritual and looking forward to it helped me get through the day. I’d feel excited as I imagined all the food I was going to eat. All those “bad” and “naughty” things I felt I wasn’t allowed because I was firmly entrenched in a diet mindset.

But the little voice gave me permission. After all, it told me I was having a difficult day and food would make me feel better.

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Expert Insight: Seeing the Funny Side of Our Mistakes

Nov 17, 2019Jun 15, 2021 ~ Julie de Rohan ~ 31 Comments

“One way to encourage clients to accept themselves is to remind them that it is human to err and make mistakes. This will enable them to see themselves as human and learn to replace self-judgement with humility and laughter, rather than being crippled by shame. When clients are able to laugh rather than become embarrassed by awkward situations, they are able to redefine their experience and maintain social bonds. In this way, good-natured humour and laughter has a positive effect in disrupting the cycle of shame (Scheff 1990). Moreover, shared laughter is quintessentially human and a powerful tool for connecting to others.”

Christiane Sanderson, “Counselling Skills for Working with Shame”

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