Trust Yourself

Many people with eating problems don’t trust themselves, not only around food, but to make wise decisions for themselves in numerous arenas. Self-distrust is learned in childhood and is often confused with not knowing what you think or feel. Difficulty identifying thoughts and emotions is different from distrusting what you experience. Think of self-knowledge as the precursor to self-confidence.

Trusting yourself comes after knowing what’s going on inside you. Labeling emotions in the most specific way possible provides this information. Yes, you have to trust that the label you put on feelings is accurate, but emotions are only a piece of the information puzzle. Assuming that you are able to identify affective states all or most of the time, you possess the major skill for developing self-trust. Of course, if you’re uncertain about what you feel or suffer from self-doubt, particularly when you’re in emotional distress, you’ll have to work on believing in yourself as well.

PRACTICE SELF TRUST

Practice self-trust. It is not a commodity, but a skill which needs to be honed. It is not something which is either there or not there. You may trust yourself in some areas but not in others. That’s natural and normal. As you build self-trust, you’ll gain confidence and your decisions will be better and better in a self-enhancing, positive feedback loop.