Self-Compassion Works More Effectively Than Intuitive Eating

Self-compassion and intuitive eating are powerful tools for addressing disordered eating, but self-compassion is often considered a more important component. While intuitive eating focuses on listening to your body’s cues and eating without restriction, self-compassion helps you address the underlying emotional and psychological issues driving your disordered eating.

Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness, understanding, and acceptance. It encourages you to approach yourself with warmth and patience and be gentle when you make mistakes. It also helps you challenge negative self-talk and replace it with more positive, compassionate messages.

Intuitive eating, on the other hand, focuses on listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues and eating without restriction. It encourages you to eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full, and make food choices that feel satisfying and nourishing. While intuitive eating can be a useful tool in breaking free from disordered eating patterns, it doesn’t necessarily address the emotional and psychological factors that may be driving those patterns.

Self-compassion, however, can help you address the underlying emotional and psychological issues that may be driving your disordered eating. By approaching yourself with kindness and understanding, you can learn to challenge negative beliefs about food, weight, and body image. You can also learn to identify and cope with the emotions that may be triggering your disordered eating behaviors.

While intuitive eating can be a helpful tool in addressing disordered eating and includes the component of compassion in its principles, self-compassion is often considered a more important component when used as a central and focused component. By approaching yourself with kindness, understanding, and acceptance, you can learn to address the emotional and psychological issues driving your disordered eating behaviors. This can help you break free from the cycle of shame and self-loathing and move towards a more compassionate, accepting relationship with yourself.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/mindful-eating/