If Self-Discipline Feels Difficult, Then You're Doing It Wrong

There's a kind of fear and anxiety that comes when we relinquish our belief in our own horribleness. We actually resist accepting ourselves because the responsibility is scary. Because it suggests that not only are we capable of change in the future (and change is always scary) but that we have perhaps wasted much of our past. And that never feels good either. In fact, another little trap is when people accept that they're not a horrible person-but then decide that they are a horrible person for not realizing that years ago!

We must address the emotional problem the compulsion is trying to numb or cover up. You compulsively eat tubs of ice cream each week. Why? Well, eating-especially sugary, unhealthy food-is a form of numbing. It brings the body comfort. It's sometimes known as "emotional eating" and the same way an alcoholic drinks to escape her demons, the overeater eats to escape his.