Binge eating can feel overwhelming, leaving you caught in a cycle of overindulgence and guilt. Whether it's occasional or persistent, you're not alone. At Wilson Counseling in Texas, we specialize in helping individuals regain control over their eating habits. Our experienced therapists provide personalized support to break the cycle and develop healthier coping mechanisms. Learn how to overcome binge eating and start your journey to a balanced, fulfilling relationship with food. Contact Wilson Counseling Texas therapists today at 713-565-0922.
Emotional eating is a common response to stress and emotional challenges, leading many to reach for comfort foods that provide only temporary relief. At Wilson Counseling, our eating disorder therapists recognize the complexities of emotional eating and how it impacts your well-being. Our approach helps you understand these habits and develop healthier coping strategies for lasting change. Call today to talk to a therapist and make the changes you want at 713-565-0922.
Parties are full of joy, laughter, and delicious food—but they can also trigger overeating. If you’ve struggled with binge eating or want to stay mindful, this guide offers practical strategies to enjoy celebrations while maintaining control and balance.
The mother-daughter relationship deeply influences self-image, beliefs, and emotional health. When criticism overshadows support, it can impact a daughter's self-worth and relationships well into adulthood. In this post, we explore how critical mothers affect their daughters, the long-term effects on mental health, and steps to heal and rebuild self-confidence. Call our Houston therapists today at 713-565-0922.
Even if you have a good relationship with your parents as an adult, growing up with critical parents can leave lasting impressions on one's self-esteem. The lingering effects of parental criticism can extend into adulthood, impacting relationships, career choices, and overall happiness. Call our Houston therapists at 713-565-0922 if you want help dealing with critical parents.
This post can show Houston couples how to reignite the spark in their relationship. Learn to get back to the excitement you felt when you first met! If your relationship is feeling a bit dull, couples therapy and marriage counseling in Houston, TX, can help to enhance communication, intimacy, and connection. Call us today if you are feeling stuck or just want to learn to have fun with your partner again.
*updated January 2024
You probably have a love-hate relationship with your body, or maybe you just have a hate-hate relationship with it. It stinks that we live in a society that teaches us to value ourselves if we look a certain way and to reject ourselves if we don’t. When doing body image treatment and eating disorder treatment, we help people learn to learn to obsess less and feel more secure in their bodies.
I spoke with one client recently who shared that she hates her body and never really felt that it fit who she was. She said the only way she thought she would feel okay was if she was model thin, and was acknowledged by others as being skinny. She admitted to spending anywhere from 60-80 percent of her day thinking about her flaws. Before you judge her or ask why is she like that, I would encourage you to instead ask why the world produces so many of us, especially women and girls, who have such critical feelings about the bodies we inhabit.
Chances are, you are also insecure about your body, even if you don’t outright hate it. It’s unfortunate really because you can’t part ways with your body. You have to learn to accept or even appreciate your body before you will ever feel at peace or happy in your skin. Is that possible? Yes! It’s not easy, but it is possible.
People who use their bodies for physical exercise usually feel better about it. This does not need to mean a vigorous workout. Even just a light or mindful walk could do the trick. It is more about movement than it is about burning calories. The more you use your body, the more you appreciate what it can do for you and allow you to do for others.
Your body is an absolute miracle and is beautiful in its complexity. Your body allows you to do things like go for a swim, walk to the store, hug your kids, climb to the top of a mountain, write a poem, kiss your partner, and cook a tasty meal. Your body bestows gifts upon you every day. Focus on what your body does and express gratitude for those things. I recommend keeping a list of three things you are grateful for about your body every day.
You don’t have to like every part of your body to recognize that some parts of your body are pretty good. For example, I can say “I like the shape of my nose, even though I don’t love the sunspots on my face.” There are parts of my physical body that I like and parts I don’t. I don’t have to outright reject the whole thing because of that. Avoid that type of black-and-white thinking.
Comparisons will steal your joy. There is always someone thinner, or larger. There is always someone who has thicker fuller hair and someone who has started balding. If you focus on those things, you will either feel you are not enough or may feel smug and critical of others. Both are unhelpful. Instead of focusing on how much prettier, fitter or thinner someone else is, focus on the goals you have for yourself. For example, “I would like to be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.” Or, “I would like to work on building up my core strength in my body.” Give yourself some directions instead of criticizing which just makes you feel stuck.
Media is a self-esteem killer. You know that those images in the media are usually edited and airbrushed to create a certain look that is not real. Even though we know this is true, your brain will still cause you to compare and you will always come out feeling less than others. This is not a small problem either.
Studies show that media usage has led to increased dieting, people using disordered behaviors like purging to lose weight, and people feeling “fat” some or all of the time. Research also shows that girls who live in a house with a television are 3 times more likely to experience disordered eating behaviors. It is not very realistic to avoid media altogether, but try to limit your exposure. And I recommend you stay away altogether from social media accounts that focus on dieting, eating the least number of calories, overexercising, or portraying unrealistic images of people.
Treat yourself and your body with kindness - the same kindness you treat those you love. Would you tell your best friend or your daughter that she looks like a beached whale in a swimsuit? If so, you may be a jerk. But seriously, you have a great capacity for kindness with others when it comes to their insecurities, use that same kindness on yourself. Life is hard enough without you heaping negativity and criticisms on yourself. Kindness is a much better motivator.
Take the time to do nice things for yourself including massages, warm baths, and even caressing your body as you put on moisturizer. It may sound hokey, but the truth is that the way you treat yourself physically sends a message that you are valuable and should be treated with love and care. This may also help you feel more in tune, mindful, and connected to your body. It is harder to hate our bodies when we are mindful.
If it has been a while since you have bought clothes, or if you have gained or lost weight, I recommend buying some new clothes. Pay attention to how the clothes fit and how you feel when wearing different clothes. Even if you hate how you look in clothes in general, certain outfits will be more flattering, and others that are not. Certain clothes feel authentic and cute, and others that just feel wrong on your body.
It’s worth it to spend a little time and money on clothes that feel better for your body. I know a lot of people keep clothes they have outgrown hoping to lose weight or keep bigger sizes just in case they gain weight. I don’t recommend this. If you gain or lose weight in the future, just buy clothes that fit and are in style at the time. You deserve to feel attractive!
Don’t let your negative thoughts or anyone else tell you otherwise. We all get down about our bodies sometimes. If you find yourself ruminating about all of the things you don’t like, feel a sense of self-loathing for your body, or are struggling with an eating disorder, please get help.
We have Houston body image and eating disorder therapists who can help you work through this and feel better. You can contact us online to schedule an appointment or to ask any questions you have about how we can be of help to you.
In addition to Eating Disorder and Body Image therapy, we have other mental health services that we offer at our Houston, TX counseling office. Our services are available for adults, children, and teens. For individuals, we offer Anxiety Treatment, School and College Counseling, Couples and Marriage therapy, and Infertility Counseling. As well as Trauma Therapy, PTSD Treatment, EMDR Therapy, and LGBTQ+ Counseling. Our caring therapists also offer Family Therapy, Parenting Counseling, Career Counseling, and LPC Supervision. All of these services are also available through Online Counseling throughout Texas.
If you’re ready to get started, please contact Wilson Counseling today. Together we can get you to a better place and help you achieve a healthier lifestyle.
It’s hard to know what to do when your child is struggling emotionally. You want to be there for them, but sometimes everything you try is not working and it’s time to call in some help. That is exactly where child therapy can be a support to you and your child. We have trained child therapists who can give your child an outlet and tools to deal with hard things, as well as give you advice for how to best come alongside your child.
You can never really be ready for the harrowing journey that is parenting. It can be wonderful--magical, even--when things are smooth, and your kids are happy. Sometimes, however, it can seem like a total failure, where you feel clueless and ill-suited to parenthood. And, because the stakes are so high, it’s painful to feel like a failure at one of the most important things you will ever do.
If someone you love has an eating disorder, you may feel helpless. It’s painful to watch someone you know struggling. Know that you are not helpless and you are not alone. We have eating disorder treatment therapists in Houston who can support your loved one and who can help you learn to be supportive of them as well. In this post, we discuss things you can do to be supportive, and things you want to avoid doing that may trigger eating disorder behaviors.
We all deal with a lot of negative feelings we’d rather get rid of - stress & anxiety, fear, anger, irritation, etc. What if I told you there was a way you could contain upsetting feelings till you are ready to work through them? In this container exercise, I walk you through the steps for noticing distress in your body and containing it.
The idea behind this exercise is not to change the actual circumstances of your life. It won’t change how you feel forever. Ultimately, it is impossible to take out all of the stressors, trauma, and difficult circumstances life throws at you. But there are things you can do when you just don’t want to deal with problems at the moment. We all need moments of reprieve to feel safe, calm, and at peace even amid hard times. The container exercise is perfect for that. It will help you feel lighter.
This technique is often used in trauma therapy. It involves doing a visualization where you notice where you are storing hard feelings in your body and then imagine putting your distressing feelings away in a container that is safe and secure but away from you. That way, you can still come back to the feelings and work through them when the time is right, but you don’t feel flooded by distressing feelings when the time isn’t right. It gives you a little bit more control — something I think we all crave.
I recorded a video to walk you through the steps of using a container to feel better. I hope it’s useful to you!
We hope you find these resources helpful! If you are struggling with loneliness, conflict, or anxiety, speaking to a professional counselor in Houston can help.
Contact us at Wilson Counseling to find out more about our services or to schedule an appointment. You can find out more about Edmr counseling here. You don't have to go through this alone. We are in this together.
The advice in this blog is not a substitute for professional counseling.
In addition to Anxiety Treatment, Family Therapy, and Parenting Counseling, we have other mental health services that we offer at our Houston, TX counseling office. Our services are available for adults, children, and teens. For individuals we offer Eating Disorder Counseling, School and College Counseling, Autism Therapy, Perinatal and Postpartum Treatment, and Infertility Counseling. As well as Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling, Trauma Therapy, PTSD Treatment, EMDR Therapy, and LGBTQ+ Counseling. Our caring therapists also offer Career Counseling and LPC Supervision. All of these services are also available through Online Counseling throughout Texas.
If you’re ready to get started, please contact Wilson Counseling today. Reach out for compassionate support today.
