Binge eating disorder is described as having recurrent or frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food in a short period of time with a feeling of being unable to control it.

Research in the field of eating disorders has come a long way in the past 25- 30 years. Professionals now know that stress, major life changes such as divorce, marriage, moving to college or getting a new job can all be factors that lead to binge eating disorder. It is how a person interprets situations and how they deal with stress that helps to avoid binging.

You don't have to be a victim forever with this disorder. You can take action and change your life. Here are 5 tips to start you on the path to recovery.

Healing Tip #1 - Reduce Stress

Stress is the number one reason we continue to binge. It is however, not usually the root cause of the disorder. Some kind of trauma usually sets the stage for an eating disorder and stress contributes to it. By reducing the negative stress in your life you can lessen the binge episodes while you work on the healing the root cause of your disorder. Here are some quick ways to reduce negative stress.

1. Try not to over-schedule your time. If you are saying "yes" to everyone who needs you to do a project because you can't say "no" then you have overscheduled yourself. You must learn to say "no". Consider outsourcing, having meetings to discuss plans and stating your opinions. Learn assertiveness training.

2. Avoid being a perfectionist. People don't expect you to be perfect and you shouldn't expect them to be either. Be flexible in your expectations of others.

3. Focus on what you want, not on what you don't want.

4. Exercise. Even if you walk around your block at a pace comfortable for you, this will increase your good hormones that make you relaxed and happy. You can clear your mind in just 10 or 15 minutes of exercise.

5. Treat yourself with appropriate rewards when you solve problems before they become bigger. By not procrastinating you can avoid stressful situations.

6. Use a breathing technique to lower your heart rate so you can think clearly. A quick lesson that you can use now is to put your right hand on your abdomen, right at the waistline, and put your left hand on your chest, right in the center. Without trying to change your breathing, simply notice how you are breathing. Which hand rises the most as you inhale? If your abdomen expands, you are breathing from your abdomen or diaphragm. If your belly doesn't move or moves less than your chest you are breathing from your chest. The trick to shifting from chest to abdominal breathing is to make one or two full exhalations that push out the air from the bottom of your lungs. This will create a vacuum that will pull in a deep, diaphragmatic breath on your next inhalation.

Healing Tip #2 - Stop Criticizing

You criticize yourself because you feel you are not good enough in some or many areas. Not being good enough, not having self-worth is 99 out of 100 times the root problem. It has nothing to do with food, control, money or relationships. If you don't feel good enough about yourself everything else falls short of your desired outcome. Think of how terrible that sounds when you say "I'm not good enough".

Write a list of what you think about yourself. Think of every negative thing you wrote on your list. You are essentially saying you aren't good enough. It's the bottom line; there's the problem. When you feel you aren't good enough that is exactly what you'll get. When you tell yourself enough times, over and over that you just don't measure up then you will eventually begin to truly believe that statement. Your subconscious will adopt that belief and pretty soon you will begin acting and thinking and saying things the way you are convincing yourself to be. This belief system needs to be challenged and changed.

Healing Tip #3 - Question your beliefs

Belief systems or the beliefs and values you carry are formed from other people's beliefs such as those from your parents, peers, mentors, religious leaders, teachers and society in general. Belief is the psychological state in which an individual is convinced of the truth of a proposition. Sometimes we just accept other people's beliefs without questioning whether we think they are right or wrong.

We grow up with beliefs that come from many different sources. They become very limiting and even though they may have served you well in the past, some of them do not serve you well any more and it's time to question them and clean house. Look at some of these limiting beliefs and ask why. Do they still hold true for you?

"My parents said it isn't proper"

"It's too hard"

"I don't have the time"

"I can't do that"

"My grandmother wouldn't allow that"

"I don't believe in that"

"I should never go against authority"

"Clean your plate at dinner"

"I don't have the skills"

Whatever we choose to believe becomes our reality. We think it is the truth. If you believe that you are too weak to overcome binge eating then that has become your truth or reality. But the belief is just a thought pattern dictating your current circumstances. You can choose whatever thoughts you want. You can choose to say "I live a healthy and abundant life." No matter what difficult situations you are facing it is only the result of an inner thought and you can choose what thoughts you want to have.

So how do you know that your current beliefs or belief systems are the truth and really what you believe in? You question them. You can take every single belief you have and write it on a piece of paper and next to it write the word why? What evidence do you have to make that belief true?

Healing Tip #4 - Learn meditation and visualization

Meditating is the practice of uncritically attempting to focus your attention on one thing at a time. Exactly what that thing is, is relatively unimportant and varies from one tradition to the next. Often the meditator repeats, either aloud or silently, a syllable, word or group of words. This is known as mantra meditation. Focusing on a fixed object such as the leaves of a tree or flower can also anchor the attention. Many people find that a convenient and relaxing point of focus is the rising and falling of their own breath. You can use anything as an object of meditation.

It is important to understand that the heart of meditation lies not simply in focusing on one object to the exclusion of all other thought, but rather in the attempt to achieve this type of focus. The nature of the mind is such that it does not want to stay focused or concentrated. You'll notice that a host of thoughts will appear and seemingly interfere with meditation. That's normal. Just push those thoughts away and bring your focus back. Remember, what we resist persists. The mind is going to try to do what you are telling it not to do...you might say to yourself "I won't think of anything except for this flower" but your mind hears "think of everything "! It doesn't recognize a negative word such as won't or don't. Instead, you could say to yourself "I choose to think of this flower". Give it a try.

You can have great success with meditating using positive affirmations. A wonderful mantra is "I am young, healthy and wonderful" Get into your relaxation mode by doing slow deep breathing and then take it to the next level by using your mantra and focusing on that one particular thought. Say it over and over again with each deep breath you take. Try this for 10 minutes a day and when you are finished you'll feel like a million bucks. You will then truly believe that you are young, healthy and wonderful. Your mind believes it so it becomes your reality.

You can use whatever mantra you like. It can be a sound like OM or a word such as ONE, or a phrase such as "I am one with the Universe." Or you could repeat something special to yourself like the name of your favorite animal.

At first, your time will be spent on relaxation and not as much on meditation. Try to begin with five or ten minutes a day and work your way up as you are comfortable.

Let's begin.

1. Select a position that is comfortable for you; either sitting in a chair with your legs uncrossed, in a yoga style position sitting on the floor with "full lotus" style, or just sitting cross-legged on a cushion on the floor.

2. Try to sit with your back straight but comfortable and let the weight of your head fall directly down upon your spinal column. You can do this by pulling your chin in slightly. Allow the small of your back to arch if you are sitting on the floor.

3. Close your mouth and breathe through your nose. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

4. Close your eyes and focus on the place where your body touches the cushion or the chair. What are the sensations there? Next, notice the places where your body touches itself. Are your hands crossed? Are your legs crossed? Pay attention to the sensation at these places of contact. Finally, focus on the way your body takes up space. Does it take up a lot of space? A small amount? Can you feel the boundary between your body and space?

5. With your eyes still closed, take several deep breaths and notice the quality of your breathing. Is it fast or slow? Shallow or deep? Notice where your breath rests in your body. Is it up high in your chest? Is it in the midsection around your stomach? Down low in your belly? Try moving your breath from one area to the other. Breathe into your upper chest, then into your stomach, then drop your breath into your lower belly. Feel your abdomen expand and contract as the air goes in and out. Notice how the upper chest and stomach are almost still. This "dropped breath" is the most relaxing stance to meditate from. However, if you have trouble taking deep belly breaths, don't worry. Your breath will drop of its own accord as you become more practiced in meditation.

6. Begin saying your mantra silently to yourself. Say the word or syllables over and over within your mind. When your thought strays, note it and bring your attention back to your mantra. If you notice any feelings within your body, note them and return to the repetition of your own special word/s. You don't need to force it. Let your mantra find its own rhythm as you repeat it over and over again. If you have the opportunity you can begin to chant or say aloud your mantra. Let the sound of your own voice fill you as you relax.

Note: If using a mantra is not for you, you can also try using your breath as a focal point.

Healing Tip #5 - Use positive affirmations

Positive affirmations are wonderful! They are what keep you going when you are feeling sorry for yourself or if those tiny voices that you hear are trying to sabotage your best efforts. You know them - "I can't do it. I'm not strong enough. I'm afraid".

You can use positive affirmations combined with a real feel of enthusiasm to achieve in your mind what you truly want. In a way it is similar to using the law of attraction or just positive thinking. By using these affirmations and repeating them over and over to yourself, you then begin to believe and feel that they are true. Don't allow any room for those pesky voices that say otherwise.

You can write out your own positive affirmations to go along with your goals. Write them 10 or 20 times on a piece of paper and say them out loud with enthusiasm and joy that they bring you. Do this for a few days and then pick another affirmation you'd like to use. When you say your affirmations out loud you believe what you are saying to be true. Affirmations that are used consistently become part of your belief system and always produce results. Remember, what the mind believes, man can achieve.

Quietly saying your affirmations to yourself isn't going to be very effective. You want to engage your subconscious mind. It is a fact that your subconscious mind will believe what it is told through repetition and reinforcement. By adding some excitement or enthusiasm and speaking out loud you are using more than one of your senses; therefore you intensify the impression.

"I now accept a wonderful new job."

"I approve of myself"

"I love myself just the way I am"

"I am totally healthy"

"I have a wonderful and new relationship"

"I am at peace and at ease with myself"

"I have all the clients I need"

"I have everything I need within me"

"I have a happy slender figure"

"I experience love wherever I go"

"I am in the process of positive changes"

"I deserve abundance of life"

"I deserve to have or be _____ "(fill in whatever you wish here)

"I am open to more good and more experiences than ever before"

"I am totally open to experience great relationships"

"I am grateful for my good health"

"I always work for great people"

"I am at peace with food"

"I am open to new streams of income"

"I am open to and deserving of compliments"

"I succeed at whatever I put my mind to"

"I am healthy, whole and complete"

"All is well in my world"

"There are plenty of customers who want my services"

"Abundance is for everyone, including me"

"Money comes easily and readily to me"

You might notice that some of the affirmations are difficult for you to say. That is where your resistance is. Question WHY you are resisting.