Patience is a friend to anyone living with a food addiction. Patience doesn’t mean waiting for somebody else to do something. It’s the secret ingredient in life’s great recipe for happiness.

One of the reasons food addiction, or compulsive eating, has become such a problem, and obesity along with it, is this idea of having to have everything now.

It reminds me of how children like to ask, “Are we there yet?” as if by saying it, they would be instantly transported to their destination without further adieu.

It’s like that with goals of any kind. Who would think of food addiction or obesity as a goal? And yet the frenzy with which so many Americans live their lives drives us to behaviors that reinforce the very negative behaviors we seek to avoid.

By asking yourself this simple question, “Are we there yet?” you can gain insight into where you are on your path to recovery or change. It’s a yes or no question, and that means you have to do some work.

Are we there yet? Are you where you want to be? Are you willing to do what it takes to get to where you want to be?

Since stress is unavoidable in some cases and self-inflicted in many others, it is up to us to work through it without endangering ourselves in the process.

Food addiction isn’t just about being fat. It’s about endangering ourselves by taking something we need to survive and turning it into a tool for self-destruction.

Food is very powerful. It’s purpose is to provide fuel for the  body. Without it, our survival would be greatly threatened. For the food addict, food is a double-edged sword.

Patience is like moderation. Both are states of balance. Moderation is not too much and not too little. Patience is not being worried about how things will turn out because you are doing what you need to be doing and are on target.

Patience is willing to wait for the result that you have deemed worth waiting for. There is no need to force a flower to bloom before it is ready.

When a person is suffering from a food addiction, they are suffering. Patience can help the recovery process and reinforce new behaviors.

Healing takes time and yes, there is frustration, and panic, and even despair.

Some journeys take a long time and lead us into uncharted waters. Sometimes it is hard to know how far we’ve come on the journey.

So be patient, and stop every so often and ask, “Are we there yet?” Soon or later the answer is bound to be “yes”.