Comedian and Actress Whitney Cummings On Being Diagnosed With Love Addiction

Playing Whitney Cummings Takes Us Through the Emotional Journey That Inspired Her New Book "I'm Fine: And Other Lies"

Whitney Cummings Takes Us Through the Emotional Journey That Inspired Her New Book "I'm Fine: And Other Lies" Aired June 21, 2018

A love addiction? It's real!

And just one of the MANY things Whitney Cummings gets down to business about in her book, the intimate (and, of course, hilarious!) self-help book, I'm Fine: And Other Lies.

According to the comedian, she decided to write her own self-help book after reading a whole slew of kind of depressing ones.

"They were boring and bleak, and I was like, 'Why doesn't someone write a funny self-help book?'" says Whitney.

Consider the mission accomplished!

Plus, to really drive the themes of her book home and be as open with her readers as possible, Whitney shared a handful of Instagram photos that help bring her stories to life. (Like a pic of the time her rescue dog bit off her ear!)

Read on, love addicted friends.

Lesson 1: See the Red Flags

If you want to know the story behind this photo, order IM FINE...AND OTHER LIES. Link in my bio ?
A post shared by Whitney Cummings (@whitneycummings) on Sep 28, 2017 at 9:01am PDT

"I was diagnosed with something called love addiction," Whitney explains, "which is when you don't see red flags."

And she said not that it didn't just apply to humans! She rescued a dog, and instead of paying close attention to some of his habits, she dismissed them — and ended up having her ear bit off.

She says she ended up using the example as a metaphor to explain how she overcame her love addiction.

So moral of the story: If something looks bad to you, recognize it!

Lesson 2: Embrace Your Freedom (With a Horse)

Yesterday the guy and I worked on freedom. Freedom is such a complicated idea for me, especially since a lot of my struggles with freedom are self-imposed. I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect, to achieve, to work, to yield results that I often find myself bound by my own expectations and the expectations I assume others have of me. Along the way, I forgot how to play. King helps me to re-connect with my inner child because he puts no pressure on me to be adult, mature, successful, or measured. He values almost nothing that humans value; he really only cares about me being authentic and honest, so he creates a safe place for my inner child to run free and engage in true play. I ran around like a nut case, releasing old pain and showing him that we don’t have to confine ourselves to the socially constructed version of any role we’ve found ourselves in: man, woman, horse, adult, etc. We can choose who we get to be and some days maybe thats horse lady running around like a maniac, releasing any need to be perfect or conforming. Thanks King for showing me that every day I have a choice of who I want to be and what thoughts I want to act on. For today, I’ll do nothing out of obligation or because society has told me I have to. Sorry to everyone I won't be emailing back out of obligation this weekend❤️ #Honestgram
A post shared by Whitney Cummings (@whitneycummings) on Aug 12, 2017 at 9:28am PDT

The co-creator of "2 Broke Girls" helps rescue horses, and this pic shows her trying to teach one, named King, how to be free after years of being subjugated — and King returned the favor.

"Thanks King for showing me that every day I have a choice of who I want to be and what thoughts I want to act on," she wrote via Instagram.

Lesson 3: Love Your Body

Well, we knew this day could come. I'm finally ready to quit my day job and pose on beaches to promote detox tea. @casamalca just made it too appealing. ☀️
A post shared by Whitney Cummings (@whitneycummings) on Jun 9, 2017 at 11:45am PDT

Whitney says she deals with body dysmorphia, and that's why she posts bikini pics — to force herself to appreciate her body. (Which, by the way, is smokin'!)

"We pick ourselves apart so much," says the comedian. "Life is short, and we have to just learn to love ourselves. And I'm just sort of trying to figure that out."

Lesson 4: Treat Yourself Like a Child

#tbt I was never great at flossing.
A post shared by Whitney Cummings (@whitneycummings) on Aug 17, 2017 at 9:47am PDT

And no, that doesn't mean you don't have to do the dishes anymore! As the first-time author explains, we're so good to children — and so hard on ourselves. Be as sensitive with yourself as you would be a child, and you'll begin to nurture that self-love.