In this age, it seems like we are supposed to be ‘mindful’ of everything. How am I supposed to be mindful of everything for crying out loud? Frankly, I’m just too busy and I think the term is WAY over used and being diluted anyway.
One thing that does interest me though, is my health and what I eat.
Therefore, the term ‘mindful eating’ interests me a great deal! But what exactly does that mean and how do we become mindful of what we eat?
If we eat when we are stressed, bored, tired or upset we are clearly not eating mindfully or nourishing our bodies. Especially if we are eating to stuff down feelings of sadness or guilt.
If you are sitting in front of the TV marathoning your favorite show, looking like a cast member in The Walking Dead, eating that pint of Ben & Jerries that you found way in the back of the freezer with frost bite, that might be your sign you are eating mindlessly instead of mindfully.
We’ve all been there, and it’s ok. It is what it is and it’s done. Lets move forward.
If you want to learn to savor your food and stop this bad habit, ask yourself these 2 questions:
- When and where do I eat mindlessly?
- When I do this, how do I feel afterwards?
Take note of your answers, and avoid those situations.
My trigger (I hate that word too) for mindless eating, is when I come home from a trip from overseas and I’m physically and mentally exhausted. When I finally get home, I just want to sit on my couch and eat comfort food for, well……comfort.
Just recognizing this was an ‘ah ha’ moment for me and after I identifying the culprit, I started preparing something healthy before I left on my trip that would be readily available for me upon my return. Preferably a nice cauliflower Mac and Cheese that I could just heat up in 2 minutes!
That was just one small ‘ah ha’ that eliminated a bad habit. What is yours? You can figure it out by simply answering the above 2 questions and making an action plan to prevent it.
When you make a habit of paying attention to mindless eating, you’re already beginning to develop the habit of, yes….mindful eating.
Now go change your life!
