Our mind doesn’t mean to cause us harm, but it often does. It tells us to put off healthy habits. It tells us to start the healthy eating tomorrow (not today). It likes to procrastinate, to save energy, to stay the same. It also finds excuses and justifies making poor choices. Many of us tend to go unconscious and numb ourselves with food.
The goal is to drive our food behaviors from our intuitive, inner guide, our higher self.
We can do this by practicing awareness in little ways throughout the day.
Here are a few ways to bring mindfulness into your daily life:
- Every hour or two, slow down and take some deep breaths, be mindful for just a few minutes.
- When you wash your hands be present. Notice the feel of the water on your skin, the slick feeling of the soap. Notice the fragrance of the soap.
- Whenever you are walking up some stairs, do it consciously. Feel the ground beneath each foot. Notice your surroundings. Be present. You can find your inner calm and grounded energy during these brief episodes of consciousness. As you become more conscious in general, apply this to your eating as well.
- Before you unconsciously grab the snack, stop and ask yourself if you are physically hungry.
- Don’t multitask while eating. Just eat. Taste the food and enjoy the various flavors and textures. Be present.
- Practice awareness during your meal. Pause about halfway through the meal. Put your fork down for five minutes. Let the food you have already eaten register in your brain and begin to digest. Just be present. If you are still hungry after about five minutes, continue eating the meal.
- Keep a journal or a food log. Write down everything you eat, drink or chew. This is very helpful to make connections of why, what and when you eat. Then you can take inventory and decide to change patterns that are not serving your highest good
Practicing these seven steps will help you to overcome your mind and become a deliberate, conscious eater. Be well!