Mindfulness

I just reread a article about how mindfulness training can be very helpful for bariatric surgery patients. One of the ways bariatric surgery is helpful is that pain results from eating too great a volume of food at any one time. This forces a person to be more mindful of what they are eating -- otherwise pain results and avoidance of pain is a HUGE motivator.

The authors of the article state that mindfulness is "synonymous with paying attention or taking care". Dictionary.com defines mindfulness as attentive or heedful.

We, as a society, don't really value being heedful or the act of paying attention to ourselves. We talk about "me" time -- but very few people are comfortable enough to really embrace that idea for themselves. Sure -- we tell others "You have to take care of yourself! That is the only way you will be able to take care of XYZ". It is a wonderful concept for "others" but we don't let it translate to ourselves.

But why not? Being mindful at your meal is surrendering yourself to the moment. Whatever the moment is (best dinner, artfully prepared and delicious, that you have every experienced or... the worst day-old stadium dog that has ever crossed your lips)-- Mindfulness is the willingness to experience each of those things for what they are -- neither of those situations are a judgement on you!

Mindfulness is being willing to engage in this particular moment of eating because this is the only moment that exists right now. What you ate yesterday is gone. Tomorrow's eating has not happened yet and indeed may never happen. This moment, this bite, is all you have.

Mindfulness asks you to live in this moment and put aside everything else to experience what is happening right now. If you can do that -- even just occasionally -- how would your life change?

Once you start learning to be engaged with what is happening while you are eating -- the habit starts developing in other areas of your life. Engaging with your kids, coworkers, spouse and friends. How would your life change if you were wholly involved where you are doing what you are doing when you are actually doing it?

You really would be heedful and taking more care of others because you are being heedful and taking more care of your own experience.