Telling yourself "Not right now." or feeling pressured (by yourself or someone else)to tell yourself "No!" ??
"Not right now." means just because you are next to your favorite frozen custard stand -- you don't necessarily need to stop today because you aren't REALLY hungry for custard right now. You are not closing the door on custard for ever -- just this time.
"No!" feels like the door slamming on something that brings you joy. If I tell someone "No!" they are going to think and think about the forbidden something until they drive themselves crazy, breakdown, and eat a bunch of it (and then feel guilty). This is not the weight loss mentality I am after.
There are times when you can tell yourself "Not right now." and it is no big deal. You don't feel deprived and you are not going to obsess about what you didn't have.
Especially, when you are trying to fill an emotional hungry with physical food -- a few minutes of "Not right now." allows you to get distracted by something other than food and potential satisfy the emotional hunger with an emotional (vs. physical) fuel (think connecting with a friend if you feel disconnected, cleaning up the kitchen if the mess is driving you crazy, taking 3 slow breathes in a row if you are stressed) instead of masking the emotional hunger with food.
The important thing here is to remember mindful eating is not a bunch of rules -- that would be diet. Mindful eating is about making a decision for this moment based on this moment's current conditions.
The last sentence really says it all... "Mindful eating is about making a decision for this moment based on this moment's current conditions."
ReplyDeleteTry as I might to take this approach one meal at a time...I'm finding it to be more difficult than I thought.
I've discovered that emotions play a big part in my life and stress which makes my emotions flare seem to always promote looking for something to eat.
Thanks for the new tool..."Not right now". I already put it to use last night!
I am glad you picked up on the last sentence -- that is really the heart of mindfulness all together. Whether is it deciding to take a walk, deciding to take a nap or deciding how or what to eat.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite quotes (and I don't know where it came from so if any of you know please enlighten me) is:
"When I work, I work hard. When I sit, I sit easy."
That pretty much sums up the message I am trying to convey about eating -- eat or don't eat, but don't let it stress you. (and if this seems overwhelming to put into practice right now -- know we are all a work in progress :)
I will start using the "not right now" approach immediately! I've been struggling for several months now and this is something I can really use. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Nancy! Let us know how it goes. Sometimes just a little shift in mindsets lets us feel more free from rules!
ReplyDelete