Issue 7: Eating and the Holidays
What will the upcoming holidays be for you, a trick or a treat? Will you be prepared for Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays and treat yourself? Or will your relationship with food leave you feeling tricked and falling into the old eating patterns and ways?
The trick is when you are led astray by the 6 false hungers during the holidays. 1 These would be nose hunger (the smell of food), mouth hunger (the taste of food), eye hunger (the sight of food), ear hunger (talking about food), mind hunger (thinking about food) and heart hunger (when you distract from difficult feelings with food). When you feel the pull of any of these false hunger cues, take a couple of deep breaths. Let yourself settle down and allow the false hunger cue to rest in a state of awareness. You do not have to fight the false hungers. They are not bad and they are not the enemy. Just watch them come and watch them go! Just let them pass.
To eat for any of these reasons is to be tricked by the false hungers. To not be tricked we access our options: 1) take a breath and settle down before making any food related decisions, 2) check in with your body - genuine hunger cues - the stomach sensations of hunger, 3) honor the body - if you are not genuinely hungry; don't eat. Instead you can focus on the people, the decorations, the festive occasions and thereby honor yourself. To listen to your body, honor its wishes (to choose to stop eating) can be a new experience and a real accomplishment.
Another treat, is to meditate. This could be a disciplined 30 or 40 minute session, or a brief 10 minute guided meditation (on YouTube) or just taking several breaths at the table before you pick up the fork. Any of these steps would be a real treat, because in so doing you are connecting with the body, listening to the body, honoring the body and taking steps to dismantle the old patterns and problematic eating habits (driven by the false hunger cues).
Have a wonderful Halloween!
Eat Mindfully, Breathe Mindfully & Enjoy Life!
Jan Chozen Bays, Mindful Eating: A guide to rediscovering a health and joyful relationship with food (Shambhala 2009)