You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
RE: Mindfulness - A Very Short Guide
I worked at a resort that encouraged mindfulness for its employees and guests. I remember in the orientation we met with a nutritionist and she talked about mindful eating. We were served a nice plate of food and told to eat slowly and think about the taste and texture of the food. This was a whole new experience for me and secretly thought it was kind of a joke. I then realized how often I had eaten without even enjoying it or thinking about it. I could go on about my experiences but my point is I remember those experiences like yesterday and still practice many of them.
Thanks for the post and the reminder!
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
This is a common exercise in mindfulness courses - I think it is also in one of Kabat-Zinn's books.
It is surprising how much of life we go through mindlessly instead of mindfully.
I recount reading a study several years back about how mindful eating had been successfully used to help treat obesity.
It did not solve the entire problem for people who were overweight but it did help them as part of combined treatment.
I have had my own issues with overeating in the past and a couple of years ago when I went to see a dietitian I was impressed to see she actually mentioned this research and the importance of mindfulness when eating!
I could see how that would be very helpful for people who want to have more control over their weight. I don't think we had a single person in orientation with a weight issue. I am certain that the majority of us seldom mindfully ate and that could lead to weight issues in the future.
Interesting. I also think that often overeating (for me at least) just like alcohol is a self-medication or mental escape strategy.