Charlene is a journey of mindful health and self-care
Posted on 01/27/2014 @ 1:45 PM
This week I was asked, “How long have you been using the mindful approach? How long did it take to make it a habit?” The first question was easy to answer; I started the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program the week of 9/12/12. As I pondered my response to the second question I recognized that the answer was a bit more complex and I had some wonderful new realizations as I formulated my thoughts. Surprisingly, I have not made mindful eating a habit, and that is one of the things I love most about it! When I think of doing something by habit, I think of a mindless, repetitive practice. I’ve learned that the habitual auto-pilot eating that I did before implementing this approach is one of the things that robbed me of my joy of eating. The fact that I eat on auto-pilot far less often now allows room to practice the many wonderful tools that make up the program’s mindful eating cycle, and that is when sheer pleasure and joy show up! Certainly there are still many, many times when I don’t practice mindfulness (which is another reason I can’t claim to have made it a habit), but I don’t feel bad or guilty, I just know that I missed an opportunity for a more vibrant eating experience and it inspires me for the next time (or bite). So, with a little impish sarcasm, I say, “Never again do I want to get into any habit of eating.”
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