Just One Thing

So this morning, as most mornings, I made my oatmeal as I drank my morning coffee. I LOVE my oatmeal with flax, raisins, cinnamon and agave nectar. Most mornings I am rushing to cook it and then eat it in a hurry as I head off to work. But Sundays, ah Sundays! Don’t ya love them? Slow prep, slow planning of the day, and relaxing music. And this morning the extra bonus of fresh snow to beautify the yard and give me permission to stay inside where it’s warm.

So, in my efforts to be more mindful when eating, I do my best to focus on the food I am eating by just EATING when I’m eating. Novel idea, eh? Well actually it seems to be novel in our life today. We drive while we eat, we watch TV while we eat, we read while we eat (especially if we eat out alone), we listen to music while we eat, we write lists while we eat, we text while we eat, and we surf the web or respond to email while we eat at our desks. All this activity during eating limits our awareness of what we are actually eating!

Somedays, like today I had difficulty putting down the pen, turning down the music, stopping my reading and getting off the computer long enough to eat my oatmeal with mindful attention. I had lots of scattered attention and rationales for why it made sense to eat NON-mindfully this AM. “Its just breakfast”, “I got get this done”, and as you’ve heard from me before, my perennial favorite “I don’t wanna!”.

And I did not succumb to the rationale that the texting teens in my groups use: “I can multi-task. I hear every word you say.” Said as they keep their fingers and minds focused on their text dialogue. Yes, they may be able to repeat the words I used (short term memory), but they cannot process the discussion at any deep level. They are not fully present in either activity.

When it comes to food and multi-tasking, awareness of the food we are eating usually takes a back seat to the other activity we are engaged in. Some of us may multi-task SO that we can binge or eat something that a part of us says, “Uh-uh! Stay away from that!”. Some of us multi-task while eating as a habit, a method to get more done in the time we have.

Either way, multi-tasking while eating is bad for your health.

You can eat too much: It takes about 20 minutes for our minds to get the signal that we are full. Eat without focus and you can really pack it in before you start to feel full. Which results in “packing it on” (pounds that is).

You can eat too fast: Digestion starts in the mouth with our saliva. For full digestion of the nutrients in our food we need to chew our food fully. Chewing fully also helps our body process the food for elimination. Eat too fast, your physical body misses out.

You can miss out on enjoyment of your food: Savoring the flavors, texture, smells and sights of food is part of the Joy of eating. When we focus on how the chocolate tastes and melts in our mouth, or how the hot soup feels as it moves past our tongue and down our throat, or the smells of banana bread sliced warm from the oven, we experience sensual pleasure. If we multi-task right through it, we miss all that.

So for today, I chose to do JUST ONE THING while I ate my morning oatmeal. JUST ONE THING – I ate my oatmeal with focus and intent. I noticed the way it looked and the way it felt in my mouth. I noticed how I felt as I started to feel full. I noticed how my coffee and oatmeal make a wonderful combination. I let impulses to jump up and do something else just flow on by.

JUST ONE THING can feel odd or uncomfortable when you give it a try. It may feel as though something is missing. You may feel a bit anxious without a split focus as you eat. It’s OK. Just re-focus on the food in front of you. Focus on the smells, textures, tastes and pleasure found in your food. As your mind wanders just gently bring your mind back to the present moment in which you are enjoying your meal.

JME Affirmation:

For today, I choose to do Just one Thing while I eat. I breathe out any anxiety I may feel as I choose to focus and be fully present as I eat. As I notice my reactions, I grow in understanding of my relationship to food.