Mindless eating vs Mindful eating

I never stop thinking.  I read a long time ago ( I don't remember where) that it's like having monkeys jumping up and down in your brain, constantly screaming.  That's a funny picture to visualize but it rings so true in my mind. The thoughts never stop!

How does one stop thinking?

Awareness of the present moment such as following my breath and paying attention to what I'm doing.  It helps me reduce my thoughts.  Key note here is reduce.   Not eliminate.  By following my breath or paying to attention to what I'm doing, I'm able to calm down the monkeys.  At least, for a little while.  When I notice that my thoughts are running rampant again, I gently bring my mind back to my breath or the present moment.

Why do I need to be aware of the present moment?

My goal is stop binge eating.  To do so, I need to be aware of the present moment instead of constantly thinking about the future, remembering the past wondering what I should have said or done, or imagining what if scenarios.  In order to stop binge eating,  I'm working on reducing all the mindless eating.  I say reducing because it would be impossible to completely eliminate mindless eating.  There are times where it's almost impossible to eat your entire meal mindfully.  

Mindless eating

Eating in front of the TV is an example of mindless eating.  When I eat in front of the TV, I'm not paying attention to my food.  Sure, it's satisfying when I take a bite and it makes me feel great.  But I'm simply eating to satisfy a craving most of the time or because it's dinner time.  One of my bad habits is eating a meal or a snack in front of the TV.  That's all mindless eating.  I'm paying attention to the TV, binging on Netflix or Amazon Prime TV.  It's time to form a new habit.

Mindful eating

Instead of eating mindlessly, I'm eating all my meals sitting at the dining table.  Well most of them, after all, I'm a work in progress.  For example, when I sit at the table with a stir fry plate, I pay attention to the food on my plate by observing all the different colors of the vegetables, meat and grain on my plate.  Then, I bring the food to my nose and smell it. I love the smells of ginger and garlic. I put the food in my mouth and chew it slowly, paying attention to the texture and my taste buds.  By focusing on my eating experience, I'm slowing down my eating and really enjoying the food.  Thoughts still cross my mind during my experience so when I find myself thinking about work or something else, I gently bring my mind back to eating mindfully.  

Other mindful experiences

Mindful eating is only one example of doing something mindfully.  

I also take walks mindfully by paying attention to the movement of my feet on the ground, the feelings in my legs as I walk or the movement of my arms.  Instead of allowing my thoughts to run free with past and future, I pay attention to the present moment and I stay present in my body so to speak.

When I feel exhausted after a long day, I don't feel like cleaning the kitchen after cooking a meal or even cooking for that matter.  I do the opposite of what I really feel like doing which is nothing or ordering food.  Opposite action is also a great DBT Skill.  Once I'm finished, I realize it wasn't so bad after all and it also makes me feel good because I cooked a home-made meal for my family and/or my kitchen is clean. 

Whether I'm eating, walking, cooking, or cleaning, I practice mindfulness by being fully present in the moment.  It really does make a difference in my life.