Mindful Eating is never perfect

It can be all too easy to get caught up striving for perfection. A desire of "doing it "right", or if we don't somehow we won't get the rewards we are looking for. Striving for perfection often stems from a place of "not good enough", lack and even fear. Mindful Eating begins and ends with awareness; the desire to open your eyes, heart and mind to the huge array of choice. Having so many choices, you might imagine that modifying a single choice isn’t enough. When the mind jumps to a harsher stance, one of scarcity or inadequacy, there is more beneath the surface.

For example, hearing the critical voice, I wonder if there is a hidden desire for a single food choice to magically transform my diet, a lab result, or a health concern.

Reviewing my thoughts, “I am eating really well but I am still dealing with this issue.” I hear the unspoken fear, frustration and impatience surrounding change. Sometimes when we accept where we are, this is what will pave the way for change, rather than beating ourselves up for feeling inadequate.

Mindful Eating can help you connect with choices that come from a place of acknowledging your worth and value, just as you are now. Good enough. Today we invite you to try this:

Take a deep breath in, now shift your focus from believing that a single action, food or meal will dramatically change your life. Let that breath out slowly and notice a choice that is before you now.

Was it a simple choice like eating or resisting eating a food?Could you see past the simple, to the subtle choice, such as the amount, or the type of food selected?

Breathe in again and go even deeper to see a tiny change or choice that will support your health. A micro change, such as pausing, or placing your fork down between bites, rating your hunger, hearing your fullness, noticing pleasure, or connecting with your physical senses.

Consider if these tiny, almost insignificant choices, repeated over time would have an impact on your wellbeing?" -TCME World Mindful Eating Month