Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The Magic of Mindfulness

I've got to give a shout-out to The Wall Street Journal for publishing an article by Melinda Beck this week about mindful eating. Apparently Duke Integrative Medicine is studying how eating mindfully can help people heal from eating disorders. And I say, way to go!

If you need a refresher course on mindful eating, definitely read Ms. Beck's piece.

Please note, however, that just because you're eating mindfully doesn't mean you're going to feel satisfied with three bites of food. While I appreciate Ms. Beck's article (that should be clear by now), I also know that the dieting-minded among you are going to feel guilty for wanting more than three bites of food. Reality check -- I eat mindfully most of the time. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm satisfied. I enjoy every bite. And I generally eat way more than three bites of food. Enough said.

If you really want to dig deep, picture yourself not only eating mindfully, but living mindfully. Right now. Do it. Not in ten minutes. Not tomorrow. Right now. Can you feel your eyes moving across the screen reading this post, can you feel your finger on your mouse, scrolling down the page? What about your lips, are you noticing them curling into a smile yet?

Happy Wednesday evening.