Happy Eating!
"Skill Builder: Silencing the Inner Food Critic with Compassion"
"Practice speaking to yourself in an sympathetic, uplifting manner. Gentle, positive inner speech is essential for any kind of mindful behavior, including eating. Be compassionate with yourself. Negative verbal commentary inhibits your ability to taste, smell, and enjoy your food in the moment. When you focus more on your critical thoughts than on the experience of eating, you are eating mindlessly. Truly listen to what you tell yourself, and examine how it influences what you eat. Buddha said, "Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree, in the midst of them all."
Sit still and turn your mind inward. Center yourself. Think about a recent difficult encounter with food. When your inner food critic speaks, what does it say? Is it yelling, whispering, nudging, urging, or sarcastic? Allow the thoughts to arise and just take note of them. Don't judge yourself for the thoughts but simply acknowledge the content and tone of your speech to yourself. Be mindful of the negative bodily and emotional impact of the words. Think about the way toxic, harsh inner speech distracts from your ability to taste and enjoy the food that sustains you."
From the book "eating mindfully" by Susan Albers, psy.d.
May you rest like a giant tree in the midst of all that runs through you and around you.
