Part 5: Mindfulness Meditation Techniques – Focusing on Feelings and Stopping Unconscious Eating

Food! Food! Food! My mind is filled with food! When I start thinking about all the delicious desserts, I find I can't get desserts and chocolate out of my head. The thought keeps spinning in my brain like a wheel. Meditation is the only way I can find inner peace.

-John

Mindfulness meditation techniques can greatly help you overcome strong emotional eating urges. It's important to note that these techniques cannot completely eliminate the craving for food or the emotional discomfort. In fact, complete elimination is impossible. If you could completely eliminate food cravings in your life, you probably already have. However, these attention-related techniques can help you control the urge to eat until the emotional eating desire subsides or disappears.

As discussed in the introduction, mindfulness is a way of thinking. Essentially, it involves focusing on the present moment in an open, non-judgmental way. Many people unconsciously become absorbed in food. When they slow down and truly focus on what drives their eating cravings, especially when they are not hungry, they are better able to manage their desires.

In this chapter, your task is to try a new approach: using the power of awareness to focus on the urge to eat. Psychologically stop the thought of eliminating the craving, and stop using food as a tranquilizer. Instead, accept your craving, understand it, and observe it in a curious, non-judgmental way. This may sound counterintuitive. However, only in this way can you choose a more appropriate and comforting calming technique than food.

Sometimes, I'm so engrossed in one thing that I'm not even aware of what I'm doing or feeling. I unconsciously pop M&M's into my mouth. Only afterward, when I've finished, do I realize I ate because of worry and anxiety. I can only truly enjoy life when I'm conscious, because I'm truly present in the moment, not analyzing things afterward. Being more mindful also helps me identify moments of unconscious eating.

-Kelly

Kelly was unconsciously eating a bowl of potato chips, her usual Sunday night routine. The thought of Monday morning and the week ahead filled her with immense pressure, and she would eat incessantly. Slowly, as she ate, she drifted into a trance. Suddenly, she jolted awake, realizing she had finished the entire bowl of chips. But she hadn't really tasted them. She had been eating mechanically, automatically-a familiar behavior, a familiar feeling.

Sometimes, Kelly would feel extremely anxious when she drove to work instead of going to the grocery store as planned. She would also become unaware of what she was doing while reading a novel and thinking about her children, forgetting everything she had just read.

For emotional eaters like Kelly, regular activities like meals provide a good opportunity to enter different states of consciousness. Focusing solely on your thoughts and ignoring other sensations in your body makes it easy to engage in emotional eating. You may not know why you're eating or how much you plan to eat. Emotional eating has become a habit in your daily life, and you find yourself immersed in it, even unaware that you're eating.

An effective way to change the automaticity of doing things (whether reading, driving, or eating under stress) is to do everything consciously. Pay attention to your body and how it feels. If you're driving, notice how the steering wheel feels in your hands. If you're reading, listen to the sound of turning pages. To avoid eating under stress, be mindful of that moment and focus on what your body is doing. For example, turn your attention to your hands. How do they feel? Are they cold? Where are they placed? Paying attention to your sensations will help you become aware of how your body feels and what it's doing, instead of letting your hands automatically grab food for satisfaction.

Practice bringing mindfulness into your daily activities, such as brushing your teeth, washing dishes, or cycling. Normally, you do these things automatically. Now, bring mindfulness into these activities. When you wash the dishes, pay attention to the detergent foam and smell, and the circular motions of your hands. Be present in this moment, noticing every action and every sensation.

How do you get rid of the urge to force yourself to eat? The answer is to shift your focus from your thoughts to your body. Focus your attention on anything your body is doing and feeling (such as walking or stretching), or on how the dishwater in your hands feels. The following exercise will show you more specifically how to do this.

Self-soothing techniques

Stop and smell the roses.

Regular walking can be an effective alternative to stress eating. However, conscious walking is even more effective. This not only focuses your awareness on things other than food, but also helps you calm down and concentrate on yourself.

How can you distinguish conscious walking from ordinary walking? When you're walking, pay attention to this: Look around. Don't quicken your pace. Focus your attention on the sensations in your feet. Close your eyes for a few minutes. Turn your attention to the sounds you hear. Then open your eyes and carefully observe everything around you. Use all your senses. Observe what you see as if you were describing a scene to a blind person. Turn your attention to your body and observe what it's doing as you walk. Can you feel your heartbeat? How is your breathing? When you calm your mind and focus on your sensations, you will become calmer. The next time you feel an emotional urge to eat, don't just go for a walk; choose conscious walking.

Self-soothing techniques

Focus on your feelings, 5-4-3-2-1

When you can't clear your mind of the thought of eating, try focusing on your feelings.

(1) Describe the smells you can smell.

(2) Identify the two sounds you can hear.

(3) Describe three sensations your body is experiencing, such as temperature, the texture of the sweater, and your feet touching the ground.

(4) Identify the four colors you see.

(5) Point out five things you see in front of you.

Once you've completed this process, you won't think about anything, not even food, unless food is placed in front of you. If you're still thinking about food, repeat each step until you no longer have any cravings for food in your mind.