Eating mindfully and savoring each bite can do wonders for your waistline as well as your driving anxiety. Our savoring food post pointed out several benefits, and now we’ll share some tips on how to do it. Mindful eating can be broken down into a three-step process to get the most out of the entire food experience.
Get ready.
Schedule time to savor. Just as you know you have to set time aside to read, watch TV, exercise or finish a project, schedule a specific amount of time dedicated to your meal. This counts for eating the meal, of course, but it also counts for preparing it. Make preparing a meal a family event and get the whole household involved. Make it a fun, all-inclusive time, not another ho-hum duty.
“It will naturally be less tempting to take your time cooking if you see it as one more thing you have to do before you get to decompress from your long day,” the Tiny Buddha blog tells us.
Therefore, make the meal’s preparation as well as its consumption a leisurely treat.
Get set.
Make it between you and the food. That’s it. No TV. No computer. No reading materials, even if you’re going for something uplifting, soothing or geared toward helping driving anxiety. Your mindfulness practice and savoring the food should have no interference whatsoever. Set the table with the needed utensils, clear away the clutter and debris, sit down with the food in front of you.
Really pay attention to the food, its colors, its aroma. Think of where it originally came from, the Zen Habits blog suggests, who picked it, who prepared it, who transported it, who stocked it on the shelf. Thank each and every person who played a part in helping the food go from its origin to your plate. Finalize the set-up with a prayer of gratitude (if you wish) and a few calm breaths to get you into the savor-the-food mood.
“When we do sitting meditation, we drop all other activities and just sit, paying attention to body and breath, being present with ourselves without expectation or judgment,” the Zen Habits blog says. “Food meditation is the same thing, but instead of just sitting, we just eat.”
Go (slow)!
It may be tough to get into a groove of slower eating, especially if you’re used to mindlessly shoveling it into your mouth. The key to eating mindfully to reduce driving anxiety and overall stress is the same key to getting better at anything: practice. Here are several tips that can help:
- Savor each morsel in your mouth, paying acute attention to the taste, texture and temperature of each bite
- Savor everything around you, noting the colors, shape and textures of the table, the spoon, the scene outside your window
- Chew slowly, taking more bites than you usually do
- Swallow and pause before taking the next bite; let your body sit with its satisfaction; don’t forget to breathe!
Keep the mindfulness going even as you clean up and clear the dishes, taking one more opportunity to focus on being in the moment and letting go of your driving fears and driving anxiety.
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