Eating habits

What do eating habits have to do with your Self. Probably more than you might have guessed at first sight. Because it turns out that the better you feel and the more you remember your inner Self, the more natural your eating habits will become. This will be a side effect from the process itself, you do not have to consciously watch it. How is that possible?

Usually it will take a lot of self control and checks in your "database" for reasons why you should or should not eat this particular food. But it is a fact that junk food, instant meals, coca cola, alcohol etcetera usually cannot be found on the list with e.g. medical advises for a healthy way of eating.

Then why do you eat that kind of food anyway? And love it, and would like to have a lot of it? Because for a brief moment it gives you a well-known feeling of comfort. And your personality has made your world quite hostile through all its interpretations (don't worry, we all did). A snack or a heavy meal now compensates for a brief moment these other feelings and makes you forget them.

Now, how well do you look at the food that you are eating? It is likely that you eat a snack in 3 bites. And while doing so, you may do all kinds of other things, thus not being fully aware in the experience of what you are eating. A great amount of cookies or chips can thus be eaten in a couple of minutes (yeah, you are not the only one ;-) ). So this omits that it is about taste and liking. It makes it clear that it is about fulfilling a need. One of chewing (which also helps you to express aggression), of taste (it has to be very outstanding to be noticed while doing all those other things), and a bodily sensation. Some people use the same principle but for a different outcome: they deny themselves all kinds of things, when they do eat it is a struggle and only limited portions. But do not judge this, this kind of things do not stem from obvious conscious choices, and if you did, you were likely to stop it immediately.

You can imagine that when you are able to remember your inner Self more, that you now have your personal mobile source of pleasant feelings available whenever you choose. This limits your need for compensation of unpleasant feelings through external input. And while your cravings start disappearing, you will also notice that somehow, in a natural process, your choices for food and beverage will change, simply because you feel better by doing so. And when you have a bad day? Then you are likely to nibble and compensate as you did before. It will take a while before these mechanisms are less intense, do not forget that you have thoroughly built them during a great amount of years. But it is no longer a structural thing, and it will decrease in power over time.

You could make a start with this by involving your inner Self when you are eating a meal or a snack. Be consciously aware when you are eating or nibbling. Watch your food. Taste the taste. Feel the warmth. Do not judge whether it is too much, too little, whether it meets the standards for healthy food etc. These thoughts will come to mind anyway, but you do not have to reinforce them. Simply become aware that you have these thoughts. This will increase your awareness and start the undoing process.