Hi everyone!
Today we have another post about getting comfortable with decreasing sugar and in the kitchen, no matter your cooking personality type. It’s all about mindfulness. Lynn Newman makes it simple for us! Enjoy…
Find Peace In The Kitchen And Calm Your Cravings.
By Lynn Newman
We all have our “thing”. Our favorite food we grab to quell our anxiety or soothe our depression.
And we’ve all had that day when we’re totally stressed out!
We reach for quick food rather than take the time to cook something healthy for ourselves. But cooking and eating mindfully can bring us great peace, weight-loss, health and satisfaction.
CONTROL CRAVINGS WITH EASE IN THIS LOVING & SIMPLE 3-STEP PROCESS:
1.) Identify the self-judgment you’re making when cravings arise.
2.) Replace the self-judgment with self-nurturance
By allowing yourself to feel the feeling underneath the self-judgment.
The good news about feeling bad is that the feeling we want to suppress when felt creates self-empowerment and freedom.
Remember: Feelings + Thought = Emotion. Drop the story you’re telling yourself attached to the feeling and then the feeling will easily pass.
3.) Lean into the anxiety and your nervous system will continue to grow stronger and stronger.
Allow some time between the initial craving and surrender it up rather than gratifying it. Focus your attention on something else. Meditate, take a walk, a bath, talk with a friend, do something creative, change it up.
Part of growing up is learning how to be with discomfort. Be kind with the old habit. It’s just an old habit. Allow more and more time before feeding it.
It fights back . . . Don’t we know it! That chocolate continues to cavil at us. Give it 5 minutes. Then 10. Then a half hour. Maybe a day. Keep strengthening your nervous system.
Think about what you would do with your own child. Rather than yell at her or him for acting out and wanting that cookie NOW, be gentle. Get on your knees and give that child a hug, only the child most deserving of love is YOU.
Another way to find calm in the kitchen is to use cooking as meditation. We don’t have to sit and meditate to get the peace we want. We can do it WHILE COOKING.
HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO GET THE BENEFITS OF MINDFULLNESS IN THE KITCHEN:
· While cutting, prepping and doing knife work: Focusing with concentration calms the mind, centers us and brings a balanced, peaceful feeling.
· Feel the bottoms of your feet as you stand and walk to the sink etc. for grounding: Getting in your body releases tension.
· Note Beginning, Middles and Endings: To find presence and keep mindfulness note out loud or to yourself when you are beginning (I am in beginning to wash the dishes), when you are in the middle (I am in the middle of washing the dishes) and completing (I have finished washing the dishes). As you state these, you will slow down inside (even if rushing without) and experience a deeper ease.
· Take in all the senses: Really smell the aromas, delight in the color, feel the texures in your hands, taste as you cook and savor. Taking in all the senses increases joy and vitality.
And one final BONUS mindfulness trick to aid in both cooking and with your cravings:
Between each bite put your utensil/food down. Chew what’s in your mouth and then swallow completely before picking up again. This not only will bring a sense of presence and peace but will also help you digest better, eat less AND lose weight.
Lynn Newman has a Masters in Counseling Psychology, is a writer, painter and game creator (like The Game of You &The Game of Insight – An Interactive Way To Know Yourself, Create The Life You Want). She’s big into unleashing the truest, free-est parts of you, so that you can experience more joy, more purpose, and more passion in life. Connect with her at LynnNewman.com