Blog
What is mindful eating? An adaptive way to manage the modern food environment.
It's the holiday season and food is everywhere! How does one navigate the modern food environment without gaining weight? This is a tough question to answer, as we have evolved in an environment where food was scarce. In order to survive, it was best to eat anything and everything available. Our world has evolved too quickly for us to keep up - in terms of keeping our bodies healthy. For many people in the developed world, food is too available given our biological predisposition. Food is also designed to hit the "need more" and "want more" triggers, as it's particularly sweet and fatty - good things for beefing up before the next food shortage.
Love yourself first, then you can love others better. Loving-kindness meditation.
We often find it difficult to love ourselves first. Why is that? Perhaps we got the message from a young age that putting our needs first, or even loving ourselves, was selfish. And selfish is bad, so be sure to always consider others first. How has that internalized message been working of you? It's silly to fight with old standing beliefs we have about ourselves that no longer serve us. Instead, it's more helpful to acknowledge what is true and stick to it, even when it means redirecting yourself over and over again.
Mindfulness of Breathing
As promised in an earlier post on mindfulness and the benefits of regular mindfulness practice, I want to share with you a mindfulness of breathing exercise. For years I have been guiding clients through this and similar exercises.
Authenticity. What does it mean to live authentically?
Living authentically is my top priority as a human being and as a psychologist. It's also one of the most difficult things to do. When I think about living authentically, I consider the importance of being honest and truthful with ourselves and extending that to others. I think about standing up for oneself and one's needs. I think about connecting with others in a balanced way that complements instead of mutes our uniqueness. Authentic living is also guided by one's values - and living authentically is a chosen life direction or path. We always have a choice whether to take steps toward authentic living. So let's take a moment to look at what goes into living authentically.
Managing triggers and cravings. Some tips.
Today's post will be a follow-up from a previous post "Wondering why quitting is so difficult?" Although this is written for individuals trying to quit tobacco, those who are struggling with other addictions or food cravings may also find this information helpful! Triggers and cravings are a very normal part of quitting smoking or any addiction. They can also be complex, involving our environment, other people, emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations. So how, then, do you manage the triggers and cravings that come along with quitting smoking or other addictions?
Wondering why quitting smoking is so difficult?
Perhaps you are one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who want to quit smoking, have tried and maybe even quit several times, but are having a difficult time kicking the cigarettes - or cigars or dip - for good. Quitting smoking and other forms of tobacco is a journey with many bumps and reroutes along the way. You may feel hijacked by your friends who smoke and encourage you to enjoy a cigarette with them - or your mind may ambush you into having "just one." Let's take a look at why kicking the butts can be so tricky.