{"id":14712,"date":"2016-02-17T17:43:08","date_gmt":"2016-02-17T17:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amihungry.com\/?p=14712"},"modified":"2021-01-07T11:38:27","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T18:38:27","slug":"mindful-eating-is-a-skill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amihungry.com\/mindful-eating-is-a-skill\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindful Eating is a Skill – Lessons Inspired by Neuroscience"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I recently wrote an article<\/a> about an inspiring talk titled \u201cWell-being is a Skill\u201d by well-known neuroscientist Richard Davidson. In this talk, Davidson summarizes the latest research on what he calls the Four Constituents of Well-being: resilience, positive outlook, attention, and generosity. There were several things about this talk that resonated with me, including the refreshing emphasis on mental, emotional, and spiritual components of well-being instead of just the physical. If you\u2019re interested in neuroscience, mindfulness, or what makes people \u201cwell\u201d, this 13-minute talk<\/a> will be well worth your time.<\/p>\n

As you might guess from the title, the main point of Davidson\u2019s talk is that well-being is a skill. Or maybe, more accurately, a set of skills. Like all skills, the components of well-being can be cultivated through training and practice. Whether you\u2019re learning to play the cello (Davidson\u2019s analogy), shifting from a sedentary life to an active one, or developing more effective ways to handle emotional triggers, the same type of neural circuitry is at play. One of the most inspiring advancements in recent neuroscience is that the neural pathways in our brains are \u201cplastic,\u201d meaning they change in response to training and experience. This is good news for all of us because it means we\u2019re never stuck with any set of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors if we don\u2019t want to be. If we\u2019re willing to commit to learning, training, and practice, we can change what is not beneficial to us.<\/p>\n

One of the reasons I so enjoy learning and teaching the Am I Hungry? model<\/a> is because it\u2019s really about changing neural circuity. Instead of focusing on rules about when, what, and how much people \u201cshould\u201d eat, we guide them through a process of rewiring themselves from the inside out. Through this rewiring process, people begin to think differently, address emotions and other triggers more effectively, and make choices that support greater well-being.<\/p>\n

Because this change in neural pathways is founded on awareness and intentional decision making, it\u2019s has wide application in many other areas of life outside eating and activity. For example, Am I Hungry? guides people to identify thoughts and feelings<\/a> that might be driving the desire to eat when they\u2019re not hungry, and then pause to intentionally decide if they\u2019ll eat anyway, redirect attention, or meet their true needs. If they choose to eat anyway instead of doing so automatically out of habit, they\u2019re fully aware of the likely outcome and can then enjoy eating mindfully and without guilt<\/a>. If they choose<\/em> to redirect their attention until they get hungry or meet their true underlying needs, they have a different experience that propels them one step closer to their desired future patterns. Whichever choice they make, they\u2019re re-training their brain to pause<\/em> in the face of an impulse or urge, weigh their options, and then consciously decide<\/em> what to do next.<\/p>\n

You can probably see how applicable this process is to virtually everything else in life \u2013 and most Am I Hungry? participants<\/a> quickly see that connection too. For example, let\u2019s say you notice that you feel irritated because your child\u2019s room is a disaster (again). Instead of automatically reacting with a disciplinary yell (which doesn\u2019t feel good and doesn\u2019t seem to help in the long term), you pause, weigh your options, and decide<\/em> whether and how to respond. Or perhaps you receive another email from your boss with a tight deadline on more work than you can reasonably do. Before complaining to your co-worker or sending off a return email you\u2019ll later regret, you pause, weigh your options, and decide<\/em> whether and how to respond. It\u2019s hard to think of a situation where this process of identifying, pausing, and intentionally choosing wouldn\u2019t be valuable.<\/p>\n

As Davidson notes in his talk, this type of rewiring takes training and practice. Caring for ourselves and making decisions that support our greatest interests are skills \u2013 skills that can undoubtedly be developed if we\u2019re committed to doing the work. And like most worthwhile life changes, the outcome is well worth the effort!<\/p>\n

As you work on sharpening your mindful eating skills, in what other areas of your life have you started to see a shift? Please share by commenting below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mindful eating is a skill in which we re-train our brain to pause in the face of an impulse or urge and consciously decide what to do next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":14714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38,41],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nMindful Eating is a Skill - 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