Learning to Connect with Appetite Takes Focus
Here’s a snippet of dialogue I have
at least once a week with clients. They say, “It’s hard to eat without
distraction. It’s weird and I don’t like it.” And I say, “Understanding how
you’ve changed in other areas will help you form a new habit in this one.”
I vividly recall one such
conversation with a client who insisted that it felt intolerable not to watch
TV/read/play computer games/answer emails while she was eating, but agreed that
the discomfort was probably more habit than anything else. I explained that neurons
that fire together wire together, and that her eating while doing other things for
decades had fused the two together though they don’t rationally belong that way.
Remember, any activities you
repeatedly do concurrently will became habitual.
What makes disregulated eaters
expect that they can learn to eat “normally” while doing another activity? I
asked one client, a yoga instructor, if she would encourage her students to be
eating, reading a book, or watching TV while she was teaching them poses. She
laughed. I’ve asked other clients similar questions, depending on their jobs.
Would a music teacher tolerate a student munching on a sandwich or answering
emails while learning to play the piano? Would a dancer expect to master
intricate ballet steps while crunching on chips? Would an engineer encourage
subordinates to be watching a movie while teaching them how to repair a transformer.
I realize I’m guilty o...
Source: Normal Eating - Category: Eating Disorders Authors: eatnormalnow Source Type: blogs
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