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: Source Type: blogs