Whether you believe in making big goals or you like to set small intentions each week, how do you make now the right time to change?
In this post, I offer my three biggest tips to make now the right time to change your eating habits mindfully.
3 tips to make now the right time to change
#1 Be realistic and patient
I know this might sound boring. But being realistic is essential for lasting change.
Taking a mindfulness approach to eating and living is about taking one small step at a time. And it focuses not only on what you eat but why, how and when.
Often when you start eating more mindfully you realise that you have many underlying reasons or drivers for eating, such as health, convenience, pleasure, and emotions or stress.
So rather than tackle them all at once, choose one.
Patience is also required because research shows that on average it takes 66 days to change a habit.
So dreaming of a quick fix is exactly that, just a dream.
Would you agree?
The amount of time that you can commit to changing a habit is also important.
The beauty of mindful eating is that your commitment is spread throughout the day, starting with your first urge or desire to eat.
It is the practice of pausing before you eat that stops habits.
The amount of change required is also relevant.
Ditching diets takes courage if you are used to following guidelines and while taking a leap into mindful eating is achievable it will require a staged approach.
A warning here,
If you are embracing mindful eating for the first time, don’t expect to get it right the first time you try.
Getting support to change the way you think about food and eat helps you to navigate changes to your thoughts about food, and what you choose to eat.
And this is why I offer the free 15 minute Emotional Eating Habit Profile call, so help you focus on the right thing and take your first sure step towards a new way of eating.
#2 Don’t wait until life is perfect
Tomorrow is always the perfect day to start until you sleep in, you forget to pack your lunch or you receive some unexpected stressful news…
Does this sound familiar?
The truth is,
There is never a perfect time to start.
We may think of perfect as being safe, supported, and smooth and within our comfort zone or abilities.
But the very nature of change means we are stepping into the unknown.
It is much easier to be prepared for the unknown armed with the belief that the unknown is better than the status quo.
Learning to tune into your mind and body to choose the type and amount of food might seem daunting,
But is this better than feeling like a failure as another diet comes to a crashing end?
It is also easier if we remain realistic and patient with ourselves as we learn a new way of eating.
Mindfulness is about observing rather than judging and cultivating self-compassion.
This helps to eradicate the negative self-talk.
Being realistic about how much time we have and our rate of progress means that we can adjust to the ebb and flow of life.
If you are interested in making time for your health and wellbeing, then join me in a free 15 minute Emotional Eating Profile Call.
#3 Ask for help
I was just talking with a friend recently about how our expectation, of ourselves, being able to do everything by ourselves sets us up for failure.
Whilst having the courage and determination to change eating habits is necessary, believing that you know how to do it by yourself may mean your progress is delayed.
You may also be at risk of entering a different type of self-blame cycle.
I have clients telling me how the will power runs out.
But mindfulness is not about will power; it is about observing how well your food choices support your energy levels and feelings of wellbeing.
So getting expert advice and guidance is recommended.
If, you are ready to change an eating habit, then consider joining me an Emotional Eating Profile Call
START TODAY