Why is mindful eating so hard?

Food may be a traumatic trigger. Smells, tastes, sensations, etc.. may trigger thoughts or memories of a time we felt threatened. It may be directly related to the food, such as something that made us sick. OR it may be related to another incident that happened while we happened to be tasting or smelling a similar food. In response, our body sends off a cascade of alarms that trigger our body to self-protect. We might panic or drift off into distraction or thoughts that our mind brings up because it is trying to keep us safe.

And unfortunately, that's only one reason that mindful eating is hard. There are many other reasons.. and they all might intermingle. So your mind tries to protect you from all of that chaos.. by sending your thoughts elsewhere. If you have struggled with this for a long time, your mind is likely very skilled at doing this to protect you.

Perhaps, it's helpful to think of mindful eating as a practice where you expect your attention to drift. Your mind will ebb and flow, bouncing through thoughts of the day and ones that are possibly from years ago. As it drifts, the practice is simply being aware that you are drifting, and then maybe you begin to bring yourself back to the present. As you catch yourself drifting, maybe you pause and notice where your thoughts went. Was it a helpful place?Maybe you even try to get curious about identifying the last thing you were aware of before you lost your attention.. was it a strong taste, a feeling, a memory or a thought?

It's not an easy process.. so maybe give yourself permission to only practice it for a few bites or a few minutes at a time. Endurance comes with practice. It never has to be perfect:-).