Absolutely Everyone Needs a Plan. John Schlife,

      October 2020

      Hot Soup: A Centering Food for Hectic Days

      There are many examples of mindless living. This is personally brought to my attention too often when daily I review the list of patients I am scheduled to see on that particular day. I see a name on the appointment schedule, and I wonder to myself why they are back to see me so soon. It feels like they were just in my office a few days ago, but when I look at their chart more closely, I see that it has actually been 2 or 3 months, and they are right on schedule.

      What Has Happened?

      What has happened to the last 2 months? Even more alarming is when the time seems like a few weeks and more than a year has passed! How about driving to work over the same route day after day, and then realizing that you recall very little of the environment that you just passed through. What is the real reason you say, ‘‘How’s it going?” when you pass someone in a hallway and when neither one of you plans on stopping to honestly allow for time to answer the question?

      Mindless Living

      Mindless living is living without really being aware of anything. This is also the way many people address their personal nutrition. They take a bite of whatever is displayed in the break room. Great if it is a bag of bagels or a leftover tray of fresh fruit. Not too great if it is the white cake with 2 inches of bright-pink and baby-blue frosting that was not eaten at a party over the weekend. This is mindless living. Recall your own personal examples.

      Mindful Living

      The opposite of mindless is mindful living. It is being aware of what you are doing. There are many techniques that can be used to bring one to a place where they are aware. One of the simplest is noticing your breathing patterns. It is being aware when you take in air and also when you breathe out. Mindful meditation makes use of this awareness of breathing techniques, and although most formal meditation practices recommend sitting in an erect position on a mat or pillow, there is an easy way to very simply get in tune with your breathing. If one lies flat on her/his back, and she/he places the hands folded on the abdomen, the rising and falling of the abdomen is very evident. It is an almost-automatic way to become mindful. Start with noticing your breathing, and soon you will be noticing other important aspects of your life.

      Mindful Eating during Hectic Days

      When your days are hectic and busy, 3 weeks can seem like 3 days. It is easy to allow all the motivation and commitment that has kept you feeling physiologically good and also psychologically good (staying in control) to succumb to mindless eating. People do not get up in the morning and decide that they want to spend the day abusing themselves by eating too much fat, too much sugar, and even too much healthy food. This may be what many people actually do, but it is not deliberate. Rather, it is mindless behavior. That is, they don’t think about what they are really doing, because they are too busy with “normal” living.

      Becoming Mindful: Have a Centering Behavior

      It is not necessary to have a complicated, and in itself stressful, plan. Instead, decide that there is 1 thing that you can do each day to make yourself mindful of good nutrition. Make it a “do” list, not a “don’t” list. Hang your hat on this behavior. Let it center all your eating. Become mindful in 1 area, and you will automatically be aware of what you are doing in many areas.