Have you found yourself looking down at your empty plate, but barely remembering eating? Has eating and thinking about meals just become another thing that you need to get done? Let your mind refocus and enjoy every bite.

Hello, and a very warm welcome to you to this Impactful 10 episode of Your Better Mental Wellbeing. Today is about mindful eating. And when you really take the time to taste, experience and enjoy your food, you will refocus your attention. And this will help to reduce your stress.

I'm Dr. Neera Dholakia. I'm a GP for Boots Online Doctor and the NHS, and my expertise is in mental health and wellbeing. I'm really pleased to be guiding you through this practical session today.

During the times when we feel overloaded, We're often operating on autopilot to get through the days. We do many of our unhelpful behaviours on autopilot, including the way we eat. We might eat too quickly and not notice what we're eating. We might eat too much or eat too little. We might be eating things that we feel we shouldn't be. And perhaps we're not eating the things that we'd like to eat.

So finding a way to step outside of this is important, to regain control, and for our minds to be able to focus. You can then make choices about what you want to do, about what you want to eat, about what you want to spend your time and your thought on.

I'll be taking you through a short mindful eating exercise. You'll need a raisin or another fruit or a nut or even a small piece of cheese or chocolate. Just something small.

Our bodies need food, so mindful eating is about returning to our basic needs. And by eating mindfully, you'll relearn to focus your awareness on one thing at a time. By paying very close attention to what you're eating will change your experience of it. And by bringing this same focus to everyday activities, doing things one at a time, we can become more efficient. more productive, and really savour the moment.

Okay, let's begin. Start by taking the raisin or your choice of food and hold it in the palm of your hand or between your fingers and thumb. Focusing on it, approach it as if you've never seen anything like it before. Can you feel the weight of it in your hand?

Take the time to really see this food. Imagine you've never seen one before. Look at it with great care and full attention. Let your eyes explore every part of it, examine the highlights, where the light shines, the darker areas, the folds and ridges, and the edges or curves.

Now turn the food over between your fingers, exploring its texture. How does it feel between your forefinger and thumb of your other hand?

And now move onto holding it under your nose. See what you notice with each in breath. Does it have a scent? Let it fill your awareness. And if there is no scent, or very little. Notice this as well.

Slowly take it to your mouth and notice how your hand and arm know exactly where to put it and then gently place it in your mouth, noticing what your tongue does when you do this.

Now without chewing, simply explore the sensations of having it on your tongue. Gradually explore the food with your tongue

And when you're ready, consciously take a bite and notice the effects on the object and in your mouth. Notice any taste that it releases. Feel the texture as your teeth bite into it. Continue slowly chewing, but don't swallow just yet. Notice what is happening in your mouth.

See if you can detect the first intention to swallow as it arises in your mind. And experience this with full awareness before you actually swallow. Notice what your tongue does to prepare to swallow. See if you can follow the sensations of swallowing down your throat towards your stomach. And notice what your tongue does after you've swallowed.

Now spend a few moments just registering any other sensations after eating. Is there an aftertaste? Do you automatically look for another bit?

By paying full attention to the small things in life. You really notice things that may have otherwise passed you by. What other food or drink could you really put your focus on?

Think about what else you could use the same principles with today.

Thank you so much for listening to this Impactful10 episode of Your Better Mental Wellbeing. If you liked this episode or think it would be useful for someone else, please do follow and share. Please join us next Friday for episode 10: how to Live Your Values, Accept Yourself and Let Go.