Mindfulness May: Progress Report

The keyword in May was Mindfulness. We wanted to eat slower, turn off the TV, and really experience each meal. So, how did we do?

I can’t say we went from 0-100 by any means, and I can’t say it was easy, but I can say that our progress was substantial. We were fairly successful in avoiding the sad desk lunch for the vast majority of the month. Unfortunately, it’s the norm to eat at our desks, so we can’t always take the time away to eat a lunch, or sometimes we felt like we needed to catch up on something and couldn’t lose the time, but it really made us think about or priorities, and any time I could manage it, I ate lunch away from my desk. We only slipped a few times.

Dinner was even more successful. I think on the high end, we may have been distracted at dinner 3 times in May. That’s leaps and bounds better than the daily distraction we usually experience. Most of the time, I would excuse it away by saying I was too stressed and needed TV to unwind, which is a completely lame excuse, I realize that. However, I’m proud of all the days we ate without distraction and without excuse, so I’ll let that slide.

Breakfasts were a little tricky. If we didn’t get a chance to eat before leaving for work (which I never seem to have the time for anymore) the desk was kind of our only option. That’s something I’d like to improve over time, especially when I get back to school and will need more designated quiet time, so that’s on the “to-do” list for improvements.

All in all, the results from the challenge were really great. We’re hoping to take the habit and make it stick as often as possible. We’re also hoping to get candles for the table to make it even more fun to eat without distraction.

I’m taking a break in June from challenges to focus on gardening and blog writing, and to gear up for my July challenge – the homemade challenge. More on that later in the month, but it is what it sounds like.

Have an idea for a challenge? Email it to me – dairyfreestate@gmail.com