Dave Johnson, PhD, CNS, BC, LMFT, Parkview Center for Healthy Living, invites you to let the humble raisin raise your sense of presence.
Sometimes I eat because I am angry. Others, because I am lonely, tired, confused or bored. There are a lot of reasons I eat. But when I want to eat strictly because I'm hungry and want to nourish my body, it matters what I put into my mouth. And so, sometimes I employ the simple raisin eating technique to begin to notice.
The raisin encourages me to pause, to notice, because raisins have a unique shape, texture, scent and taste. I begin to notice and come to my senses, truly my senses. Then, as I consume the fruit, I can swallow and savor it. And I begin to be a bit more intentional about that which I'm eating.
That can spill over into other parts of my life as well, where I might have patterns that are a bit more dysregulated or patterns where I'm on autopilot. Moments when I do things or I say things or I eat things or I drink things that aren't necessarily healthy for me. And so, the next time you want to practice becoming mindful, perhaps pick up a raisin and come to your senses.
