Next time 3:30-itis rolls around and you’re reaching for a family block, try this mindfulness method to curb your cravings.
It’s the brainchild of Leslie Korn, Ph.D., author of The Good Mood Kitchen, and it’s pretty simple (and kind of strange, TBH).
All you need is a raisin. First examine it, taking in its shape and texture. Next, smell it and register your body’s reaction – is your mouth watering and your stomach rumbling? Then, place the raisin in your mouth and suck on it for a while, observing the fruit’s surface with your tongue. Slowly chew it, thinking carefully about its flavour, and swallow it, tracking its movement down to your stomach.
Finally, ask yourself, “What does my body really need?”
“The raisin exercise couples our awareness with our ability to exert control over our ‘automatic’ reactions,” Korn says.
She explains that the practice prompts a chemical relaxation response called parasympathetic dominance, in which heart and breathing rates slow and levels of GABA rise.
GABA is an anti-anxiety neurotransmitter that can act on the gut, stabilising appetite and improving digestion.
Worth a try, pass the raisins please!
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