This time of year, we are always arm’s length from a candy jar. Little cauldrons full of bite sized treats pop up everywhere from the dry cleaners to the office. I am a huge fan of eating for pleasure. In fact, if we have ever worked one-on-one with each other you know that is one of the main things that we focus on.
If we are being completely honest with ourselves, the way we treat the office candy jar has much more to do with impulse than pleasure. I mean, chocolate will always taste good, but when we pop those bite size candies we often don’t even taste them and sometimes don’t even remember that we ate it.
If you feel out of control around the office treats this time of year, here are 3 strategies you can try to keep your hands out of the candy jar.
Look for patterns
When we take a step back and look at the way we eat (especially the things that we are ashamed of) there are often a lot of patterns. Perhaps we always crave something sweet in the afternoon or get extra snacky on days after we work out. Once we recognize these patterns, we can come up with solutions for them. For instance, if you always find yourself looking for something sweet in the afternoon, try bringing a sweet snack that you enjoy and have that first. Or if you are grabbing something simply because you are walking by it, take a different route.
Take a breath
I always get an eye roll when I recommend people breathe before they eat. As if my next solution will be to light some incense and do a handstand (which actually might work in this situation – simply from a busy hands perspective). When we are in that reactive state the most powerful thing we can do is bring ourselves back to the moment. Before you have your cauldron candy, take a big, refreshing breath. Either you decide that snickers isn’t what you need, or you are present enough to enjoy every bite. Both are wins and much easier than a handstand.
Take two
Each time you grab an office candy, grab two. Throw one in your mouth and the other in your desk drawer. At the end of the week, see what you accumulated. To be clear, this is not to shame you. It is simply to bring awareness to how much you are eating. If it is more than you thought, think about if you had the choice between these 20 candies and something you really loved, what would you choose? Or maybe use this is incentive to try that annoying breathing thing. If it’s less, cross this off of your list of things to worry about and enjoy the holiday season!
