For many people with ADHD,
Eating can feel like an afterthought.
Something squeezed into a busy day,
Done quickly,
Or even forgotten about until hunger all of a sudden becomes really urgent.
The fast-paced life,
Hyperfocus and distractions can make it easy to miss the signals that our body sends about feeling hungry or feeling full.
The way we approach eating matters,
Not just for our energy levels,
But for our digestion and overall health.
Our gut has its own rhythm,
Deeply connected to our nervous system.
When we eat in a state of stress,
Rush or distraction,
Our body stays in fight-or-flight mode,
Making digestion less effective.
When we pause,
Breathe and approach food with a sense of calm,
We activate the rest and digest state,
Helping our bodies absorb nutrients more effectively and supporting gut health.
In this meditation,
We'll take a moment to slow down,
Connect with our food and prepare our bodies to receive nourishment with more ease.
And so you're invited now just to pause.
And perhaps you're going to do this meditation before turning to food,
Before eating,
Before deciding if you're going to eat.
You're encouraged to find any position that's comfortable.
And if it's comfortable for you to close the eyes,
Perhaps you close the eyes,
Letting the shoulders melt away from the ears,
Connecting the feet to the floor if you're seated and noticing the surface behind you if you're lying down.
So we all need to eat.
All beings need food.
They need nourishment.
And we're going to take a moment to slow down before receiving that nourishment if you decide to eat.
And when we're in a very aroused state,
When our blood pressure is higher and our pulse is higher and our cortisol levels,
Our stress hormone levels are higher,
We might experience things like dry mouth or sweating more.
The thoughts might be faster.
And these are all bodily signs that we're in a survival state.
When we eat food,
We want to be in a state where we can properly appreciate it,
Take joy and pleasure from it and digest it properly.
And all of these things are really hard to do when our body is signaling to us that we're in a survival state when we're in this hyper aroused state.
And so we're going to take a moment and pause.
Just checking in,
Like,
How is your body feeling in this moment?
Are there any of those telltale signs that you are more stressed or anxious or aroused?
We're not judging them.
It's perfectly normal to feel fight and flight.
In fact,
We need to.
It's important for our survival.
It's the reason our ancestors lived.
We don't want to be experiencing fight and flight symptoms when we're about to eat because it's going to make it harder for our body to digest the food.
I'm just noticing how is your body?
Is it possible to offer a little bit more comfort or ease to any part of your body?
Maybe relaxing the muscles of the face,
Relaxing the hands and the feet.
And we notice how is it to breathe here?
So if nasal breathing is available to you,
Breathing in and out through the nose.
And the invitation now is to bring the focus towards your tongue and to start to move the tongue around inside the mouth.
One of the signals we receive from our body when we're stressed is a dry mouth.
And one of the signals we receive from our body is a dry breath.
When we're hungry and ready to digest our food is saliva in the mouth.
And we can help the body to anticipate food is coming by moving the tongue around inside the mouth.
And so I'd like you to see if you can identify with the tip of your tongue,
The sharpest tooth inside the mouth.
Really being discerning here with this task.
And now I'd like you to see if you can feel the different texture between the roof of your mouth,
The top of the mouth and the floor of the mouth.
Really being curious about the internal landscape of the mouth.
And now you're invited to rest the tip of the tongue up so it rests on the roof of the mouth,
Maybe just behind the top front teeth or maybe a little bit higher.
And as you do this,
See if you can allow space between the teeth and space between the lips so that the jaw is not holding any tension.
And we do need our jaw muscles.
We need them to work hard when we're eating,
Chewing our food.
But the rest of the time,
We want them to be relaxed.
So let's give the jaw a little holiday.
Just noticing if the inside of the mouth is a little different after that exploration.
And now we're going to shift our focus into the belly,
Into the stomach.
So we have the capacity to breathe,
Not just into the top of the chest,
But all the way down into the belly.
And you might even want to bring a hand onto the belly,
Maybe both of the hands.
And you're invited to deepen the breath now.
So soft and slow and quiet,
Breathing all the way down into the belly,
Feeling the belly get bigger.
And then breathing out long,
Slow,
Full breath out through the nose.
And we'll do this a few more times,
Breathing to and from the belly.
And now I'd like you just to consider what your need is for food.
How long ago since you last nourished your body?
Are you hungry?
All of our bodies need nourishment.
Your body deserves to be nourished.
Take one more long,
Slow,
Full round of breath in through the nose,
Into the belly.
And this time we'll breathe out through the mouth.
So we'll start to move out of our meditation now,
Beautiful people.
Perhaps wiggling the fingers or the toes,
Maybe a little stretch.
And as you come out of the meditation,
Just holding in your mind's eye your need for food and your decision to eat more mindfully,
Should you choose to.
Thank you so much for joining me,
Wishing you all the rest and nourishment.
