excerpt from Eating Mindfully, 2nd ed. by Susan Albers, PsyD

Readers have asked many wonderful questions during the past few years like, “I love ice cream. Can I still eat sweets mindfully?” and “What is the best way to start improving my eating habits?” Here are the ten most popular questions on the minds of readers, and their answers.

1. If I Start Eating Mindfully, What Will Happen To My Weight? Will I Lose Weight?”
2. “Is ‘Eating Mindfully’ A Diet? What’s Wrong With Dieting?”
3. “How Will Awareness Help Me Eat Better?”
4. “How Does Mindfulness Help People With Different Kinds Of Eating Issues?”
5. “How Did You Learn About Mindfulness?”
6. “Is There Evidence That Mindful Eating Can Help Me?”
7. “What Is The Difference Between Mindfulness of the Mind and Mindfulness of Thoughts?”
8. “Does Mindful Eating Mean I Can Eat Anything?”
9. “What is the Difference Between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness?”
10. “Do I Have To Have A Spiritual Practice or Be Buddhist to Use a Mindful Eating Approach?”

excerpt from Eating Mindfully 2nd ed. by Susan Albers, PsyD

How common and effortless it is to eat in an uncontrolled, unaware, mindless manner. If you’ve ever continued to snack when you were full, cut calories despite being hungry, or used guilt to guide your eating, you’ve experienced mindless eating firsthand. Let’s face it. Deciding what to eat is not an easy task. It’s so tricky that in the United States eating concerns and weight obsessions have reached epidemic proportions, with serious health, emotional, and economic consequences for a large part of the population. We desperately need something new to help us overcome these issues—mindful eating may be the answer.

What is mindful eating? A few weeks ago, I discovered an excellent example of it, and the incident involves the best chocolate lava cake I’ve ever had.

by guest blogger Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate!

It's that time of year again for some of the best cookies on earth. How can you resist buying a box (or five) from your favorite schoolgirl? Let's face it. Those little cookies are hard to eat mindfully. Even the most conscientious eaters will admit to going a little overboard with a box of Do-Si-Dos or a sleeve of Thin Mints every now and then. Have no fear. Try these 10 psychological tricks to help you savor your stash of Girl Scout cookies mindfully.

by guest blogger Karyn Hall, PhD, co-author of The Power of Validation

In January people evaluate their progress toward goals they made for the past year. Emotionally sensitive people evaluate themselves and wish they were different than they are regardless of what the calendar says. Change can be positive, but sometimes it’s learning acceptance that’s really needed–acceptance of who you are instead of judging yourself as unworthy and living in fear of being rejected.

Some societies don’t understand the concept of judging oneself as unworthy. Our culture tends to be competitive, based on the idea that we have to be “good enough” to succeed, to belong to certain groups, to not be rejected. Many, many years ago being part of a group was necessary for survival. Belonging is still a basic need for everyone.

by guest blogger Elisha Goldstein, PhD, author of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

In the past couple of weeks I've been asked by a few different people in leadership positions how they can work with inherent and constant interruptions in their workday. One minute you're engaged with an important project, and the next someone calls you up or walks into your office with an urgent matter that needs attention. This constant moving back and forth interrupts focus and creates frustration that makes it difficult to concentrate. It's a vicious cycle.

What is important to recognize is that being yanked back and forth and getting caught up in an autopilot of increased frustration isn't going to make you more effective at work (or at home). We can also accept the reality that this is inherent in our workdays, especially now that we live in a 24/7 world where people expect us to be available at all times.

by guest blogger Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Just One Thing

Think of times you've been truly wronged, in small ways or big ones. Maybe someone stole something, turned others against you, broke an agreement, cheated on you or spoke unfairly or abusively.

When things like these happen, I feel mad, hurt, startled, wounded, sad. Naturally it arises to want to strike back and punish, get others to agree with me, and make a case against the other person in my own mind.

These feelings and impulses are normal. But what happens if you get caught up in reactions and go overboard? (Which is different from keeping your cool, seeing the big picture and acting wisely -- which we'll explore below.) There's usually a release and satisfaction, and thinking you're justified. It feels good.

>For a little while.

It’s hard to look forward to our favorite foods when we’re taught to feel fearful, guilty and ashamed for eating — and actually enjoying it.

I think the key to enjoying food – without feeling guilty – is to shift our perspective: from seeing food as enemy #1, 2 and 3, as a sin and something not “worth the calories” (how many times have you said that?) to viewing it with awe, appreciation and curiosity.

Mindfulness gives us the opportunity to do all three.

In True Belonging: Mindful Practices to Help You Overcome Loneliness, Connect with Others & Cultivate Happiness, Jeffrey Brantley, M.D, and Wendy Millstine, NC, also offer great ideas on eating mindfully. First, before you even begin your meal, they suggest taking a few slow breaths.

They also note the importance of thinking about the origins of our food, and how incredibly connected we are to so many people through our meal.

They write:

Read the rest of "The Best Way To Enjoy Your Food This Holiday Season" on Psych Central

I don’t live in a big city. (In fact, the only noises I typically hear are birds chirping or cats in heat. Don’t ask.) But I’ve lived in NYC and have been visiting my family there several times a year for over a decade. So I have a fairly good grasp of what it’s like to be surrounded by a cacophony of car horns and ambulance sirens, a flurry of feet pounding the pavement, and hours (many hours) of traffic. Though it has many perks, city life is rarely peaceful or serene.

That’s why I really like the book Urban Mindfulness: Cultivating Peace, Presence & Purpose in the Middle of It All by Jonathan S. Kaplan, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and founder of UrbanMindfulness.org. In it, he addresses specific problems that plague city dwellers and gives readers a variety of strategies to feel more calm and fulfilled. (He lives in NYC, so I think he knows what he’s talking about.)

Read the rest of "4 Tips on Cultivating Mindfulness When You Live in a Busy, Bustling City" on Psych Central

Here is our latest editor's pick! Acquisitions Editor Jess O'Brien shares why he enjoyed A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook:

When we spend most of our time "doing" we don't get much time to just "be" and experience life in the moment. The MBSR program gives us a way to let go of some of that built up wear and tear. By learning how to apply mindfulness to your life, you will find that there are moments of joy and contentment to be found in the quiet spaces between the activities that you do each day. By taking these precious seconds to relax and be present to things as they are, your mind and nerves get a much needed break, taking off the pressure long enough to recharge for your next accomplishment.

by guest blogger Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, author of The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder and Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens

Mindfulness is a way of living your life so that you are in the present moment more often, with awareness, and with acceptance. Acceptance in this context doesn't mean that you approve of your experience, but that you simply acknowledge your present experience without judging it.

So what does this have to do with self-esteem? Everything! Just stop for a moment and think about this: How often do you really think about what you're thinking about? Have you ever had someone ask you what you were thinking about, and you had no idea? We're often completely oblivious to what we're thinking and feeling; and when we are aware of these things, we're often judging these internal experiences. Self-talk has a big impact on how you feel, and when you judge yourself or beat yourself up, it triggers painful emotions like anger, anxiety, disappointment and sadness; and it lowers your self-esteem.

Consider these questions to help you think about how you talk to yourself: