Is There a Perfect Activity to Accompany Eating?

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Is There a Perfect Activity to Accompany Eating

Many people naturally think of eating as enough of an activity in itself. This isn’t always true, of course. Sometimes people eat out of convenience – grabbing something on the way to work so that they have enough energy to get through the day.

There are other times, though, when eating is more of an occasion. You might naturally think of times when you go out for a meal or have food delivered to your home, but it can also be true of when you make a meal for yourself or others. Despite this, it’s worth asking whether there are any activities that you can add to this experience, or perhaps if you already do.

Taking a Moment

stop stress eating woman picture who is choosing between fruit and sugary foods but looking up at the ceiling mindfully

As mentioned previously, though, this might be the ideal opportunity to simply do nothing but enjoy your food. Some might feel as though that’s boring, but how many times throughout the day do you really stop and simply enjoy the calm of the moment? It is something that’s akin to meditation or yoga in its intention, trying to slow down and simply let you relax for a moment – an effort that might be helpful in countering stress and anxiety if you live with those conditions.

It can be difficult to find moments like this when you have a busy schedule – and it’s sometimes also hard to justify taking a break to yourself, even when it’s beneficial to your health. Therefore, bundling it in with something like eating, which you have to do anyway, it might make more sense.

Spending Time with People

jared levenson leading eating dinner disorder support group with people eating food in prayer pose

For many people, the idea of eating at a restaurant only makes sense when friends or family members surround you, talking the time away. This isn’t necessarily true, and eating a meal in silence or by yourself is more than possible. However, this opens up an interesting door due to how it pertains to another activity – dinner parties.

When you invite people over for a dinner party (or attend another house), is food the central activity? It’s arguable that the purpose of the event is to spend time with your friends, as it would be if it were a party of any other kind. The fact that it’s a dinner party is more of a direction for the evening, with the food acting as a foundation for the socializing. If this isn’t something that you’ve done much of, you might find that it provides you with an idea of how to spend time with your friends in a different way, keeping things novel and getting the boost you get from seeing them.

Using Your Phone

You might use your phone so often that you’d like an opportunity to put it down, which is often what eating is. Still, if you find yourself eating alone and are in need of some way to make the experience more enjoyable, your phone might be able to host a few different possibilities. There will be a difference in the degree that people want to interact with their phone here – some will prefer video platforms like YouTube or streaming services. With those, people can just put on something to watch and mindlessly pass the time while they eat.

Others might want to focus on something like a game, though, giving them a way to pace their enjoyment of the food while also relaxing with something that they enjoy. It could be an opportunity to make some progress on a longer game, but other people might find that the occasion suits a short-form game – like a round of FTL or online casino games, such as CasinoJokaclub.

Watching TV

While you can use your phone to access streaming platforms or video apps, it’s not quite the same as sitting down on the sofa with your meal and unwinding with TV (or a movie). You might find that this approach is appealing due to how much it lets you simply switch your mind off. In this case, you’re very much just focusing on enjoying the food, but with some gentle entertainment in the background, you have something to accompany and complement that central aim.

At other times, it might be that this is more focused. Either by yourself or with friends, you might feel as though making some food and settling down with a movie is an ideal formula for a night-in, either through a dedicated movie night or perhaps an addition to the aforementioned dinner party. This kind of style of evening might have you thinking more creatively about the food involved as well. Instead of a straightforward meal, you might find that it makes more sense to have something of a banquet – a few smaller dishes that can be enjoyed more casually, even stagnating them so that you don’t 

About the Author

Jared Levenson is a former binge eating wrestler turned Zen Buddhist Monk, Internal Family Systems counselor and nutrition wellness coach. He's helped hundreds of people through universal meal principles and internal family systems to make peace with food, stop binge eating, and find true health and wholeness.

@jared_levenson

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