Screens have become a frequent meal-time companion. But how we break the habit of eating with our phones and move toward mindful eating?
Meals as a family are a treasure-trove of health benefits and building connections – a ritual I adore. But there’s one thing that can ruin it for me, and that’s my phone.
Breakfast is usually my downfall as I like to read the news while I eat. But not only do I miss out on valuable interaction with my children when I do this, I also barely notice what I’m eating. It’s the exact opposite of mindful eating!
I know I’m not alone. Screens have become a go-to mealtime companion and the distraction they provide makes it harder to be in touch with your body’s natural fullness cues, making overeating more likely. So if you’re trying to be more present, enjoy your food more, and eat till you’re comfortably full, learning to eat without screens is a habit worth building.
That said, there are times when screens can serve a purpose. Here are 5 steps to eating without a screen, and when it’s okay to eat with one!
1. Start small
Like any addictive habit, going cold turkey can be totally overwhelming. So baby steps are our new best friend. One screen-free meal a day is a great starting goal. And when that has become ingrained in your daily routine, it’s time to up the ante to two meals, and so on.
Baby-stepping this is an intentional strategy to ensure you get the win. Because if you start off trying to be the gold-standard, you’ll inevitably fall short and feel like a failure. Baby steps that ensure success make it infinitely easier to carry on with the next small goal. And a lot of small wins adds up to one huge win in the end!
2. Sit at the table
Screens are way more tempting at your desk or on the couch, because we our brains already associate those areas with working, watching TV and scrolling. Having a specific place to eat your meals – ideally a table – creates a physical boundary between screens and food that helps to signal to your brain that eating is a separate activity.
Think about it the same way you do your bedroom. You know that keeping your bed just for sleeping (and not watching TV or hanging out) helps you to fall asleep at night because of the connection your brain makes between sleep and the bed. We’re using the same principle here to help ditch our screens at mealtimes.
3. Replacing the cue
Replacing a habit you want to ditch with a new habit you want to create works so much better than just trying to stop the old habit on it’s own. So substituting your mealtime screen for something else can be really useful to break that automatic habit, e.g. lighting a candle or playing soft music. Plus, you want to make getting through your meal without a screen still feel enjoyable!
4. Set a timer
If you’re struggling with feelings of discomfort as you try to do a screen-free meal, baby-step it even further by setting a timer. Start with 10 mins and work up from there. Challenge yourself to focus on your meal for that time, knowing that you can check your phone afterwards if you need to. You might just find that being able to get through that initial 10 minutes is the hardest part, and after that the urge to check your phone lessens dramatically.
Remember, you can be uncomfortable and safe at the same time!
5. Make it social
One of the best ways to stay present at mealtimes is to eat with your loved ones. Chatting together is the ultimate distraction from screens and beneficial for everyone’s health. Whether this means sitting with your kids at dinner-time, chatting with colleagues in the lunch room at work, or breakfast with your flatmates in the morning – making your meal a social occasion might just be the secret weapon you need to ditch those mealtime screens for good.
When screens can be helpful
There is a specific instance where I actually recommend that my clients distract themselves with screens while they eat. And this is when they are recovering from restrictive eating and feel incredibly anxious about eating. While mindful eating will still be a long-term goal, screens can be a temporary tool to help get them through those first few weeks of eating more. In this case I’m looking for the comfort of a TV show or something similar to help take their mind off the food, just while we re-establish those regular meals.
Breaking the screen-eating habit doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Start small, experiment with different strategies, and find what works for you. Whether you want to eat more mindfully, be more present with your family, or just enjoy your food more, these 5 steps will help you on your way.
What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to eating without a screen? Drop a comment below!