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Many of the things we do on a daily basis we do automatically, without thinking. Some of these things may be habits that we would like to change such as smoking, overeating or drinking too much. Many people have found that by using the concept of mindfulness they are able to change their habits.

My children both drink cola, which I think tastes disgusting (any brand), but my youngest watched a Paul McKenna programme called ‘I Can Make You Thin’ which talked about the use of mindfulness to change your eating habits. My son then decided to drink a bottle of cola very slowly; thinking about what he was drinking, savouring each mouthful. His conclusion was that, yes, it did taste disgusting! He then didn’t drink cola for several weeks, but in a moment of forgetfulness slugged back a bottle of cola- and it tasted fine!

Most of us don’t think about what we are eating or drinking, we may be watching TV, reading, talking to someone else, driving …etc ..etc. If we were to eat in a more mindful way we would eat more slowly, our brain would get the message that we had taken in some food and would tell us when to stop. If we drank alcohol more mindfully, would we like it? If we truly tasted that cigarette, would we smoke it?

If we are truly present in the moment, we are fully aware of our actions and can take responsibility for them.

This does still, of course, require some willpower. If, like my son, you forget one day and carelessly eat/drink/smoke you can quickly slip into bad habits again. Living mindfully needs to be a life-long practice.