The art of slow
(Or: How I Stopped Hoovering Chocolate and Actually Tasted My Life)
There was a time when I lived like I was sprinting through my own to-do list.
Busy. Distracted. Always a few steps ahead of the moment I was in.
Cooking dinner while thinking about emails.
Washing dishes while planning conversations.
Breathing (barely) while mentally reorganising my whole life.
You know the drill.
Your body’s in the kitchen but your mind’s in next week.
Your feet move, your hands stir, but you?
You’re just a brain dragging around a body like it’s luggage.
Until one day... chocolate stopped me in my tracks.
Chocolate, but Make It Existential
I was at a mindfulness seminar.
Not my usual scene, but I was curious. Slightly desperate. Bit burnt out.
They handed us all a single piece of chocolate and dimmed the lights.
No spa music. No chanting.
Just… stillness. And instructions:
“Smell the chocolate.”
“Feel it in your hand.”
“Take a small bite. Let it melt. No rush.”
Which sounded lovely… until I realised it was going to take twenty minutes to eat a fun-size square.
I’m usually the kind of person who eats chocolate like it’s escaping.
But here’s what shocked me:
When I slowed down — really slowed down — I didn’t want the rest.
I was satisfied. Actually satisfied.
No white-knuckling. No inner debate.
Just… enough.
WTF?…
Presence Isn’t a Personality. It’s a Skill.
Now, if you’re tempted to roll your eyes and mutter something about “mindful chocolate woo,” hang on.
This isn’t about being someone else.
It’s about finally being here.
Presence isn’t some floaty, spa-day fantasy.
It’s not reserved for people who say “namaste” without irony.
It’s practical.
It’s powerful.
And for most of us?
It’s completely unfamiliar.
Because we’ve been trained to rush.
To multitask. To fix. To plan ahead.
Not to feel.
Not to taste.
Not to slow the hell down.
But slowing down isn’t weakness.
It’s the only way you can actually feel what you’re doing.
And when it comes to food? That matters. More than you realise.
You’re Not Addicted to Food. You’re Distracted From Yourself.
Most of us don’t eat fast because we’re starving.
We eat fast because we’re checked out.
Tired. Restless. Frustrated. Bored.
Overloaded. Under-supported.
Wanting relief — but not really knowing how to get it.
And food?
Food delivers a hit of comfort.
A pause. A momentary exhale.
So we eat to escape the moment...
Only to miss it completely.
The Truth About “Emotional Eating”?
You’re not failing when you reach for food.
You’re responding to something. Something real.
But what if — just for a moment — you didn’t run from that feeling?
What if you slowed down enough to notice it?
That’s not about control.
It’s not about restriction.
It’s about awareness.
And awareness is where the shift happens.
Try This:
Next time you find yourself halfway to the fridge on autopilot…
Pause.
One breath.
Then ask: What’s really going on here?
Not with shame. Not with judgement.
Just gentle curiosity.
Is it hunger?
Or is it something else?
Loneliness? Stress? Habit?
Or just... the pull of something familiar when you’re tired of feeling things?
Whatever it is — you can feel it.
You don’t have to fix it instantly.
And you don’t need to eat through it.
So What Does Slowing Down Actually Look Like?
This isn’t about getting it right every time.
It’s not about never having noisy thoughts.
And it’s definitely not about reaching some enlightened state.
Just small, human things:
Noticing what’s in your hand before you eat it.
Taking a breath between bites.
Asking your body if it’s had enough — and actually waiting for an answer.
Enjoying the moment, even if it’s messy or ordinary or slightly too loud.
When you slow down, you hear things you couldn’t hear before.
Like the difference between hunger and habit.
Like the “enough” you used to miss.
And that kind of clarity?
That’s freedom.
Want a Tool to Help?
If you want help breaking that autopilot loop — without calorie counting, shame or food rules — check out the Urge Surfing app.
It will support you while you learn to ride out the wave — allowing the urge to pass.
Because it does pass.
Always.
And the more you practise sitting with it, the less power it has over you.
Final Thought
You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight.
You don’t need to give up cake, joy or carbs.
You just need to pause long enough to experience what’s actually happening.
Not to fix it.
But to feel it.
To choose something different — not out of discipline, but out of connection.
Slow is not weak.
Slow is not lazy.
Slow is how you get your power back.
So take a breath.
Taste your food.
Be where your body is.
You’ll be amazed what shifts when you finally catch up to yourself.
And maybe — just maybe (like me) — you’ll find that slowing down is your new superpower.
Dun Dun Dunnnnnn…..
Photo credit: unsplash