This afternoon, I had a run an errand that lasted an hour longer than I would’ve expected. In the beginning, I had told myself I’d head home to make a salad for lunch. However, as my stomach began to growl and eat me from the inside out, I could tell one half of my hunger hormone, Ghrelin, has begun to aggressively send messages to my brain swaying me to eat anything that would fill that void.
“Spam and egg sandwich… spam and egg instant noodles… fried rice… stir fry Chinese flat noodles with marinated beef…. sushi…” The most delicious and most convenient food popped into my head one after another. Slowly but surely, the desire to have a brain and heart-healthy salad were dissipated.
As I left the office heading to my car, I was steps away from buying any of those items but the one thing that kept me from doing that was knowing how I would feel after eating those items.
Lethargic. Disappointed. Overly full. Brain Fog.
Through being hyper-aware of my physical and mental senses on a regular basis, I knew exactly how my body and mind would react after eating certain meals and today, I successfully gifted myself with the courage to avoid that feeling (even though I was starting to get real HANGRY and easily irritated).
The awareness of the future guided the choices of the present.
We may not always know what the future presents, or how our choices will impact our future but by visualization, by learning from the past, and by being aware of our desired lifestyle — we can lower the risk of disappointment or unexpected emotions for the future.
Do you have an example of how your awareness of the future impacts your decisions today? Do you know how your body is feeling right at this very moment? What is it telling you?
Joanne Lam 