Stress Tip: Savor Every Bite

For 30 days, GPS for the Soul and meQuilibrium are providing you tips on how to live a healthier, happier and stress-free life. See the previous stress tips here.

Europeans are well-versed in the art of savoring. They can transform something as ordinary as dinner into a titillating event, and while the quality of the food is key, so is the quality of their attention at mealtime. They sit down, sometimes for hours, and savor both food and company -- slowly, mindfully.

Eating is such a habitual act, and often so automatic, convenience-based and rushed, that it's easy to forget the opportunity it gives you to be present.

Let food rule today. Try to have at least one meal without distractions. Turn off your devices, put down your book, stop whatever project you've got going and give your food your full attention. Really experience it. What does it look like, smell like, taste like? What does it feel like to chew and swallow? Allow emotions, images and your attention to change your mood at mealtime -- and relish it all.

--Posted by Lindsay Holmes