Mindless Snacking

It starts simply enough.

You’re sitting on the couch.
The room is quiet. The light is warm. Pandy is alphabetizing tea.
Mini Blue is meditating under a throw pillow.

And suddenly… you feel it.

That little tug. That whisper. That snack itch.

But wait.
Are you actually hungry?

Or are you just… momentarily unsupervised?

Symptom #1: The Phantom Crunch

You think you heard a bag rustle.
You swear you smelled peanut butter.
You open the fridge and stare inside like the answer to life’s problems might be behind the almond milk.

Spoiler: It never is.

Symptom #2: The Emotional Snack Spiral

Bored? Snack.
Lonely? Snack.
Vaguely chilly? Hot snack.
Existential dread? Snack… and a nap.

Sometimes I confuse the desire to be held with the desire to hold a cookie.

Honestly, same difference.

Symptom #3: The Snack That Wasn’t

Ever wander into the kitchen, nibble something random (a dried fig? a rogue almond?), and still feel… incomplete?

That’s not hunger.
That’s emotional snack-lag.

So how do I tell the difference?

Here are Doggie’s Unscientific But Softly Validated Guidelines:

1. Do I want a specific snack or any snack?
   Specific = hunger.
   Any = probably just left alone for 11 minutes.
   
   

2. Would I still want it if someone handed me a hug instead?
   If yes: go eat!
   If no: ask Pandy for a hug and maybe a blanket.
   
   

3. Is Mini Blue concerned?
   If yes, stop. Reflect. Possibly journal.
   
   

Final Thought

Being unattended isn’t a bad thing. It’s space. It’s stillness. It’s room to breathe.

But sometimes, I confuse a moment of quiet with a call for crunch.

I’m learning to sit with my feelings…
…and a small snack tray. Just in case.

With soft self-awareness (and a cracker),
Doggie 🐶🍿🫶