A craving is just a feeling that you want something. You have the urge for something. You are having a desire for something. A craving, urge and desire all mean the same thing- it is your thoughts that have you feeling you want or need it NOW!
Do you grab a handful of nuts or go to the vending machine and grab the chips?
You have a craving, and you feel the urge to go eat something and as soon as you feel that you respond to it.
You have the desire for that candy in the bowl, and you go to have it. How do you get rid of it?
I used to have nightly urges for a large bowl of ice cream, and I was able to end that.
The key to ending your cravings is not to fight to get rid of it. Working hard on trying not to react to it or to try to resist it is precisely what willpower is. It feels like a big struggle; willpower is holding that ball underwater, and eventually, it will come back up.
So how do you end a craving? When you have a craving, you have to allow it to be there.
You stop yourself at the moment. You allow that craving to be there for that ice cream. You allow that feeling of wanting something.
The feeling of experiencing a craving is totally harmless. You will not die. Honestly, would you ever die if you did not eat something you wanted to eat?
Our brain has us feeling like it is an emergency if we don’t have that ice cream. Trust me; your craving is completely harmless. There is nothing you can’t handle.
The feeling you are having has no power over you. Your brain has the last decision of reaching for the ice cream and putting it in your mouth.
Your feelings are powerless because they don’t force us to have it. It can be there, and you still get to decide on having it or not.
If you don’t stop and you do act on the desire you are having for the ice cream, that is just you rewarding or reinforcing the urge.
So if you have the desire for the ice cream and you chose not to have it do so, not by resisting but allowing it to be there. You know you have the desire to have it, and you chose not to have it. You keep repeating this and the urges/cravings will decrease and eventually disappear.
Not taking actions on your urges is the key to eventually feeling indifferent to the ice cream.
It is not about making it go away or resisting or fighting it. It is all about the desire for it to be there but not taking action and not responding. And every time you do it, you will decrease the desire. You are choosing not to respond.
Are you giving in to your cravings/urges and need help? Please schedule your FREE mini session here. I’ll guide you through the session; all you have to do is show up with an open mind.
www.karenschaible.com
