How to get over cravings
Before I teach you how to get over those persistent afternoon and relentless evening cravings, I'm going to teach you how to swim.
"Why in the world would learning how to swim benefit me?" you wonder.
Let me explain...
Let's say we don't know how to swim and we decide it's finally time to learn.
Most likely, we don't know how to swim (yet) because our fear of water. Learning how to swim really is about overcoming our fear of water. Bravo! That takes a lot of courage.
So, we find a local gym or pool club.
Then, we look online to find a swim instructor. We find someone who's really passionate about helping people learn how to swim with a proven track record.
Boom! We're getting somewhere...
Next, we need to get the gear! We look online and find a bathing suit. Ohh, there's one we like. Eh, we don't really like it after all. We go to another website...
We find THE bathing suit. Ugh, it's not in stock!
After spending three hours searching we finally find THE one!
What about goggles? Can't swim without goggles!
The big day comes. It's the day of our first lesson.
Uh oh. We realize that we don't have any shoes to wear by the pool! Whoops! We can't swim without shoes to wear around the pool!
So we cancel and reschedule.
We've done everything we could possibly do but swim.
Sometimes, no matter what, we just gotta jump in the pool.
It's like the monster I often talk about. Once we attack it, it's not so bad. The monster is never as scary as it seems. We tend to spend more energy resisting the monster than if we were to just attack it.
We just need that push.
But we gotta jump in...
**
When we're faced with an intense craving, we're usually only thinking about THAT craving. We're not thinking about anything else. And because of that -- we can't imagine our life without giving into those cravings.
Here's the challenge: many times, we try to think about what life would be like without ever having that mid-afternoon or nighttime treat. We just can't imagine it!
(You might not realize this but it's subconscious. And because we can't imagine our life without our "usual" mid-afternoon snack or dessert, we think:
"Screw it. Why bother not having it today if I'm only going to have it tomorrow and the next day? I deserve this and I'm entitled to this because I work hard."
Why do we do this? Because the discomfort/tension in that moment is too great. So we have to rationalize it away.)
**
1) You're a swimmer and someone is terrified of jumping in the pool. You know how much fun it is but they don't.
2) There is a really fun amusement park ride that You know is fun but the person you're with is scared.
3) You're eating this really weird looking food that's absolutely delicious. But the person you're with is grossed out, and doesn't want to try it.
What would you say?
Probably something along the lines of, "Just try it once. Everything will be okay. I'm right here with you. What's the worst that can happen?"
**
What I'm suggesting is that if you want to break that mid-day or nighttime snacking habit -- focus only on not having it TODAY. Don't focus on tomorrow. Don't focus on next week. Focus on today. Because once we go through the afternoon or evening without that snack or dessert, we realize it's actually doable, and not nearly as bad as we thought it would be.
The monster is never as scary as it seems.
**
The best way to actually "jump in" and get over the craving is to distract or immerse yourself in something else. The challenge is that when we're going through a craving, it's all we're (usually) thinking about. But if we immerse ourselves in something else and think about something else it makes all the difference.
This might sound silly but it's very effective.
For example, as I write this it's 2:05 PM EST on Wednesday 12/17. I HAD a strong craving before I starting writing. But because I love writing I'm totally fixated on writing these very words you're reading right now. I'm not thinking about anything else.
Ever work on something you're really passionate about and forget to eat?
QUESTION:
What could you immerse yourself in next time you have a craving?
Here are some ideas:
1. Write an email to a friend
2. Call a friend
3. Look through some pictures that make you smile
4. Start saving inspirational / funny emails and read them
5. Log onto FB and get lost in what other people are up to
6. Go for a 5 minute walk
7. Chug a glass of water
8. Do work you're passionate about
9. Do something you really love
10. Text your Tutor
11. You get the idea...
**
Here's what a client wrote to me yesterday:
"It's amazing how one real day like this gives me so much confidence."
Boom! That's the idea. When we do it once that creates momentum. It creates a feeling of empowerment. And we know we can do it again (especially if we have daily support, guidance and accountability)...
But we can't feel that unless we "just jump in" and try it once.
I'll be right here waiting for you with a huge comfy towel! :)
-Adam