Our urges seem to pop up anywhere! I try to call them out but sometimes I am engaged in whatever the urge was before I realize it. I have been limiting myself to Twitter or X whatever you want to call it, but I find myself on it before I realize it. I do call myself out and stop but laugh because it has become habitual and such a time waster.
We sometimes use cravings and urges interchangeably. I like to think of them differently. An urge is a strong desire or impulse to do something. It often arises suddenly and It is typically short-lived and passes quickly. Urges are often driven by situational triggers or emotional states. An unpleasant emotion may urge us to want to snack or scroll on social media instead of sitting there in the emotion. Most urges quickly end in about 40 to 60 seconds. Cravings on the other hand are different. A craving is an intense and persistent desire, often for a specific substance or experience. Cravings are usually more focused than urges. Cravings can last longer and be more difficult to ignore or resist.
Let’s talk about these tiny little urges. They tend to pop up anywhere and they can keep us from the results we want. Learning to navigate your urges takes a skill so we need to practice. The first step is to be aware of the urge. It can feel slight or sometimes feels powerful. I used to have an urge to go to the pantry and snack on Triscuits when slightly bored. I would have the thought in my brain of how I would enjoy the crunch. Learning to sit there and not take action on it but think about the urge can be almost comical. Remember, once you resist the urge, it will pass quickly in about 60 seconds. The hardest part is being aware of the urge and what triggers it. My Triscuit habit was coming into the kitchen to start cooking. I would often snack on them while planning dinner. Most urges happen because we have developed this little tiny habit from a trigger of some sort and our brain is telling us to engage in it because it likes it. I have found that the emotion of feeling bored is the most common trigger of eating when not hungry.
So, is there something that you know that you want to stop doing? Maybe you are not sleeping well and know that being on your phone right before bedtime is not helping. Try leaving your phone in another room an hour before bedtime. Or, maybe you to want a snack while watching TV in the evening. Remember, being uncomfortable with no snacks takes 60 seconds to pass and then you will forget. It seems like a LONG 60 seconds but it does go away.
Have a beautiful day.
Janie
תגובות