Overcoming Cravings

‘Cravings and false hunger aren't the same as giving your body the fuel it needs.’ – Deepak Chopra

Often, a food craving is strong enough to pick you up and carry you straight to the fridge or local shop.

Of course, an occasional craving is a pleasure to indulge, but if you find yourself regularly struggling to fight food cravings and would like to overcome them, mindfulness can help you break free from even the strongest cravings.

It helps to understand the nature of cravings. When you crave something, your attention has become fixated. Your attention becomes focused and fixed on the packet of crisps, chocolate or carrot cake etc. that you want. You can think of nothing else and a compelling momentum develops, a combination of thinking about that packet of crisps, chocolate or carrot cake and having a physical sensation.

With cravings, you focus on the desirable qualities of what you want, while ignoring the downside, the undesirable aspects or consequences of having given in to the craving.

By using conscious awareness to break your fixation you can separate wanting from getting. The present moment is always changing. Thoughts move in and out of your head. Sensations come and go. Cravings are no different. They do not last forever. Urges always pass eventually, whether or not you give in to them. Mindfulness can help.