Today I listened to a fascinating take on breaking bad habits. Dr. Judson Brewer, psychiatrist, world renowned addiction expert and author of ‘The Craving Mind’, facilitates a Masterclass on Calm.com. I would strongly encourage anyone who’s interested, to take a listen. There’s far too much content to summarize but, here’s my take away.
I thought before starting the 3 day detox cleanse tomorrow, sharing this might be helpful for some.
A lot of our daily routine is simply a string of habits. Some of them good and some of them not so good.
As we all know, certain habits can be really hard to break.
“What you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers.” – three-steps-habit-change
Brewer suggests that we can change our habits through practicing mindfulness.
Bring your awareness to the moment, when you are having a craving.
Recognize the craving.
Allow it to be there.
Investigate and get really curious about what it feels like to be in your body.
Note how you are feeling from moment to moment.
Just be with it. See the urges rise and fall.
Step out of the habit, look and observe.
Be the silent observer rather than a person at the mercy of their desire.
“Be aware – this is a craving and I don’t actually have to act on it.The feelings I am feeling are momentary phenomenon that are coming and going and I can actually be with each of these, rather than being encumbered by this huge craving looming over my head.” Dr. Judson Brewer -Calm –
Be with it, feel what you’re feeling and choose to let it all go.
In other words, accept what is, resist nothing, be with it and let go 🙂
Practicing mindfulness encourages us to notice the urge to act, allows space to respond instead of react, and gives us the control to choose to step out of the habit loop.
Gradually. you will learn that the feeling you get when you choose not to engage in the behaviour, far outweighs the feeling you get when you give into your cravings. To be empowered is a beautiful thing 🙂
Have a great evening,
K
PS As part of the detox cleanse I will not be going on social media for the next 3 days which means, no Facebook which is where I post the excerpts from my blog. If you follow me directly on https://coffeeandchardonnay.com , you will automatically receive my posts. No need for social media 🙂
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