Craving Buster Technique

[Giulia]

(Note:  this piece was first published in a blog by @aztec  back in 2012 called  Craving - EX Community    The original author april_ac was from another site.  Thank you Aztec for bringing it here!)

We interupt todays broadcast..for a test! (TRY THIS!)

Ok...especially you newbies...I want you to REALLY try this.

Don't give me that "AWWW Man!!" It's not a hard test!! More of an "exercise"!

I want you to stop what you are doing right now....and look around the room. Look at everything. Take your time. (Don't read any further until you do that.)

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Now...I want you to look around the room AGAIN...and this time find all of the things that are RED. FOCUS on the things that are RED. REALLY look at them! (Don't read any further until you do that.)

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This time....look around and find all of the things that are BLUE. Again...FOCUS on only the stuff that is Blue. REALLY look at them! (Don't read any further until you do that.)

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Now....look around the room ONE more time. (Don't read any further until you do that.)

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Did the things that were Red and BLUE stand out to you the most?? Probably! Know why? Because THAT is what you were FOCUSING on!

Do ya see where I'm going with this??

WHATEVER you focus on the MOST....is what will be stronger...stand out more....become MORE dominate. JUST LIKE CRAVINGS!! If you FOCUS for too long on the craving...it GETS STRONGER.

So...SHIFT your focus AWAY from the craving!

What do you mean you can't do that....that it's too hard??? You just DID IT in that little mental exercise a minute ago!!! How much were you focusing on smoking while you were looking around the room...focusing on the Red and Blue stuff?? Probably not much...if at ALL!

It DOES work.

While I don't crave cigarettes anymore...I do have other areas of my life where I use that exercise. Sometimes it's needed to RE-focus on the GOOD things I have...when I'm feeling down. It gets my mind AWAY from the "pity party" state.

Make this work for you. It's your quit....It's your life.

And it's worth fighting for!

Thanks for playing along!! You may now go back to your regularly scheduled programs!

[ChangoGrande]

It IS a great exercise.  Except then you mentioned cravings too much in the second half of the post, and now that's all I can think about!  (j/k, although you probably already figured that part out!  )

Actually, this is a good exercise just to teach yourself the power of focus and a very simple technique of how to do it. Focus is one of the positive habit areas that I have been working on in my life, so I'm very keyed into anything about focus.  As a matter of fact, improving my work habits and focus is what led me to quit smoking now, instead of putting it off until "sometime" this year.  

Which reminds me, I still need to do a blog about how that all came about.  

Short story--God tricked me.

Eric

[Giulia]

I still need to do a blog about how that all came about.  

Yes, you do.  And we're all looking forward to it!  (By the way, I didn't write that post.  I got it from Aztec on this site who got it from april_ac on a separate site of which she was a member.)

[SuzyQ411]

Hand-me-downs are the best because of their unique history and recycling Giulia‌~

[dlowefosho21]

God is good 😊

[Barbscloud]

@dlowefosho21 Welcome to the Ex. Congrats on your quit.

There is a  Faith & Spirituality - EX Community if you wish to share your faith with other quitters.

Barb

[Diannnnn]

That was cool!

[Giulia]

Diannnnn‌  It IS cool, because it works.  But it's just one of the many techniques taught on here to get your mind off your craving.  And really it's just a matter of practice.  "Oh.... I want a cigarette REALLY BAD!!!  Wait, let me try THIS technique.  Ah.  That kind of helped.  Well let me try another distraction. Ah, well that kind of helped too."  You  practice enough distractions for the triggers and you learn how to roll them off your back.  YES, triggers are going to plague us, forever probably (TRUTH), but they become so infrequent after a time and we are so adept at shaking them off that it's like swatting a gnat out of the way.  Truly!

[Ready2021]

That was interesting I enjoyed if got any more LOL

[TurboRose]

I needed to read this. Thanks!

[Roller831]

Awesome exercise and post!  Thank you!