Kicking Cravings Isn't About Willpower ... You Need To Do This Instead
Today I want to give you one of my number one habits to help you overcome cravings.
Perhaps you know changes to your nutrition would be beneficial and support your best health but yet we feel like you just don't have the willpower to break those cravings for coffee, caffeine, sweets, or a glass of wine after a long day.
Here are two things to keep in mind. First, it's not about willpower, it's about understanding how your brain works.
Your brain is a network of neural pathways which means when you do a certain action over and over and over, it starts to create associations with that action.
Your brain will create a link and have almost automatic go-to default actions. That incentivizes you to make choices… and grab that bag of chips, grab that glass of wine, whatever it is that's kind of your go-to pattern because it's automatic.
You, actually start to do it unconsciously without even realizing it. It's not a matter of having not enough willpower. It's a matter of recognizing what is the pattern that triggers your brain to go into autopilot mode
Maybe it's the certain time of day that you always tend to, maybe it's a certain room in your house when you walk into the kitchen in the morning that's when you expect to hear the coffee maker going.
Maybe it's when you're out and about socializing, and you see the cupcakes on the table. That's what's going to make you crave because you're used to having those sweet treats anytime you're socializing.
The second thing is to know that your brain is wired to work on certain neurotransmitters dopamine in particular.
Your brain releases a hit of dopamine when and gives you a sense of pleasure.
This is why our clients do something called pleasure bundling when you're wanting to create a new pattern and new behavior to replace the automatic unconscious patterns.
Instead of grabbing a sweet treat at the end of the day, you want to get in the habit of grabbing a piece of fruit instead.
It may be uncomfortable at first and then pleasure bundling it - find something that will give you a sense of pleasure and enjoyment so that you get that dopamine release when you do the new behavior.
This will help to solidify and lock it into becoming a new automatic pattern for you.
The two tips are:
Notice what is the circumstance, time of day, the events, that are the preceding trigger an automatic habit of craving.
Reinforce a new positive habit instead by linking it to a pleasure bundle, something that's going to bring enjoyment.
That's the tip for today. I hope this helps you really understand how to unlock cravings. You're actually being strategic and using the power of your brain to help support your new healthy habits.