Bโ H
Most of us know that “A craving is not about the food but about a desire to change an internal state.” (James Clear).
The food is never the problem.ย Food, or whatever else a person uses, just became the quickest pharmaceutical. The fastest way to remedy the internal chaos within.ย
Such is life. It knocks us this way and that. The problem is that, after enough repetition, habits become hardwired in the brain.ย
So how do we override the cycle? How do we create a new neural pathway in the brain for eating like a mentsch?
The process of changing the way we show up to the food is twofold.
Change doesn’t happen just by stopping something; we have to develop an alternative habit if we want real, lasting results. Refraining without doing something different is white-knuckling and wonโt last.ย
To instill lasting change, we have to investigate the root cause. Remember, a craving is not about the craving itself but about a desire to change an internal state.ย
When we are pulled to fress (scroll, or whatever else), what does the food promise in those moments?ย
The pull is never about the substance (or activity). It’s the promise we have to unravel.ย
What is it that needs attention beneath the surface?ย What is off that I am trying to remedy?
When we know what is missing or what we need, i.e., the reason for the internal (off) state, we can address it in a mature way. (Ok, maybe not always, but at least the choice is conscious, not reactive).
Try the following to get to the bottom of โthe pull,โ so you can start building a plan that nourishes you from the inside out.ย
The situations that make me most turn to food are…
Usually beneath this is…
If I look closely enough, I realize that…
Instead of eating, I can…
Remember, the pull is about the promise, not the substance or activity. You can fight your way through a craving, but eventually you will get tired. To make it last, you have to look deeper.ย
