Hot chocolate fudge, a double cheese pizza, a moist chocolate cake, sumptuous banana split sundae—just reading these can water anyone's mouth and if it's about lunch time, you might be thinking of ordering one of these from the nearest fast food joint. Don't curse us for the excess weight for it is your craving that you need to control. Yes, craving it is that takes the driving seat for most of us as we submissively submit to it. A spoonful of hot chocolate sauce over the ice cream is a sinless indulgence, but not when you are 20 pounds overweight. You need to put an end to your craving if you are really aiming to lose weight. Similarly, a smoker or an alcoholic who has been trying to quit his habit has to face withdrawal symptoms, but if he is able to restrain himself, he would successfully curb the craving and come out of the disdainful habit. Another example of craving is when you do not indulge in proper nutrition. The body urges for those nutrients, and when does not find the same in the regular meals, craves for other food products that have them in abundance. However, the above listed are all example of physical symptoms of craving that is hard to evade. There is another type of craving, called psychological craving. In this, the emotions reign over and craving runs high though no actual feelings of physiological hunger is there. This type of craving can be evaded by addressing to the real issue behind the craving, the emotion. In the lines below, we have listed a numbers of ways for dealing with craving.
Dealing With Cravings
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Whenever you feel that you have a gnawing urge for something, try going on a walk. Free your mind from that object and instead concentrate on the surroundings. Make an effort to indulge your thoughts into activities which are going around you and in no time, craving will be gone.
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Take a virtual retreat from reality whenever you feel an urge. Just close your eyes and visualize a mental vacation and try to make it as vivid as possible and get so engulfed in it, so that you are over the temporary jolt of craving.
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Whenever you crave for an object or food just chug in lots of water. This will not only curb the urge but it'll also keep you physically fit, as proper hydration ensures effective metabolism, which, in turn, helps in getting over the damage the habit has caused you.
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Whenever you feel you are about to give up just remember the reasons you wanted to quit the particular habit. Remember the moment when you decided to quit, this will motivate you and give you strength to move past the momentary craving.
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Try keeping a portable hobby with you like a Rubik's Cube, a portable gaming device or even a book and whenever you feel the craving indulge yourself in that hobby. Try reading a few pages of the book, solving the puzzle or clearing the next level of a video game, so that your attention is diverted from the craving and it finally subdues.
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Whenever you decide to quit a habit, post your decision on a social networking site or a support forum so that you can get all the support you need from friends and also from people who have already quitted a habit or are in the process of it. Try to seek experience from them or try helping them out when they feel broken. This will give you a sense of content and you will feel you are not alone; it's always easier to work in a group rather than alone.
Note: Never directly resist a craving as it will only aggravate the intensity of the craving. Use any of the above techniques for dealing with it. In case the food craving is beyond your control and you feel that every bit of your body is urging to indulge in it, don't worry. Just give in to it but in appropriate quantity. However, in case it is a craving for a shot of alcohol or a snuff of cigarette, don't give in, come what may.
A person can overcome a craving only when he has proper faith in himself. You should stay positive even at times when you feel really bummed out. You should try meditation to keep all the positive energies flowing so that you can tap all of it during a crunch.
