At Your Attention –
March 11, 2020 – No matter your addiction, Brewer doesn’t want you to quit cold turkey. Rather, he wants you to go about your regular routine, just be completely conscious while you do it. The solution? Pay attention to what you’re doing or eating, and be curious about it. For example, if you’re going to indulge in a piece of cake, truly savor the experience. Eat slow, and be mindful of how you feel during the experience. “That’s what mindfulness is all about,” Brewer says.
Brewer says you should also be curious about when you feel your cravings. “Map out what your habit loops are around eating. So, for example, if you’re stressed, do you go to cake to make yourself feel better?” Noticing those habit loops (and being curious about them) is the first step to breaking those habits in the first place—you can recognize exactly what’s at the root of addictions rather than relying on your willpower to cut them out.
And it doesn’t work just for sugar addictions; Brewer uses this tactic for every addiction patient, including heavy smokers. Once they become curious about the habit (how it feels, how it tastes, how it affects your body), they tend to become disenchanted by the habit. Meaning, it just doesn’t seem so glamorous or rewarding anymore.
