Stress & Cravings

One of my clients in our weekly catch-up conveyed to me very worryingly, “Nakul it’s been many years since I’ve left smoking, but with everything that’s happening, these cravings have been coming back to me at full intensity - I don’t know what to do!”

The client was overwhelmed with life that month - job change, interviews, visa worries, lockdown etc. Clearly inducing a lot of stress.

Over the months we had learnt to identify that most cravings are induced by different triggers, though mostly stress. Equipped by this knowledge, the client immediately linked the craving to the trigger (stress here) - which is step 1 and a super important one.

Now comes the mitigation part: Having a range of activities/tasks ready to displace these cravings can help reduce your stress in the long run. These can range from very simple stuff from deep breathing for some downtime to things that give you a certain sense of achievement i.e. positive feedback and help you move a step towards the person you wish to be. Stress mostly arises when you feel things are not going well, having a small win can really change this. Here’s a list of things I give clients that they can refer to in such situations but you can always add your own:
* Playing with your pet
* Performing quick 10 burpees/push-ups
* Performing a chore
* Cleaning up your room
* Organising files/shelves/drawers
* Listening to music
* Going for a walk
* Reading a book
* Meditation
* Gratitude Journal
* Taking deep breaths till 30

Scrolling the phone, watching TV, looking at a screen etc are not ideal as they tend to increase your stress levels.