Urge Surfing

Why: Learn to manage food cravings, which is really hard without training .

Spot the urge

Look for tension

Instructions: Look for tension or tightness, especially in areas associated with food, like your mouth.

Look for unpleasant emotions

Instructions: Look for the presence of an unpleasant emotion, such as boredom or sadness.

Look for real hunger

Instructions: Look for signs that your hunger is real. Common signs include a growling stomach, a gradual onset, and a feeling than can be satisfied by any food, like an apple.

Manage the urge

Ride the wave

Instructions: Imagine the craving as a wave, with you gently riding on top of it. Feel the crest and swell of the wave. Feel yourself gently bobbing along. Just watch the wave rise and fall.

Insight: The key to urge surfing is not to fight a craving, as that will only prolong it . Instead, you need to accept two things. One, that the craving cannot make you do anything. Two, you cannot fight the craving. Instead, you must wait for it to go away. This usually occurs within 10 to 20 minutes . This takes practice, so treat yourself with self-compassion if you don't get it right away.

Become a scientist

Instructions: Inspect the urge with a friendly, non-judgemental curiosity, as if you are a scientist. Here are just a couple of questions you could ask.

Where is it located?
Does it have a taste?
Does it have a smell?
What does it feel like? Do you feel tension, tingles, tightness, or numbness?
What does it look like? Is it jagged or smooth, hard or soft? Does it have a color?

Tip: The exact questions don't matter, what matters is cultivating an attitude of acceptance and curiosity.

Label and distract

Instructions: Label the craving internally with a word, like "craving" or "desire." Then, distract yourself until it fades away. Here are a couple of ideas:

Entertainment: TV, video games, books, podcasts, etc.
Conversations with friends and family
Exercise
Playing with pets
Projects: Art, music, programming, etc.

Tip: This technique is the easiest to do, especially for beginners. The key is to remember that you are not trying to suppress the craving. Instead, you are simply trying to shift the bulk of your attention to a more pleasant source until the craving fades. Try to remain mindful that the craving exists and accept its presence.