Kwik Trip is a local gas station and convenience store in our area. They are predominately located throughout the Midwest. One of their marketing strategies is to tell us to feed our physical Urges. From time to time I admit I have a hankering for a hot cup of coffee from Kwik Trip.
Urges often start small, we sometimes respond with OBEY mode (giving in to them) or struggle mode (we resist them). When urges arise within us we don’t give into them or resist them; rather we open our mind and heart to make room for them.
We pay attention to our urges and stick with them until they dissipate or unhook from them altogether. This was a process in the 1980s by psychologists Alan ZMarlatt and Judieth Grodon as part of their groundbreaking work with drug addiction. What they used could be applied to other behaviors such as; an urge to stay in bed all day, quit a course, eat chocolate, get revenge, or smash something.
We may say, “Well my urges go on and on for weeks, even years.” When this occurs we are resisting them. In challenging moments there may be more than one urge at a time.
To notice an urge rather than filling the hollowness with Kwik Trip food and drink we can use a simple technique by Russ Harris in his book, “Happiness Trap”.
T: Take Note: Notice and name the urge. Where do we feel it most in our body? Name it: “Here’s an urge to…”
A: Allow: Give our urge permission to be there. “Let it be.”
M: Make Room: Open up to this urge. Allow it to freely ebb and flow and fall in its own good time.
E: Expand Awareness: Broaden our focus. Acknowledge the urge and also connect with our body and notice the world around us.
We think of the urge as our favorite food item from Kwik Trip and we become curious as the urge grows stronger and decreases. We can use a scale from 0 to 10 to help us monitor our progress. My urge to use negative self-talk is a 6. “And now it increased 8.” “Still at an 8.”
Don’t stop going to Kwik Trip as a result of this post. However, it may help us to TAME our urges that cause mental and emotional turmoil. When we don’t meet our expectations show self-care and self-love for our effort.
Peace
Larry
Email: ljw@superhumanbeing.net
website: https://superhumanbeing.net/