How to Beat Addiction, Temptations, and Urges the Zen Way

Let’s face it: we all have something we want to change in our lives. Perhaps you want to read more, start saving or even shed a few pounds. Overcoming strong urges or addition, however, is a whole different story. It can be pretty overwhelming, if not downright daunting.

The urges we want to quit and the addictions we want to overcome can range from something petty like chewing nails to full-blown drug and alcohol addiction. Some urges might not be necessarily awful, but they stand in the way of our self-improvement.

So, how can one beat strong urges and addiction. Herein, i’ll walk you through Zen-approved self-improvement tips on how to overcome them.

(1) Practice “Urge Surfing”
The brainchild of psychologist Alan Marlatt, “urge surfing” a mindfulness practice that has proven quite effective against strong urges. It can help you power through and overcome several different addictions. You’ll be glad to know that this technique has been used by many people to quit cigarette smoking.

(2) Consider Changing your Environment
Changing your environment is another wonderful strategy that has proven useful for getting a handle on your urges and overcoming addictions. What you need to do first is to get rid of all the temptations from your environment. That means staying away from your toxic peers and throwing out all unhealthy foods, and whatnot. At the same time, remove yourself from the enabling environment. But, eventually, you’ll have to change the environment entirely to make it less likely to fall for temptations.

(3) Learn Coping Mechanism
Over the years, humans have learned addictions as a coping tool. So, when stress creeps in, we get urges and turn to alcohol and whatever addiction. Similarly, when the urges come up, we need to devise a coping mechanism to overcome these old habits. Great examples of coping techniques include meditation, talking to someone, practicing yoga, taking a long walk, and so forth. Whatever works best for you.

Coping mechanism often works like a charm. More importantly, when you have got these coping mechanisms in place, your urges become weaker, and you need addiction less and less.

(4) Get More Quality Sleep
A good night’s sleep is truly the key to good health and fitness. It’s also a great way to raise your baseline in order to have a higher ground when it comes to beating addiction and strong urges. Getting adequate sleep means making it your top priority. Switch off your screens, plan your day early, brush, floss, and then immediately get a shut-eye.

(5) Get Some Support
When you are depressed, tired, and probably lonely, you just don’t have the emotional baseline or willpower to confront urges, stress, and addictions. You’ll find easy to give in even if you have changed the environment and practiced “urge surfing.” That’s where the support from your friends can come in handy.

Have a couple of close friends you can trust and talk to when things get out of hand. Better yet, seek professional support and sign up for a support group in your community or online.

There you are - 5 critical ways to deal with addiction and urges better. It’s also crucial to have a clear plan and stick to it.