This 5-minute trick can help you curb unhealthy cravings – Times of India, The Times of India

If you are someone on a diet, you surely know how difficult it is to curb unwanted cravings, especially for something sweet. “Just one bite”, we keep on repeating to ourselves, but in the process, we finish the entire bar of chocolate or cake. In the end, we only rue for having sweets. But this doesn’t stop anyone from repeating the mistake. That’s the thing about cravings – the feeling is intense and impossible to avoid. But a simple fix to this emotional dilemma is mindful meditation. Yes, mediation is not only effective in reducing stress and increasing concentration but is also helpful in curbing your cravings.

Why meditation?
As per a 2017 study, published in the journal Appetite, practicing mindfulness techniques can help to decrease the intensity of craving and make it easier to resist binge eating.

To help you with this process, you can follow a four-step mindfulness process known as RAIN. Following this mindfulness meditation trick can help you resist your cravings.

Recognise
The first step is recognizing the symptom. Whenever craving hits, just notice how you feel. Do you feel tired or tense? Recognising these signs will help you to control yourself when these feelings come up again. You will be easily able to identify the difference between actual hunger and cravings. This way you will be more conscious next time and won’t indulge in emotional eating.

Accept

Acknowledge that your body is craving for sweets. Just learn to sit with what’s going on in your mind and let your thoughts be. This will make you resist your craving easily and you will learn to live with it.

Investigate

Dig a little deeper in your thought. Ask yourself questions like – Why are you doing it? What are the benefits? What you really want? This will help you stick to your goal.

Non-Identification
We all have thoughts and feeling, but those momentary thoughts should not influence your decision. They will come in mind from time to time and you have to learn to let them go. Do not get influenced by it. This will surely take some practice, but you will eventually master it.