Urge surfing is not some new sport recently added to the Olympic games. Rather, it is a technique that you can learn in order to gain greater control over unhealthy habits such as smoking, overeating, and the like.
A current theory regarding human behavior is that the primary motivation for almost all of our actions is to ease discomfort. Much of this discomfort springs from internal triggers. Feel thirst and you automatically look for something to drink. A person feels bored or lonely and they reach for the phone and find relief scrolling through social media. Others might reach for junk food or cigarettes when they feel inner tension and so on. Quite often we are unaware of these habitual patterns. Many of these innate responses to discomfort are necessary for survival, some are benign, while others perpetuate harmful, addictive behaviors.
Frequently, people will rely on willpower alone when trying to stop an addictive urge, yet this can backfire. As psychologist Carl Jung stated, "what you resist not only persists, but will grow in size."
So what can be done? It can be helpful to think of these troubling temptations as having an energy similar to a wave. If you have spent any time in the ocean, you have learned it is futile to try and swim against the force of a big wave. But watch a skilled surfer in action. Intuitively he or she connects with the energy of the wave and rides it out until it dissipates-which it always does. No wave lasts forever.
With urge surfing, you make an agreement with yourself to delay acting on a thought or temptation for the unhealthy behavior for 10 minutes. It can be helpful to note the time on your watch or phone or with some devices you can verbally request a 10-minute timer.
Your task during those ten minutes is to simply be with whatever you are feeling and thinking. After all, no harm can come to you by waiting and observing a bit as it is just a thought or a feeling. You can practice some form of meditation, breathwork, self-hypnosis, or some other calming technique in that time period. At the end of those ten minutes, there is an excellent chance that the urge has diminished or disappeared completely.
If you would like to learn more, please feel free to call/text me at (732) 714-7040 or fill out the Life Enhancement Strategy Form and I will get back to you ASAP.