Session 10: What do cravings feel like in my mind and body?

Cravings have a way of making everything else feel smaller.

They narrow your focus. They pull your attention inward. They can make time feel distorted, like the only thing that exists is the urge itself. For many people, cravings do not show up as a clear thought like “I want this.” They arrive as pressure, restlessness, tension, or an uneasy sense that something is wrong and must be fixed immediately.

If you have ever felt that, you are not broken. You are human.

This week's session is about slowing that experience down. Not to judge it, and not to fight it, but to understand it.

When we talk about cravings only as something to resist, they can start to feel bigger and scarier than they actually are. But when we begin to notice how they show up in our bodies and minds, something shifts. We move from being overwhelmed by them to observing them.

For some people, cravings feel physical. A tight chest. A buzzing under the skin. A heaviness that will not lift.For others, they are mental. Racing thoughts. Fixation. An inability to think about anything else.Often, they are both.

Naming these sensations does not make cravings disappear, but it does take away some of their power. What can be noticed can be endured. What can be endured does not get to decide your future.

Cravings are not a moral failure. They are part of the brain learning a new way to exist. They rise, they peak, and they fall. Even when they feel endless, they are temporary.

You do not have to win against a craving. You only have to stay with yourself long enough for it to pass.

That matters more than perfection. That matters more than willpower. That matters more than how strong you think you are supposed to be.

Reflection

A craving is a moment, not a command. It does not define you. It does not erase your progress. It does not mean you are going backward. It means your body and mind are adjusting, and adjustment is part of healing.

Every time you choose to pause instead of react, you are teaching yourself something new. Even if it feels small. Even if no one else sees it.

This Week’s Practice

When a craving hits, try giving yourself five minutes.

Tell yourself you do not have to decide anything right now. You are just waiting.

During those five minutes, do something that brings you back into your body. Drink a glass of water. Stand up and stretch. Step outside for fresh air. Text or call someone safe. Put your feet flat on the floor and take a slow breath.

Often, the intensity will soften. Sometimes it will pass completely. And if it does not, you can give yourself another five minutes.

You are allowed to take recovery one moment at a time.

If this week feels heavy, come back and read this again. You are not alone in this. And you are stronger than the urge that tells you otherwise.