Feel the pull and overcome it

One of the questions to which almost every pauser seeks its own answer sooner or later is: 'how do I deal with hunger?' In other words: the desire for an alcoholic drink that can sometimes overwhelm you during your alcohol break. Earlier you read how you can beat a fit of appetite with distraction or substitution. But you can also choose to feel the appetite. Yoga teacher Sabine explains how you do that.

Have you ever had to fight against the desire for a glass of wine, beer or other alcoholic drink during this challenge? Maybe you went for a walk, you took care of the bathroom or you called a friend to distract yourself. Another tactic is to, like a psychologist Caroline Karsten, replace your old habit with a new, attractive habit. But there is another way to overcome the craving for a drink. And that is feeling the pull.

Yoga teacher Sabine Snijders explains how a simple yoga exercise can help you not only resist your cravings, but also better understand them. Sabine: “Yoga is a philosophy of awareness, aimed at being human as a whole; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. By practicing yoga, you become more aware of what is happening in your body and in your head. In this case, an attention exercise helps to confront the feeling of hunger instead of distraction. It is not a quick fix, but an accessible way to discover where your desire for a drink comes from.”

The exercise takes about five minutes.

Attention exercise with emerging appetite:

• Find a quiet place.
• Sit or lie down, preferably on the floor.
• Place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your stomach.
• Feel your breathing and stay like this for five minutes.
• Let the thoughts and feelings you have during the hunger pan out. Feel the emotions rise, observe them without giving in to them.
• In the meantime, keep breathing calmly.
• Hold this for five minutes.

Reflecting on the emotions you feel during a moment of craving helps you figure out what exactly is behind your craving for a glass of alcohol. Sabine: “The more often you do the exercise, the more insight you gain. This way you can find out whether, for example, boredom or another emotion is the underlying cause of your desire for a drink. Once you know the reason behind the pull, you can target it more precisely. That makes it easier to maintain your alcohol break!”