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Mood vs Craving: Understanding the link … and the difference

You can CHOOSE the mood you need to be in, and beat those cravings
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Trisha Fuller, from Hypnosis for Health. Trisha Fuller, from Hypnosis for Health.

Remember a time…when you were young, when you went to grandma’s house? Maybe, she put out baking and treats? And then you’d feel all warm and happy eating the goodies – it was like a warm hug, wasn’t it?

Or perhaps you remember working really hard as a kid. Earning some money, then going to the store to buy candy. What a reward! It was such a fun and exciting time, so carefree and happy!

As you remember these times, notice you are remembering the mood more than the food you had. They are anchored memories. They anchor you to times you felt loved, had fun and were happy. They’re fantastic moods to chase!

Have you realized when you’re eating the foods that you enjoyed back then, that you are in fact chasing the mood you were in when you first had them. You don’t really crave the food or substance, you’re craving the mood that food or substance was experienced with.

Another example would be the first time a person smoked – perhaps you were excited because you were trying something new, or it was a way to hangs out with friends. No one really loved a cigarette the first time they had one, but the mood experienced with the cigarette is what they’re chasing.

That’s a magical realization if you really let it sink in. It’s not about the food or substance, it’s about the mood! Perhaps every time you crave baking you just need a hug or a way to feel loved. Maybe candy represents fun and excitement … what if you just need a great adventure? Perhaps a cigarette is just a reason to have a break.

If you step back and really look at what you’re craving, and remember the times you first had them and the mood you were in, this is what you’re looking for. It’s a quick way for your mind to try to recreate that mood…unfortunately the side effect is usually over-indulgence, self-loathing and regret rather than the mood you were chasing.

Understand your mind always has a positive intention for absolutely everything that it does. So go ahead and thank your subconscious mind for helping you create feelings of love or excitement with your cravings, it did its job well! Now ask it to discover three creative options that work as well or better than those old foods ever did. (It would be completely normal for you to notice sensations in your body as you ask yourself these questions, that’s the subconscious mind responding, and it’s powerful!)

I’m sure you’re wondering what those three creative options might be? Well, you might find that new ideas pop into your mind or you might have to experiment. Realize you have to try something new at least three times (probably more) before you make a decision about how you feel about that activity.

How to Change Your Mood

  1. You’re not shopping for your mood, you choose your mood. Your moods are not happening to you. You can CHOOSE the mood you need to be in! If you’re in an undesirable mood, decided that it’s not useful and decide how you want it to be. Take action on what you want.
  2. The fastest way to change your mood is to move your body. Physiology trumps emotion every time! Moving your body changes the chemical process and hormone released in the body which changes your mood. We are a body/mind. Change your body and it changes your mood. Get up go for a 5-minute walk, dance to a good song or do some stretching. Anything works, as long as you are moving! Be creative and make it fun!
  3. Drink water. Use water as your new craving. As you drink the water make a simple statement, “I wash it away” – “It” being whatever you were craving. Don’t say what it was, because that just makes you think of it more. Drink the water, wash it way and go move.

This may seem too simple. But, it’s just a delusion that it has to be hard. What if you can change your cravings quickly and easily!

In the chaos we’re experiencing daily, it becomes even more important to decide to control your moods. You can come out of this crazy time in control, calmer and reaching your full potential. Hypnosis and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) can help.

To discover how hypnosis, NLP and Perceptioneering can change your moods and cravings, call 403-33-HYPNO 403-334-9766 for your free screening. Online or in-office sessions are available.

Discover more at www.HypnosisForHealthAndHappiness.ca

For hypnosis training for personal or professional use, visit www.LearnHypnosis.ca