Quitting smoking is hard.
Sticking to a diet for more than two days is even harder.
Not checking your phone for Facebook updates and WhatsApp messages every three seconds at work is nigh on f**king impossible.
For anyone who has tried either you’ll know the feeling. The slightest bit of stress and you’re outside sparking up six fags, raiding the fridge at 3am for that tub of ice cream or hiding under your desk desperately checking your iPhone.
But scientists claim there may be a brilliantly simple but effective way of breaking this cycle of addiction and compulsive behaviour. We’re willing to try anything to be honest.
It all comes down to something called mindfulness, according to psychiatrist Judson Brewer in this fascinating TED Talk.
Sugary food, smoking or checking your iPhone all centre on trigger, behaviour, reward, he explains.
Your brain soon realises the next time you feel bad it can get you to eat something sugary or have a fag and you’ll feel better. A habit is then born.
Your rational brain knows you shouldn’t smoke 20 woodbines a day or eat a whole pack of chocolate for breakfast. We all know bad diet and smoking are some of the world’s biggest killers.
But your prefrontal cortex (the sensible, decision-making part) overrides when you’re stressed or tired and you fall back into compulsive behaviours again and again – even though you know they are bad for you. Sound familiar?
But Brewer says simple mindfulness can break the spell of smoking or junk food – and test results show it can be twice as effective as gold standard therapies. ‘It actually works’ Brewer says.
So what the hell is mindfulness? He explains it as getting curious about your cravings rather than fearing them – and falling for them. Essentially using your conscious brain to ‘step out’ of the habit or cycle.
‘Notice the urge, get curious, feel the joy of letting go and repeat’ he simply says.
If this sounds a bit wacky, they are currently developing an app which can train people to be mindful and kill off the cycle of addiction.
His TED Talk explains the technique in greater detail…
