Curiosity, bad for cats great for Addicts

My podcast obsession has turned me onto a researcher and author that has really inspired me by way of Micheal Gervais's Finding Mastery Podcast. Judson Brewer is a leader in the mindfulness movement and conducts clinical research and writes books and articles about the power that mindfulness can have over stopping addictions and breaking habits. He has developed an App for smokers to quit smoking (Craving to Quit) and a mindful eating App (Eat Right Now). I urge you to check out these Apps if you’re struggling with either issues. I have attached his TedMed talk concerning the concept that increasing curiosity can have on breaking bad habits and increasing success rates for individuals in substance abuse recovery.

The opposite of mindful is mindless and we are all guilty of engaging in behaviors where the latter is the dominate quality that is driving our behavior, think mindless scrolling through Instagram or mindless eating while watching Netflix. By increasing our curiosity into how the body mind (yes body mind) feels while engaging in these bad habits, we can hopefully increase awareness into the negative outcomes of dysfunctional substance abuse behavior, or any other dysfunctional habits that we would naturally want to avoid. So the next time you catch yourself engaging in a behavior you wish to change, for example eating that 4th cookie or smoking a cigarette, continue to engage in the behavior but observe how it feels you in your body (sensations) and mind (thoughts). Chances are the behavior is far less pleasurable than you might imagine. Watch the video, think it over and let's talk about it. As always, take care of yourself!