The Confrontation method.
A nicotine craving lasts less than two minutes. About the time manufacturers claim their nicotine gum takes to work. Yes you guessed it, the gum doesn't work! This method can be used to handle any stress or upset in your life.
If you feel a craving coming on then don't try to fight it. Notice it feel it and dive right into it. Challenge it, and declare out loud that it can do it
s worst and you will win! Laugh at it and you will defeat it.
The main thing is to throw some serious emotion at it. Make it worse than it is, make it so big that it becomes ridiculous and you have to laugh at it. In under two minutes it will be gone and you will have empowered yourself. You will find that any subsequent cravings will get milder and shorter.
The Internal resources Method.
Take some time to consider 3 things in your life which you are very proud of, results, actions taken, or any event in your life which fill you with a sense of pride or achievement. Now identify a quality you have which made these things so memorable.
Place your hand on your heart, imagine you are breathing deeply into your heart for a few slow breaths and then repeat your quality in a statement directed to your heart e.g. I am successful, strong, etc
The point of this is to remind yourself at a deep level that you are good enough, so that if a craving comes up, you just pause, touch your heart and repeat your positive statement until you relax and the cravings disappear. Like the first technique this has an accumulative effect and it is very relaxing releasing positive hormones from your heart which override the stressful hormones released with the craving
