What to do the second an urge hits

An urge feels like it will last forever. It won't. Here's what to do in the next 10 minutes.

1. Name it

Say it out loud or in your head: "This is an urge. It will pass." Naming it puts a gap between the feeling and the action.

2. Change the room

Get out of bed and out of the room you're in. Most relapses happen in the same place.

3. Move for 2 minutes

A short bout of exercise reduced cravings in every study that tested it against doing nothing. The research is on smoking, but the lesson carries: move when the urge hits.[1]

4. Surf it

Urges rise, peak and fall like a wave. In one study, smokers taught to watch the urge instead of fighting it smoked less over the next week.[2]

5. Plan tomorrow's version

If-then plans work. Across 94 studies, people who decided 'if X happens, I will do Y' reached their goals clearly more often.[3]

Questions

How long does a porn urge last?

Urges rise, peak and fall like a wave, usually faster than it feels in the moment. Moving your body and changing rooms helps it pass.

Want a plan instead of willpower? Quit90 builds your 90-day plan and shows your quit date.

Sources

  1. Taylor AH, Ussher MH, Faulkner G (2007). The acute effects of exercise on cigarette cravings, withdrawal symptoms, affect and smoking behaviour: a systematic review. Addiction 102(4):534-543. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Bowen S, Marlatt A (2009). Surfing the urge: Brief mindfulness-based intervention for college student smokers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 23(4):666-671. www.semanticscholar.org
  3. Gollwitzer PM, Sheeran P (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 38:69-119. kops.uni-konstanz.de