Our bodies often respond to stimuli automatically. Touch a hot stove and your hand will pull away. Walk outside into the bright sunlight and your eyes will squint shut. At times our emotional reactions can feel automatic as well, especially when emotions are felt physically. Our chests tighten or our faces get hot when we feel frustrated. Emotional triggers can cause us to react a certain way, leading us to give in to our sugar cravings. What you need to know is that you don’t always have to give in to these triggers.

Widen The Gap

As automatic as our responses feel, the truth is there is always a gap between stimulus and response. By being mindful of our bodies and keeping track of our triggers we can widen that gap and make space for different behaviors. The first step toward making healthy choices is realizing that you do in fact have a choice. Sit down and think about every time you gave into a craving. What emotion or event led you there? Are you more likely to eat sugar after a conversation with a certain family member? Is there a time of day that you feel especially tired or hungry and give in to food cravings? Finding these triggers will help you widen the gap between stimulus and response, giving you more control over your response.

Avoid Self-Judgement

Identifying your triggers is an opportunity to learn more about yourself, not a time to feel guilty. It can be tempting to fall into a cycle of guilt and beating yourself up for giving in to cravings, but this type of behavior never leads to real change. When you decide to track your triggers think of yourself as a detective, not a judge. You want to know what leads to certain behaviors, not put those behaviors on trial. Everyone makes mistakes, and it is important to remember you won’t change deep-seated behavior overnight. So, give yourself some grace, and right now work on simply identifying your triggers.

Find Peace Through Identifying Your Triggers

Now it is time to track what triggers you to give in to your sugar cravings. Set aside some time to think about the past week, and write down what was happening each time you gave into a craving. The more you do this the more you will see trends emerge, and you will slowly be able to address your triggers. This program was designed to help you recognize these habits so you can make healthy choices. So investigate your own life and look for ways you can widen the gap and feel more freedom.