Many of you know my passion for the beach and "surfing the crave" is a common and 'mindful' technique talked about here at EX! This post is for those of you who can't quite wrap your head around that idea or you don't want your favorite pastime associated with nicotine withdrawal! LOL
When you step into something you dislike, be it a sticker bush or a mud puddle, 99.9% of the time the effective way to escape is to walk, run, hop, skip or jump out of the trouble.
That is not the case with quicksand. To step out of something bad it is usually necessary to plant one foot and then lift the other foot forward and move a fast as possible. When dealing with quicksand, this is a very bad idea! You see, when you lift one foot all the downward pressure is instantly doubled onto your other foot that was for that one second on the surface. In addition, the suction of the quicksand around the foot being lifted provides even more downward pressure on the foot in contact with the quicksand. Only one result will take place: you will sink deeper and deeper into the quicksand! So, is your slow suffocation inevitable!?! NOPE!
If you understand how quicksand works, it is not! You can save yourself but you have to do something that is completely counter intuitive to your instincts. STOP STRUGGLING and try to lie flat, I am talking spread-eagled with jazz hands flat, to maximize contact with the surface of the quicksand. In that position, you won't sink and when you gain your composure and feel ready, you can tuck your arms to your sides and log roll to safety!
Your cravings, urges, smoking memories, anxieties are all just like the quicksand! The more you fight it the more you sink! To free yourself from the quicksand, you first have to get comfortable laying there! DON'T TRY TO ESCAPE, STAY WITH IT, FEEL IT AND THEN WHEN YOU ARE SURE YOU ARE CALM, JUST ROLL AWAY FROM IT!
I'm not sure how 'zen' this analogy is but it gets the point across!
