How did I come across this technique? I have had a problem of stress eating since ages. I eat when I am bored. I eat when I am angry. I eat when I am frustrated. And I eat when I am happy. That’s the bad habit I am trying to get rid of.
In other words, my bad habit is to eat my way through emotions. This leads to a vicious cycle of eating away my negative emotions, and getting more negative emotions because I was weak and I stress ate. The whole thing seems uncontrollable. And it feels like the feeling of not doing what I want to will keep pinching one area of my brain till I do it. Like if I don’t eat garlic bread right now, I will go crazy! It’s like a smoker’s cigarette, or an alcoholic’s drink.
Bad habit and the brain
Source: www.rewardfoundation.com
That is exactly how habits or addictions work. The reward system of our brain gets a dopamine-kick every time we perform a certain activity we find pleasurable. And slowly, especially in times of stress, we start yearning the dopamine-kick to such a degree that not doing the activity stresses us out even more.
How do 3 no-s help?
Well, the 3 no-s habit is a simple way to either stop a certain bad habit before it becomes an addiction, or to slowly wean away from an addiction. This is how I go about it. In times of intense emotions, when I suddenly feel like eating something, I tell myself ‘No’. I works for me because that no is not an absolute no. It doesn’t put me under that pressure that I would never have junk food again. It just says that, ‘Hey, not now. Maybe you can do it later.’ And by the way the ‘later’ happens, I am over my craving.
Also, I know that I have only three no-s in a day, so it’s easier for me to accept the no.
Does it work? Well, it has so far. When I say no to myself, the yearning for that food goes away in about five minutes. I also help myself by drinking a lot of water at this time to mimic the feeling of being full. Or have something healthier which replicates the taste I am craving for.
Steps to the 3 no-s technique:
Would you like to try this out too? Well, here are the steps to 3 no-s to get rid of your bad habit:
- Recognise if you have a bad habit you need to get rid of. (Hint: Do you feel a sense of discomfort if you don’t do it? Is it harmful for you?)
- The moment you feel like indulging in that habit, say ‘no’ to yourself. Keep a count of your no-s.
- Replace the habit with a healthier one. If it is eating, drink water instead. If it’s smoking, maybe go take a walk? Think of a better way to satiate your reward system
- Make sure you say no to yourself at least three times a day
That’s about it. The 3 no-s may not get rid of the bad habit entirely, but at least they will reduce it. I hope this technique works for you as it has for me. Hope to hear from you when it does!