You know the antsy feeling when it hits.  It can come out of nowhere and be fleeting, or nag you all day long.  When it hits, it’s like your brain can’t focus on anything else. You distract, you deflect, you chew gum.  You do whatever you can to get the intrusive thoughts of sugar and carbs or salty, savory goodness out of your head.

You’re in a food craving loop!  And it’s driving you bananas. You just want a reprieve, STAT.

While you may be aware of and try to shoo away the preoccupation with eating foods that are not good for us, you probably rarely peek behind the curtain to see what is at the root of these cravings and how to overcome them.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that gets fired when there is an anticipation of reward.  

When it fires, it leads to reward-seeking behavior like stopping at the 7-11 for that quick carb fix, or shopping online and buying yourself something wildly overpriced as a reward for stress and overwhelm you’ve endured over the day.

When you couple this deep human desire to seek pleasure and avoid pain, plus the firing of dopamine which elicits reward-seeking behavior, it makes sense then that you end up craving whatever substance or activity your brain has already associated with the PROMISE of reward (eating, shopping).

When that reward is fleeting or comes at a cost (guilt, shame, tummy aches etc) it leaves us even more conflicted than ever about it.  

How can the very things that give us comfort, joy, pleasure or relief also be the same things that potentially get us in trouble with money, our health, and the like?

It's because we are focusing on false-fixes rather than real, meaningful rewards.  Our brains habituate the feelings of relief and pleasure that we get from giving into our temptations and seek it out EVEN IF our rational brains know better.

So how can one get out of that terrible food craving loop?

Mindfulness, stress reduction and compassionate habit shifts.

Things like exercise, nature, connection to community, sleep hygiene and quality of sleep help as well by reducing the stress-response physiology in our brains and bodies which decrease the need for false fixes like gambling, shopping or binge eating - that leave you craving and wanting more.

Women who are in the midst of transition and change in their lives, like during peri- and menopause often have difficulty connecting to these resources for help.  This is because of other imbalanced, changing hormones that can give us mixed signals around food, sleep and uncomfortable symptoms like bloating, hot flashes and, yes, cravings!

If you’re a woman in the midst of the “change” I have a great resource to direct you to that can give you the quick wins you need, while helping you build out sustainable plans to habituate the new behaviors.

You are cordially invited to:

Cycles, Cravings and Mindfully moving through the month.

Join Jenny Eden Berk of Jenny Eden Coaching and Karen Shopoff Rooff from Well-Balanced Woman THIS Thursday, February 6th at 12pm eastern for an interactive masterclass on how to balance your peri-menopausal hormones that affect your sleeping, eating and food cravings.

Learn how to thrive using mindfulness techniques, quick dietary shifts and movement designed to work for your body.

What we're covering:

+ How to mindfully work through your cravings and notice the pre-danger signs in your body

+ The best foods, exercises and hacks to utilize during different times in your cycle

+ Tips for managing your energy and productivity holistically

We go live THIS Thursday at noon eastern. Sign up today!  The replay will be available for 48 hours only!