If You Resist Urges, Do They Past?

It’s been raining forever for almost a week here in southeast Pennsylvania, so my running schedule has been totally messed up. Running balances my life, so when that is out of order, the rest of my world is off-kilter.

I don’t do my normal stretches. I become sloppy with my eating habits. I start reading a book (rainy days make me want to read) and then stay up too late reading.

I am running the Lehigh Valley Half-Marathon in three days, so I’m going to pay dearly if I have a totally unfocused week. So I read an old post of mine about resisting urges to help combat the chocolate bars, the late nights and more.

Reposting it today for you in case you also find your life our of sync from what you intend.

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Over the years, I’ve heard different advice about resisting urges and/or impulses … but none ever solidly registered with me until this one:

Resist urges and they will past.

Yes, I know … it’s earth shattering, isn’t it?

Not exactly, but for some reason, it registered with me.

When I watched this online panel discussion about life management, one of the speakers talked about urges and what to do with them. Whether the urge is to buy something, eat something or say something.

Resist urges and they will past.

Resisting doesn’t mean stubbornly refusing to feel the urge and pretending you don’t have it. Instead it means stopping, thinking about the urge (yes, I want to eat that cookie) and allowing yourself to feel the urge.

What does it feel like?

Would it kill you to live with the feeling for a minute?

Or even a hour? A day? 

Just because you have the urge to do something … like buy something that you don’t have the money for, doesn’t mean you need to do it. This resonates with the less is more attitude I try to live with.

Breathe deep … feel … think … then make a choice.

Make the best long term choice … not what your urge wants you to do at any particular moment.

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Hopefully rereading this will help me make choices over the next three days so I am at my best for the half-marathon.

You know misery loves company … so how do you resist urges that could sabotage plans you have?