Cravings

Have you ever had a craving?

Surely if you have ever been pregnant, or been around a pregnant woman, you are aware of random and often intense cravings. From pickles to ice cream, or the combination of both, women can crave a number or interesting foods when expecting.

What about more intense yearnings? If you have ever been addicted to anything - from cigarettes to chocolate - you know well what a craving feels like.

Your body and mind tells you that you MUST have the substance now. When you don't get it, your body starts throwing a "temper tantrum". Depending on how strong the addiction - and what type - your body will play a number of tricks on you to get you to "cave in". The heart may quicken, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, itchy skin, and feeling "jittery". When the physical signs don't break you, the addiction will play into your brain. It will consume your thoughts with ways to get the desired substance; you will be lied too and told that "one more time" won't hurt anyone. Again, depending on the degree of addiction, your mind may even begin taking shots at your self esteem. If you can be low enough then you won't care what you ingest.



We all want things from time to time. But, sometimes we feel we MUST have something immediately.



"I just can't walk into that room anymore until it's painted! It must be painted now!"

"I can't make it through another hour without talking to her. "

"Work is impossible with my boss, I must change jobs now."



Whatever you want intensely and immediately, may not be good for you. Joel Olsteen focused his sermon this week on "Keeping your Joy". One line stood out to me. To paraphrase, "If you want something really bad with urgency, then you are off balance."

Give some thought to those things that you feel are urgent to acquire. Maybe they are conversations you are fretting to have or something changed in your life. If it effects you with urgency, and then changes your body reactions, and starts to effect your mood - then it is invading you like a drug. Take a step back from those types of desires. If in a week you want the same thing, do it -- with a calm and peaceful heart. Never act impulsively on these cravings - because you are not acting - the enemy is.

Disclaimer: Dangerous things could occur should you tell a pregnant woman this when she is experiencing a food craving. It is best to let her have the pickles and ice cream immediately!