Ride the Urge

Understanding:

Your urge to check social media seems to arise from discomfort with focused work and thoughts like 'I need to know what's happening' or 'This work is boring.' You may be avoiding the natural discomfort of sustained attention by seeking the instant gratification of social feeds.

Mindfulness & Defusion Strategies:

• •Practice 'urge surfing' - notice the physical sensation of wanting to check your phone and ride it out like a wave
• •When the thought 'I need to check my phone' arises, try responding with 'Thank you, mind, for that thought'
• •Observe the urge with curiosity: 'What does this feeling actually want? What is it trying to protect me from?'

Values & Committed Action Strategies:

• •Connect with your deeper values: What kind of worker do you want to be? How does focused work align with your goals?
• •Take small, value-driven actions even with the urge present: commit to 25 minutes of focused work while allowing the urge to be there
• •Practice willingness: 'I'm willing to feel this discomfort if it means I can be the focused, productive person I want to be'

Motivational Insight:

Urges are temporary visitors - they rise and fall naturally if you don't feed them. Your willingness to feel discomfort while acting on your values is what builds the life you actually want.