Experiencing the Feeling of Craving
When you feel strong desire and yearning.
What is this craving trying to tell me?
Is this craving connected to a deeper unmet need?
Am I reacting to the craving or responding with awareness?
Craving is one of the most human experiences—ancient, primal, and often misunderstood. It gets labeled as weakness in some cultures or mistaken for addiction in others. But in truth, craving is a natural response to perceived lack. We crave what we believe will fill a void: comfort, love, excitement, relief. This feeling is not inherently negative—, it’s simply intense. And it begs us not just to notice, but to listen.
What makes craving so compelling is that it feels both urgent and recurring. You may think of ice cream once and move on, but if the thought returns over and over, if it starts shaping your mood or behavior, then you’re in craving territory. As one of the speakers observed in the episode, cravings that persist are like emotional alarms, something in your system is ringing, and it won’t quiet down until you respond with curiosity or care.
When we slow down and meet craving with mindful attention, it becomes a source of clarity. Craving chocolate might be about sugar but it might also be about wanting tenderness or joy. Craving a glass of wine may be your body’s way of asking for rest, release, or connection. As Tina pointed out, if we use craving as a doorway rather than a directive, it opens us up to self-inquiry. Craving isn't telling you what to do, it’s asking you to pay attention.
Personally, I've learned that my cravings often spike when I feel emotionally depleted. After a long stretch of overworking, I’ll start craving anything that feels like reward or escape-usually food, screens, or solitude. But when I pause and reflect, I find that what I really need is restoration: quiet time in nature, journaling, or simply a nap. It took time to build that muscle, to stop reacting and start noticing. And still, I don't always get it "right" but the noticing has become a soft form of self-love.
What the episode beautifully illustrates is that craving doesn't have to dominate us. Instead, it can illuminate. It can help us name what's gone unspoken. When we treat craving as emotional data instead of a moral dilemma, we free ourselves from shame and create space to respond with care and creativity.
Mindful Mindset
Meeting craving mindfully means shifting from compulsion to compassion. Rather than numbing or indulging automatically, the invitation is to sit with the craving and explore it. Where is it in your body? What image, color, or memory comes to mind? What deeper need is calling for attention?
Mindfulness Practices
Observing cravings with curiosity and compassion, exploring their physical and emotional manifestations to understand deeper needs, instead of automatically indulging or suppressing them.
By Princess Nicole Salas,
Princess Nicole Salas is a FeelWise Assistant with a passion for emotional intelligence, empathy, always exploring what it means to understand people more deeply. She loves watching movies and reading books. She believes even the quietest role can create meaningful impact and routed and care and intention.
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