2nd Chance Mirabelle Summers PDF / eBook Is It Free Download? | Page 8

Step 1 - Quit Cold Turkey
You are addicted to your Ex.
A 2010 study by Helen E. Fisher of Rutgers University found that, when someone
described themselves as “heartbroken”, they reacted the same as those that recently
broke a smoking or drug habit.
When they saw pictures of their exes, these men and women’s brains would light up in
the reward centers, addiction cravings, feelings of attachment, and control of emotions.
There is a very specific part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area - it lights up
with activity when someone is motivated to perform a task and when they are
subsequently awarded for completing.
It’s the carrot and the stick of the human brain and it goes haywire when someone is in
love (and when they are heartbroken). Combine that with physical pain and distress
centers and the exact same brain regions that light up when someone is SEVERELY
addicted to cocaine or cigarettes, and you have a condition that makes it VERY hard to
think rationally.
So, the only way to make rational, smart decisions about your future is to get him out of
your system.
To do that, you need to quit cold turkey.
If you’ve ever smoked or been addicted to anything else like coffee, sweets or potato
chips, you know how hard it can be to just stop.
Every part of your being screams to do the opposite - to jump off the wagon and get a
fix. To call him and ask how he’s doing or “accidentally” bump into him at his favorite
coffee shop.
If you’ve ever wondered WHY it’s so hard to ignore those cravings - why your love
addiction is SO overpowering, you’re not alone.
Scientists have been studying how the mind processes those cravings for decades and
only recently are they starting to understand what is happening.
We know that addiction is physical, but not always 100%.
A big part of the addiction cycle is simply habit. Your mind LOVES habits. They make
actions simpler and ensure that you can do things faster - almost on autopilot.
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