It’s a good idea to plan how you you can meet that need in another way. In the first 3 days where I completely cut all carbohydrates out of my diet I was having headaches in exactly the say way I had caffeine withdrawal when I cut down on coffee a few months ago.Įven when I am tapping for fighting the extinction burst there is still an underlying need for pleasure or comfort or relaxation that requires satisfaction. As I was working my way off sweets my body was having a hard time because it needed them. Second, understand your system is seeking to have a need filled when you are having an extinction burst. But since the first of the year I have effectively fought off donuts, chocolate, and white bread just like this. Right now my system is throwing a bit of a temper tantrum…It wants its needs met in a way that I know is unhealthy…I know I could easily give in to its needs…And I would feel better for about 7 seconds…But then I would feel really awful and disappointed in myself…I am making choices that are going to serve me in the long term…If I can last through this extinction burst then the habit of making better choices will be stronger…I am stronger than this…And I am worthy of making the better long-term choice.ĭo you think saying this out loud and tapping is silly? You’re right. The way I deal with this is when I feel an extinction burst coming on I name it and tap for it.

If there ever was a fire you would know exactly what to do. Imagine this is like the fire drill you practiced as a kid at school. When we know that something troubling is coming (aka an inflection point) we are much more likely to make a good choice if we have a plan to deal with it. What You Can Do To Overcome The Extinction Burstįirst, knowledge is power. When it didn’t get what it wanted it it turned you into an emotional monster that was willing to eat everything in sight. In our example, the body was expecting a feel good sugar high from sweets.

In more common terms you are in the process of making a change and some part of your system is not getting what it wants, it is royally pissed off, and so it does whatever it can to get what it wants. I think David McRaney described extinction burst perfectly when he writes: “a predictable and common blast of defiance from the recesses of a brain denied familiar rewards.” What you have just experienced is an “extinction burst”. You wake up the next morning feeling defeated. Within moments you’re filled with shame and self-loathing. Then it is two, then four, and then the bag is empty and you think, “Screw it! It’s too late!” and you devour every sweet in the house plus some potato chips for good measure. You come home from work and you find yourself eating one little piece of candy. The third day, for some unknown reason, is really easy. You are trying to make a change, like giving up sweets.

Extinction burst