Buy time with a brief delay

Commit to waiting just ten minutes before acting on the urge.

Why it works

Because urges are time-limited, a short, deliberate delay lets the wave crest and fall on its own. A concrete "wait ten minutes" is more workable than "resist forever" — it reframes the task from permanent denial to outlasting a brief window, which the urge usually cannot survive.

How to do it

1. When the urge spikes, promise yourself only a ten-minute wait, not abstinence.
2. Fill the gap with something absorbing and incompatible with the behavior.
3. Re-check after ten minutes — the urge has often shrunk or passed.

Evidence

Delay and distraction are practical, widely taught coping strategies that exploit the time-limited nature of urges. They are common clinical recommendations and dovetail with the urge-surfing model. (clinical)

Distraction can become avoidance if it is the only tool; urge surfing teaches eventually staying with the urge, not always escaping it.

Common mistake

Using distraction to suppress and never building the tolerance to stay with an urge, so cravings keep feeling unbearable rather than survivable.