We all know that there are many different methods to stop smoking, some a lot more effective than the others. This article is about stopping smoking all by yourself. Whether you have tried before or you are doing so now for the first time, the following techniques makes it both simple and easy.Now, there are two myths about smoking that I would like to see disappear in a puff of smoke before we get to the 'how to' part of this article. The first is that some smokers put off the idea of stopping smoking thinking that they need to be fully committed to the idea of stopping and totally willing. Well, that is just not true. Most people wanting to stop smoking also feel that another part of them wants to continue, or still enjoys it, or is scared about the idea of stopping. The good news is that as long as the part of you that wants to stop is more motivated than the part that still enjoys it, then you can have success.[]
There are a number of quit smoking aids available that can help you give up your smoking habit. These aids include nicotine patches, hypnosis, counseling, herbal and non herbal medication. You may want to consult your physician and choose one of the aids that suit you the best.
Please note that the more you actively carry out and engage with the tips below, the more you increase your chance of success. Good luck!Be clear about your reasons for wanting to stop.Create a list with your reasons for wanting to stop smoking. What will the benefits be? List all the things that you dislike about smoking or the things that you are fed up with that relates to smoking. This could potentially include things such as the smell, putting yourself out socially as a result, the cost involved, the negative effects on your body, etc.Set a date and commit to it.
Start exercising. This will help channel the excess energy you feel and make you fit as well. This should also lead you to drink some water, that is a great cleanser for your body.Stay busy. This will help you keep your mind off smoking and getting tired by the end of the day will help you sleep better. There are countless activities if you take the time to think about them. What can you do at home ? What can you do outside ? Even the smallest task needs focus, and you are not thinking about smoking during this time.
You will be happy to know that cravings do not last. If you have a craving, find the balance between trying to ignore the discomfort and talking/focussing on it too much. Instead, be aware of the discomfort and turn it to your advantage by using the excess energy to exercise or enjoy a favourite hobby. Or you can simply distract yourself. Take it one day at a time.Instead of thinking that you might never smoke again, tell yourself that you are only not going to smoke for one day. Then do another day and another, until you have done your first week.Deal with cravings by substitution.
Reduce your intake gradually. It is really very difficult to stop smoking overnight because your body will feel a lot of discomfort. If you get rid of your cigarettes overnight then you are likely to start the habit all over again because you can't do without the nicotine.Do not set very high expectations of yourself when you do stop smoking entirely. It is not just a question of will power. You will only feel bad about yourself when you inevitably pick up your habit all over again. In fact, you should expect to have relapses a few times at least before you are eventually successful in quitting the habit.
Don't be surprised by this: it's all part of the process. The way through this conflict is to experience it and resolve it, and not avoid it in any way.In order to resolve this conflict, you simply ask yourself this one, basic question: "Am I willing to accept my desire to smoke in order to stop smoking and stay stopped?" In other words, here you are feeling uncomfortable and unsatisfied because you want a cigarette but aren't smoking one; do you think it's worth it to you to feel this way in order to break free from a life of smoking?
What you are doing is making a connection with the memory of your addiction: the memory stored in your mind that thinks smoking would be wonderful. Adverse thoughts will also be part of that memory, but don't use them to cancel out your desire because you need to work on accepting the desire, not denying it.When figuring out how to quit smoking, some people will repress their desire to smoke from the moment they stop smoking. In that case, you will need to pause frequently, perhaps three or four times during each hour, and induce a desire you can really feel. It may take a while to work, but eventually you will feel a strong desire: an empty, uncomfortable sensation that you know would be relieved by smoking a cigarette.
A friend of mine, James, who attended a quit smoking program, gave an ideal example of this. He told me that at his last attempt, three years ago, he decided to stop smoking at the same time that he was going to redecorate his house. In other words, his strategy was to avoid as much of the difficulty of stopping smoking as he could by keeping busy painting and hanging paper.He threw his cigarettes away and got rid of anything that might remind him of the smoker he used to be. The plan appeared to work and he managed to stop smoking with very little difficulty. He stayed stopped for a month, with smoking totally forgotten, until something happened that took him by surprise.
Take advantage of familiar situations where you would have smoked, such as the end of a meal, as opportunities to induce your desire. Instead of jumping up from the table to get on with the washing-up, sit there for a while, as you would have done, let yourself feel your desire to smoke and think through your choice not to smoke - for now.Later on, as you become more familiar with these methods of how to quit smoking, your desire may only last a few seconds, but making a deliberate effort to acknowledge it by inducing it can make the difference between success and failure in the long term.If you lead a very busy life, inducing your desire will be especially important. Busy people can stop smoking for days or weeks, barely aware of their desire to smoke in the background of their crowded minds. But just because you don't take the time to deal with it properly, the desire doesn't vanish; it keeps coming, like a nagging child demanding attention. Or it can suddenly and unexpectedly explode, perhaps at a time of crisis, arid, because your conscious mind hasn't practiced dealing with it, you can suddenly find yourself on the verge of smoking.If you stop to induce a desire - and this only takes a few moments - you give your desire the attention it requires. As a result it becomes easy to live with and, most important of all, you are in control of it.
There are a number of quit smoking aids available that can help you give up your smoking habit. These aids include nicotine patches, hypnosis, counseling, herbal and non herbal medication. You may want to consult your physician and choose one of the aids that suit you the best.
Please note that the more you actively carry out and engage with the tips below, the more you increase your chance of success. Good luck!Be clear about your reasons for wanting to stop.Create a list with your reasons for wanting to stop smoking. What will the benefits be? List all the things that you dislike about smoking or the things that you are fed up with that relates to smoking. This could potentially include things such as the smell, putting yourself out socially as a result, the cost involved, the negative effects on your body, etc.Set a date and commit to it.
Start exercising. This will help channel the excess energy you feel and make you fit as well. This should also lead you to drink some water, that is a great cleanser for your body.Stay busy. This will help you keep your mind off smoking and getting tired by the end of the day will help you sleep better. There are countless activities if you take the time to think about them. What can you do at home ? What can you do outside ? Even the smallest task needs focus, and you are not thinking about smoking during this time.
You will be happy to know that cravings do not last. If you have a craving, find the balance between trying to ignore the discomfort and talking/focussing on it too much. Instead, be aware of the discomfort and turn it to your advantage by using the excess energy to exercise or enjoy a favourite hobby. Or you can simply distract yourself. Take it one day at a time.Instead of thinking that you might never smoke again, tell yourself that you are only not going to smoke for one day. Then do another day and another, until you have done your first week.Deal with cravings by substitution.
Reduce your intake gradually. It is really very difficult to stop smoking overnight because your body will feel a lot of discomfort. If you get rid of your cigarettes overnight then you are likely to start the habit all over again because you can't do without the nicotine.Do not set very high expectations of yourself when you do stop smoking entirely. It is not just a question of will power. You will only feel bad about yourself when you inevitably pick up your habit all over again. In fact, you should expect to have relapses a few times at least before you are eventually successful in quitting the habit.
Don't be surprised by this: it's all part of the process. The way through this conflict is to experience it and resolve it, and not avoid it in any way.In order to resolve this conflict, you simply ask yourself this one, basic question: "Am I willing to accept my desire to smoke in order to stop smoking and stay stopped?" In other words, here you are feeling uncomfortable and unsatisfied because you want a cigarette but aren't smoking one; do you think it's worth it to you to feel this way in order to break free from a life of smoking?
What you are doing is making a connection with the memory of your addiction: the memory stored in your mind that thinks smoking would be wonderful. Adverse thoughts will also be part of that memory, but don't use them to cancel out your desire because you need to work on accepting the desire, not denying it.When figuring out how to quit smoking, some people will repress their desire to smoke from the moment they stop smoking. In that case, you will need to pause frequently, perhaps three or four times during each hour, and induce a desire you can really feel. It may take a while to work, but eventually you will feel a strong desire: an empty, uncomfortable sensation that you know would be relieved by smoking a cigarette.
A friend of mine, James, who attended a quit smoking program, gave an ideal example of this. He told me that at his last attempt, three years ago, he decided to stop smoking at the same time that he was going to redecorate his house. In other words, his strategy was to avoid as much of the difficulty of stopping smoking as he could by keeping busy painting and hanging paper.He threw his cigarettes away and got rid of anything that might remind him of the smoker he used to be. The plan appeared to work and he managed to stop smoking with very little difficulty. He stayed stopped for a month, with smoking totally forgotten, until something happened that took him by surprise.
Take advantage of familiar situations where you would have smoked, such as the end of a meal, as opportunities to induce your desire. Instead of jumping up from the table to get on with the washing-up, sit there for a while, as you would have done, let yourself feel your desire to smoke and think through your choice not to smoke - for now.Later on, as you become more familiar with these methods of how to quit smoking, your desire may only last a few seconds, but making a deliberate effort to acknowledge it by inducing it can make the difference between success and failure in the long term.If you lead a very busy life, inducing your desire will be especially important. Busy people can stop smoking for days or weeks, barely aware of their desire to smoke in the background of their crowded minds. But just because you don't take the time to deal with it properly, the desire doesn't vanish; it keeps coming, like a nagging child demanding attention. Or it can suddenly and unexpectedly explode, perhaps at a time of crisis, arid, because your conscious mind hasn't practiced dealing with it, you can suddenly find yourself on the verge of smoking.If you stop to induce a desire - and this only takes a few moments - you give your desire the attention it requires. As a result it becomes easy to live with and, most important of all, you are in control of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment