Many think quitting is easily accomplished by tossing the cigarettes away and willing yourself to stop. While these techniques might help with quitting, it doesn’t really need to be that hard. There are many different techniques which can help you to quit smoking for good.
If you’re doing well on your stop smoking journey, don’t forget to reward yourself. Treat yourself to a nice massage, a pedicure, or a special new outfit when you’ve cut back, and then something else when you’ve stopped entirely. You need to have rewards like this to look forward to, as they can help to keep you motivated.
Remember that your attitude is everything. When you are beginning to feel down, you need to try to make yourself proud that you are quitting. Smoking is bad for you and each time you conquer the urge to smoke, you should feel proud as you are taking vital steps toward a healthier you.
The delay tactic is an effective way to deal with overwhelming cravings. Tell yourself how you’ll feel in about 10 minutes and distract yourself. You should see the craving pass within the 10 minutes. If you still do crave a cigarette, continuing using this tactic until it finally works.
When attempting to quit smoking, you must avoid the particular triggers that cause you to smoke. As an example, if you used to automatically light a cigarette before you made a phone call, you will need to substitute something else in its place. Get involved with something else during those times, to keep your mind off of your desire to smoke.
Don’t allow yourself “just one puff”. The mind can sometimes play tricks on you, especially when you’re trying to give up a habit that you have had for years. Don’t allow yourself to give in to the idea that just one cigarette won’t hurt. It will hurt, and it might just keep you from being able to quit at all.
Use visualization in order to assist you in quitting your smoking habit. When doing deep breathing exercises, shut your eyes, and imagine yourself being a non-smoker. Imagine yourself not giving in to temptation. Imagine winning a medal for not smoking. These types of programs, referred to as “quit smoking hypnosis,” are extremely effective.
Be honest with yourself about how much money you spend on smoking, and don’t plan on using that money for something else. If you quit to save money for bills, your bills will just continue stressing you out while you no longer have the stress release that a good cigarette gives. Figure out what your smoking budget is, and then when you quit, continue spending that amount on yourself in a healthier way.
Think about how good you felt before you smoked. Focus on how healthy, happy and active you were as a smoke-free child. Think about the foods you loved, the scents you loved and how fit you were, this will give you added incentive to stop smoking.
If the fear of gaining weight is the only thing holding you back from quitting, you should know that gaining weight is not inevitable. Many former smokers never gain any weight when they quit. That said, gaining a few pounds is still far healthier than continuing to smoke. With a bit of exercise and mindful snacking, this fear should play no part in keeping you from quitting.
Now that you have read this article, you should know how to quit smoking. Expecting that you may never have the urge to light a cigarette after you have made the decision to quit may not be realistic, but you should have an easier time quitting if you keep in mind what you have just read.
