So you’ve decided it’s time to give up that nasty smoking habit. Good for you! Making the decision to quit smoking is one of the wisest you will make in your lifetime, and probably one of the hardest.
If you’re looking for some handy hints on where to go from here, read on.
Speak to your loved ones about your decision to quit smoking. If you let those around you know of your intent to quit, they will be able to motivate you, and keep you away from any temptation. The help of these people can keep you focused on your plan to quit smoking.
Though aversion therapies have gotten a bad rap recently, they do sometimes work in helping you to stop smoking. They do not need to be extravagant methods and you don’t need to pay a therapist to employ aversion techniques. Try the simple things, such as permeating your favorite sweater with the smoke from that last cigarette you smoke. Then reach for it after not smoking for a day or two; you will be appalled at the offensive odor that you have been subjecting yourself and others to on a daily basis.
If you want to quit smoking, you need to identify factors that will motivate you to stop. Preventing lung cancer, tooth decay, gum disease and emphysema, or protecting your family are strong motivators. Showing respect for your body and for the gift of life is also a powerful motivating force. Whatever reason you choose, it needs to be enough to prevent you from lighting up again in the future.
In order to quit smoking, find something else you can hold in your hand and put in your mouth. Many smokers find it hard to quit because they have an urge to have a cigarette in their hands and mouth. Rather than a cigarette, you can hold onto a straw.
Do some exercise to assist your goals of eliminating smoking from your life. Exercise just doesn’t go with smoking. Regular exercise can eliminate your stress, and it assists your body in eliminating the bad effects that smoking causes. If you’re new to exercising, start out slow by just walking once or twice a day. Eventually, you can build up to more rigorous exercise for around thirty minutes a day three or four times per week. As always, talk to your doctor prior to starting an exercise routine.
Perform deep breathing exercises for around three to five minutes every single day in order to help you relax when trying to quit smoking. Always breathe in through the nose, hold this for several seconds, and exhale slowly through the mouth. This method is extremely effective for eliminating smoking from your life.
Clean your house. Get rid of all of you lighters and ashtrays once you have smoked the last cigarette. Wash all of your clothes that smell like smoke and clean your draperies, upholstery and carpet. Do all you can to get the smoke smell out of your house. You will not want to look at or smell the things that remind you of smoking.
Consider any therapy that can replace nicotine. Smoking itself is kind of disgusting and easy to give up, but the nicotine withdrawal usually proves the nail in the coffin of a quit attempt. Do whatever you can to deal with the withdrawal, from medicine prescriptions to alternatives like the patch, gum or even throat lozenges.
Enlist your friends and family to support you with your decision to stop smoking. Those closest to you can be a real help in keeping you on track and smoke-free. Inform everyone of your intentions to quit smoking before your quit date, and let them know specifically how they can be of best help to you.
If you are trying to quit smoking, it is important to have plenty of support. Inform family members and friends that this is what you are trying to do and enlist their support when you are having difficulties. Quitting smoking is difficult to do alone and family and friends can provide much needed emotional and social support.
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.
To make quitting smoking seem more straightforward, put the negatives of your smoking habit into numbers. For example, figure out how often you smoke, how many cigarettes you smoke a day and how much it costs you to smoke that much on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. Every time you cut back a little, you’ll know exactly how much you’ve progressed.
As was previously said, quitting smoking is not an overnight process. There is not, unfortunately, an on/off switch when it comes to this habit. But it can achieved with some patience, perseverance, and a lot of faith. One day at a time and soon you will be proudly announcing to all that you are a non-smoker.
Ways You Can Stop Smoking For Good was originally published on Spring