Every smoker is aware that they should quit. When you’re standing in a smoking area, no one comments on how healthy the smoke makes them feel. People who don’t smoke are simply incapable of realizing how hard it can be to quit. The article below discusses some of the methods that can help you stop smoking.
One way to boost your success with quitting smoking, is building a list good and bad associations with quitting. When you write something down, it can work to adjust your frame of mind. This can help to motivate you to stay on course, and might even make quitting easier because you are able to remain focused.
When you are close to giving in to your cravings for a cigarette, think of a delay before you are allowed to indulge. Take a brief walk before you give yourself permission to smoke, or finish a glass of water. Often, you will find that just giving your mind some time and something to occupy itself with you will be able to get past the craving without having to smoke. If you still feel you need that cigarette, delaying it may mean you will be smoking at least one less on that particular day.
If decide to give up smoking, try hypnosis. Seeing a licensed hypnotist can be effective and has proven successful for many people. They’ll place you into a hypnotic subconscious state which allows them to fill your mind with positivity and motivation. This helps to reduce the appeal of cigarettes.
Make a list of strategies to help you quit. Making a customized list of things to try, can help you succeed at quitting. Everyone will find the techniques that work best for them. Discovering what will work best for your particular circumstances is crucial. Coming up with your personal list will accomplish this.
Make sure you remember to take quitting one step at a time. The road to stopping is just a process. Do not worry about how you are going to cope until next month, or the year after. Focus on the present moment and tackle each day as it comes. All of those smoke-free days will soon add up to a smoke-free future.
Your doctor can help you to quit when all other strategies fail. A variety of medications are available to make the quitting process easier, from anti-depressants to medications that make smoking less desirable. Your doctor will also put you in touch with support groups and other resources you can use.
When quitting smoking, inform your family and friends about your intentions. By letting them know, they can give you the motivation you need. This could potentially be the push you need to remain motivated and actually quit.
Be sure that you are willing to stick with your plan to quit smoking. Often failure to stop smoking can happen because they are not motivated properly or don’t have a backup plan when cravings set in. Your commitment to quitting must be substantiated by all of those reasons you have for quitting to begin with.
Take things day by day. Focus on giving up cigarettes for the day rather than for the rest of your life. Sometimes having a shorter timeline makes things easier on you mentally and physically. You can always increase your goals and time horizon when you are ready.
When you are considering quitting smoking, make an appointment to see your physician. Your doctor may be able to suggest quitting resources of which you were previously unaware. Additionally, your doctor might feel that you would benefit from using a prescription drug therapy method to help you quit.
Make sure you get sufficient sleep as you attempt to stop smoking. Some find that they crave cigarettes more when they stay up late. You can just start smoking and not even think about it, also when it is late it is easier to get away with smoking which is bad in general for you. When you get the rest you need, it is easier to focus on your commitment to stop and resist the temptation to give in to cravings.
You don’t have to go through this alone. Your friends and your family will support you if you let them know about your plans. You may also be interested in joining a support group. Just talking with others who are trying to quit will keep you from falling off the wagon.
When the urge to smoke becomes overwhelming, try using a delay tactic. By reminding yourself that you will revisit your feelings in ten minutes, and keeping yourself occupied while those minutes pass, you may find that your craving has vanished within that period of time. If it doesn’t work the first time, repeat this step until it does.
One helpful way to start quitting is to switch to a different brand of cigarettes. Switching to a poor brand can negatively alter your perception of smoking. Do not smoke a greater quantity if you have chosen to purchase light cigarettes. This will help you in your efforts to quit.
Rally the support of everyone that you love. You have to talk to people and let them know what you’re going through, this is the only way you can get help. Warn them about the fact that you’ll likely be grumpier than usual as you begin the process. You could also be a bit fuzzy-brained. Quitting smoking isn’t easy, and the support of the people you love is essential during the process of quitting.
Give your home a fresh start, too, by cleaning away the smoky smell. Steam-clean or shampoo your carpet and furniture, scrub the walls and wash your curtains and drapes. The fresh clean smell of your home will not remind you of smoking when you come home.
You may want to try nicotine replacement therapy. The main stumbling block to quitting cigarettes is your body’s addiction to the drug nicotine. This is what causes most of the cravings. Cravings can be very hard to deal with. Nicotine-replacement therapy can help with these feelings. Studies show that individuals who use nicotine gums, patches or lozenges double their chances of quitting successfully. Be careful not to use these products while still smoking, though.
Get a calendar and mark off the milestones you’re looking to reach and which rewards you’ll receive when you get there. Make a list of things that you can use to reward yourself for reaching a week, month or day of nonsmoking. Make sure the list is in a place that you can easily refer to throughout the day. This will provide you with some extra motivation, and it might just keep you from caving in and smoking again.
When you first quit, plan out various time-based milestones for which you will reward yourself. For example, when you haven’t smoked for a week, go out to the movies. After a month, eat out at a nice restaurant that you don’t regularly dine at. Continue to give yourself a reward in increasing amount to acknowledge your progress until you don’t think about the urge to smoke.
As you learn to live without cigarettes, it is helpful to avoid trigger situations that would normally involve smoking for you. If you had morning coffee and a cigarette or went to happy hour and smoked, change your routine. For example, drink your coffee on your way to work and staying away from bars will reduce your cravings.
Think about the effect our smoking has on your family. Remember that if you get seriously ill or die because of smoking, it will hurt your family. Thinking like this can help you stay motivated to quit. In America, about 20% of all deaths are from smoking-related illnesses. Do not become a statistic.
Try to workout whenever possible. Once you stop smoking, it will be easier to exercise since your lung capacity will improve right away. Increased exercise will also ensure that you don’t gain any weight after quitting. Furthermore, exercise causes your body to produce endorphins, which can give you a natural high. Although the high won’t be as good as a nicotine high, it will help you to cope with cigarette withdrawal.
If you don’t quit once, you can always try again. Most people do fail on their first attempt but use it as a learning experience for your next time. Look at what triggered the failure and figure out how you’re going to avoid it this time around. You just might succeed the next time.
Deep Breathing
It can be helpful to get rid of reminders of your smoking life when you are trying to quit. Scour your house to find all ashtrays, lighters and empty packs, and throw them away. Make sure you wash all of your clothes and clean your house thoroughly in order to take away the smoke smell. This will stop anything that reminds you of your smoking days to trigger a craving.
Every time you want to smoke a cigarette, try some deep breathing. Use that time to focus on the reasons that you chose to quit. It will also force some oxygen into your lungs, which can help you to feel more refreshed. Deep breathing is simple and non-intrusive, making it a simple and portable way to calm down.
Eat lots of vegetables, seeds, nuts and fruits while quitting smoking. This will help you quit for a few reasons. For example, your mouth and hands will always be busy, so you won’t need the repetitive movements of smoking. Also, you will be adding nutritious foods to your diet, optimizing your weight loss potential. The nutrients and vitamins even help you feel better during withdrawal.
It is hard for nonsmokers to imagine why you crave a smoke when it can so clearly hurt your health. Nor will a nonsmoker ever understand how tough it is to quit. The advice shared here came from people who have successfully quit themselves, giving you an effective strategy to try. Use these tips to help you free yourself from smoking.
Construct a mantra regarding the reasons you desire to quit smoking. When you feel like giving up, state your reasons aloud, over and over, to help the craving pass. This is a great way to focus your attention away from withdrawal and towards positivity.