Have you ever had the intention of quitting smoking but when it came to it you just couldn’t put the cigarettes away? If you are a smoker, you are at greater risk of contracting severe complications if you have COVID-19. There has never been a better time to quit smoking than right now. Here are some small steps you can take towards a nicotine-free life:
How Fear Keeps You Smoking and How to Change It
It’s a harsh reality that if you’re a smoker you’re more like to get acute respiratory infections and have a higher risk of those infections becoming severe.
So perhaps now could be a good time for you to take steps to improve and protect your health now, and in the future.
But quitting is hard for many, and perhaps particularly so at a time of great stress, when many of our routines have been so suddenly disrupted.
Perhaps, like the majority of smokers, the mere thought of stopping fills you with panic.
You have every intention of quitting one day – just not today …
Is this YOU?
If so, you are not alone. Most smokers continue to smoke for one reason ….
FEAR!
Yes that’s right, the only thing that prevents you from quitting is – FEAR
Fear – that you will have to undergo an unknown period of time suffering feelings of deprivation.
Fear – that social occasions will not be quite as enjoyable with a cigarette.
Fear – that you can’t concentrate or be as confident without that crutch.
Fear – that you won’t be able to cope, that it will be too stressful.
Fear – that your personality or your character will change.
Fear – that you will lose the ‘helpful’ friend’ that seems to calm you down.
Fear – that quitting may cause you to gain a few pounds.
And here’s the interesting bit…..
That fear of giving up is actually CREATED by cigarettes.
You never decided to fall into the nicotine trap! If you knew what you no now, you would you ever have started in the first place?
Nicotine is designed to ensure that you remain there, so you need to take charge and to be motivated to break free.
You can take some small steps towards a nicotine free life. A rehearsal for the time when you can give up smoking ….for good!
- Make a list of the reasons to quit – there are probably a number of them, but have you ever actually written them all down?
- Set a quit date – and stick to it!
- Change your brand – one week before your quit date, change your brand of cigarette. You will find they are not as enjoyable.
- Change the hand you use to hold your cigarette in – it will feel awkward, but this small change breaks down habits and associations.
- Change your routine – if you normally smoke after a meal, try to break out of this routine. Maybe replace it by reading a chapter of a book, watch something on TV, do a crossword or retreat to a part of the house where you wouldn’t normally smoke. Delay that cigarette by at least 15 minutes, again you are weakening associations.
- Get active – A five minute walk or stretch produces chemicals in the brain that reduce cravings.
- Positivity! – make regular affirmations to yourself several times a day ,,,,,, “I am enjoying life as a non-smoker”
If you still feel that you need help to quit and genuinely want to become a non smoker:
Hypnotherapy can help you achieve your goal.
It will show you the reasons to stop and can help you:
- With motivation to stop smoking – and stay stopped
- Break the connections – the triggers – to smoking
- Feel positive, confident and motivated about becoming a non smoker
If you could stop smoking easily and without the usual struggle
Why wouldn’t you break out of that habit?
Imagine what it would feel like to be that fresher, cleaner, healthier YOU
If you would like a chat or need some support or advice, you will find all my contact details on my website www.minddesigns.co.uk
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