Motivation is the key factor in finally being able to toss cigarettes from your life. If you quit, there are many benefits. All it takes is a few good reasons to convince you that your efforts will be worthwhile. You can protect your health and that of your family, save loads of money, avoid being as susceptible to lung cancer and look and feel younger. Your journey to a smoke-free life starts here.
Tell everyone you know about your desire to quit smoking. They will push you to continue with your quitting journey. The most effective way to quit is by having people around who support you. You will find that your confidence in succeeding is increased, and your goals are attainable.
To see progress in the process of quitting smoking, you will have to have some faith in yourself. You must have faith in yourself and your ability to overcome nicotine. You have undoubtedly succeeded in other areas of your life that seemed impossible to overcome. Think about the other things you’ve accomplished, and use them as motivation to put the difficulty of quitting smoking into perspective.
At least until you are stronger and less affected by those around you, stick to places that do not allow smoking. Enjoy an all-day movie marathon or take a stroll through an art gallery or museum. If you’re taking your coffee break, avoid places where you used to smoke. Staying away from places where you smoke, will help ease your cravings.
To help with cravings, practice deep breathing. Inhale slowly through your nose, counting to ten. Hold your breath and exhale slowly through your mouth after counting to ten. This breathing exercise will reduce stress from cravings and allow you to focus your attention on something else. Furthermore, breathing deeply allows you to remain aware of the improvements in your respiratory system that will continue the longer you stay away from cigarettes.
Choose to fill your time with a more positive habit. Trying to quit for anyone other than yourself will give them too much control over you. If you quit smoking and find yourself frustrated by gloating comments, express these emotions in a gentle, yet assertive way. You should avoid letting anyone bother you and cause you stress – just concentrate on quitting!
Writing down a list of positives and negatives about quitting can help increase your chance succeeding. When you write something down, it can work to adjust your frame of mind. You may become more motivated to remain on the path, and therefore, you may even find quitting to be less of a challenge.
Consider nicotine replacement therapy to prevent feelings of agitation when you quit smoking. Implementing this technique can pacify your withdrawal symptoms while helping you to quit at the same time. Eventually, you’ll reduce the levels down to zero.
Some people are addicted to the feeling of having a cigarette in their mouths. If you’re one of those people, put something else in your mouth whenever you feel the urge to smoke. Many people suggest gum or hard candies to do this. Then there are other people who use electronic cigarettes to help themselves.
Now that you’ve read this article, you should have much more confidence in your ability to permanently quit smoking. Make sure you also spread your new found knowledge to other smokers, who want to quit, so that they can be successful too.