The Most Popular Reasons to Say, I Quit! (Part Two)

 

Here’s the second installment of my “I Quit” mini-series. read the actual popular list of reasons to quit here.

Today I’ll cover how you’re going to quit and how you’ll cope with quitting the habit you’ve held near and dear to yourself for so long.

You”ll have the greatest potential for quitting (and staying a non-smoker) if you do certain things.

First of all, get ready to quit by planning for the day. Make sure there are no cigarettes lying around as well as no ash trays, lighters or matches. Clean and air out your home. Get your teeth cleaned. Be prepared to drink lots of water when you quit smoking to flush out your system.

It also helps too to be mentally prepared for the ups and downs that go along with ending a bad habit.

What Else?

You need to learn how to best cope with stressful circumstances when they occur in your life and how to deal with the urge to light up a cigarette during these precarious moments.

It’s important you get as much encouragement and support as possible.Seek out family and friends – obviously those who want you to succeed.

Choose an effective means of quitting smoking for yourself. Research and study and make a choice. If you’ve tried to quit a few times before and it didn’t work do you have a reason why it didn’t? Are you going to try the same method again? If you are, why would it work differently for you now? There may be good reasons why it will work for you know but be realistic with yourself.

While there are lots of types of medications and forms of nicotine replacement, remember most only tackle the addiction and not the habit, and getting over the addiction is done in a few days – getting over the habit can take longer and is more difficult.

Relapses and You:

Prepare yourself for relapses – it happens. You may find you’ll take one step forward but then two steps back. This happens to many people.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if this happens. Go back to the beginning and pick another quit day immediately. Get back in the saddle with no hiccup or you’ll slip into the habit again and not tackle it again for months or even years.

Write Up a Quitting Reasons List:

It is always wise to set the quit date a few weeks ahead. This will give you ample time to prepare and plan. It helps to write down the reasons you’ve decided to quit. Be as specific as possible.

Keep the list with you at all times and refer to it whenever you’re having a weak moment. You might even want to make copies of the list and place them in strategic areas in your home, your car and in a desk drawer at work. This list can be a valuable asset to you as it can serve to reinforce why you’re pursuing a healthier and more fulfilling future that does not include cigarettes!

For many, quitting cigarettes can be tough and takes a few attempts. People come to me for Smoking Cessation in the Massachusetts area after trying everything else to quit and desperate to stop smoking. So I shortcut most of the activities I’ve discussed in this mini-series in one hypnosis session. If you’re at this point as well then seek out a local hypnotherapist who specializes in smoking cessation to see if they can help you.

 

Erika Slater, CH
Director
Free At Last Hypnosis