For a lifelong smoker the prospect of never smoking again is incomprehensible. All smokers will at some point make an attempt to stop smoking, most of these attempts end in failure. Just saying you want to stop is just not enough to prevent you from starting to smoke again. Your mindset has to change before you even attempt to give up.
Before you embark on giving up you need to spend a lot of time exploring the reasons you want to give up. It is vital that these reasons are yours and not those of your friends, family or the media. The reasons must be personal and make you feel positive about not being a smoker. Imagine yourself living these reasons and being a non-smoker. What does it feel like to be a non-smoker, to live the reasons why you want to give up?
Now start to plan for when you are going to stop smoking. Can you go from smoking to not smoking? How will you feel when you have no more cigarettes? Does this make you feel nervous? Do you need something to replace the smoking in the first instance? Also ask yourself what is the worst thing that will happen if I never smoke again? Then ask yourself what is the worst thing to happen if I keep smoking?
Set yourself free from the cigarettes! It is your choice to smoke, therefore it is your choice to give up. It sometimes feels that the cigarettes have a power over you and give you no choice. That is just the addiction to the nicotine, this will pass. You are in control, you have the choice!
Build some resilience if you do not succeed the first time, do not give up, just revisit your reasons for giving up. Do they need revising or do you need to spend some more time visualising what your life will be like as a non-smoker.
It is worth having a coach, to give you someone who will support you and encourage you to live up to your goal, without judging you.
Is it time to let go and set yourself free.
Get in touch: mattycoach@outlook.com
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