According to the statistics seven out of ten smokers say they want to quit smoking and the rest know that it’s bad for their health but they are just not yet ready to accept the bitter facts. I was in the sevens.
‘Lighting up just one more won’t do much harm.’ That was the exact mindset that kept me addicted to the habit of smoking for seven years.
This habit was terrible for my body, particularly my heart and lungs. It is for you, too, if you’re a smoker. Chemically rich smoke releases a feeling of happiness caused by dopamine in your brain. This cheap dopamine keeps you in the hamster wheel of smoking again and again.
However, the most important factor when trying to quit smoking is knowing that it gives you nothing but is just bad for you.
If you have accepted that then you can move on to the next step: the easy ways that can help you stop smoking. I guess you have accepted that’s why you have come down to this article. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into them.
Establish And Write Down Why You Want To Quit
To kickstart your way to quit smoking, you gotta find a reason you want to stop. It can be a love for a sport you play regularly or to live a healthier life for your family.
It can be anything just make sure it is a strong reason to hold you down to why you away from that four-inch-long stick of death.
Reward Yourself For Your Targets
To achieve your bigger goal, divide them into smaller chunks. It’s a pretty effective and proven way to knock out your targets.
When it comes to quitting smoking, you can start with a smaller target. If you’re a chain smoker, make the first target a day without smoke then reward yourself. Make sure the reward isn’t the cigarette.
If you love watching movies or if you’re in the middle of an intriguing season, stop. Stop until you achieve your smaller targets and reward yourself by resuming that movie or season.
Also, here, you wanna make sure that the reward is of high quality. In the case of your favorite movies and TV shows, a high-res streaming. On such an account, an ISP like Spectrum can help.
Steer Clear Of The Cues
Before I start this, you need to understand how habits work.
A habit is an automated action that occurs when you’re in a particular setting. If you’re on your couch, you’ll automatically think of relaxing yourself. It happens with smoking too.
Try to observe the time and setting you crave a cigarette the most. It can be a particular friend or a smoking area in your workplace. When you are done observing, avoid it altogether.
It isn’t easy to avoid the triggers and sometimes you have to go through that setting. In those cases, try to replace cigarettes with another activity. I used to play games on my phone at the time of breaks in my workplace rather than going out with my office colleagues in the smoking area. It helped a lot.
Withdrawal Symptoms Are Nothing
You might have tried smoking earlier and you likely know about the withdrawal symptoms. Whether you’re trying to quit it for the first time, second or third, change this mindset.
Withdrawal symptoms are nothing but psychology. When I was on my 3rd day without smoking, I didn’t feel pain in my body and those withdrawal symptoms occurred to me as a myth.
Don’t get me wrong, you’ll have the urge to smoke but that’s it. There’s no physical harm to your body.
It’s just your thoughts that make it painful to quit. If you are firm on the belief that you are helping your body rather than harming it, then it will become easier for you.
So, next time whenever you are thinking of getting the ‘one last cigarette’, just ask yourself is it really necessary? Doesn’t it lower your life expectancy?
Try Again
There is a high chance that you’ll end up smoking a cigarette. Yes, I did the same but I was cool with it but I had one thing in my mind: quit it.
Being cool about it helped me to not get discouraged and kept me going. A normal human brain mimics the same behavior, so, you can replicate my methods too.
Instead of getting discouraged try to understand what led to the relapse in the first place and then avoid those situations again. It can be an after-party dinner or a long-distance smoker friend who came to meet. It can be anything, just make sure you don’t put yourself in that situation again.
Bottom line
Trying to stop smoking is, for sure, a hard task. You will get back to it but keep the reason in mind for which you started in the first place and don’t let that will to quit die. Hopefully, you’ll get rid of this bad habit and will live a healthy life.
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