Top 8 Action Tips that Help You Quit Smoking
If you’re like most smokers, you’ve probably attempted to quit more times than you care to count. But some have been able to quit and their success can serve as a guide for others that care to follow the same path. Perhaps it's about time to give yourself – and your family – the gift of quitting.
Here are the top 8 tips to quit smoking successfully:
- Commit fully. Make no mistake, quitting smoking is challenging. You might want to quit, but that’s not the same as committing 100%. Tell everyone you’re going to quit. Start your own blog about your experience of quitting. Commit and you will succeed.
- Have a plan. It’s going to be more than a little challenging to simply quit one day without some forethought and planning. Who is going to support you? Talk to others who have quit smoking successfully. What rewards do you have in place? Are you going to join a group? Can you do anything to minimize the likelihood of smoking?
- Don’t smoke at all. It’s easy to convince yourself that one little cigarette isn’t going to hurt. And when you’re in the middle of a nicotine-fit, it’s hard to argue with that line of thinking. But you know in your heart that it will be almost impossible to stop after just one. 48 hours later you’re likely to be smoking as much as you ever did.
- Join an online group. There are groups and forums filled with people in the same situation. It can be a lot easier to deal with the challenges when you don’t have to deal with them alone. You can celebrate each successful day, together.
- Keep your motivation in mind. Why are you quitting? Knowing your ‘WHY’ is a powerful motivator. When your brain is trying to tell you that one little cigarette won’t hurt anything, you need to go back to your motivation. Know your motivation and remind yourself constantly why you are going to quit.
- Learn to work through the urges. What triggers your cravings? When the urge strikes, wait! Take a few deep breaths and get up and walk around. Get a drink of water and grab a healthy snack. Call someone that understands; maybe it will be someone from the online group that you join. If you can wait it out, the urge will largely subside.
- Reward yourself. A common reward schedule is day 1, day 2, day 3, week 1, week 2, month 1, month 2, month 6, and a year. The rewards don’t have to be extravagant, but they should be meaningful to you and something you can get excited about.
- Find a new habit. Think about the times you’re most likely to smoke. Is it when you’re bored or stressed? What can you do during those situations that can replace smoking, but is also positive and healthy? Exercise? Walk? Meditate? Read? Listen to music? If you don’t replace what you’re losing it’s going to be more challenging in the long run.
You can quit smoking! Most smokers report that the first week is very challenging. The nicotine withdrawals tend to subside in 48-72 hours, and then it’s mostly an issue of psychology rather than physiology. Week two is much easier. Surely you can hold out for 7 days!
Quitting your smoking habit is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your loved ones. Make a plan and be strong. In a couple of weeks, you can change your life and be free of the hold that smoking currently has over you!
You can do it!
Jennifer
Your Health & Wellnurse
