Preparing Yourself for Quitting
- Since we can only move toward our most dominant thought, remind yourself of the very specific benefits of having cleaner lungs.
- Prepare a good-sized list of all the reasons you can think of for wanting to quit smoking forever. Every night before going to bed,
repeat one of those reasons 10 times.
- Even as NIH and CDC are responsible for the intelligent formation of this program, the Healthiest Websites Zen inserts this notation that having a big enough WHY inevitably, or at least characteristically, leads us to finding the HOW. The NIH-CDC "Prepare To Quit Smoking" protocol includes the powerfully useful suggestion to create a list, IDENTIFY your own personal list, of personal reasons in addition to your health and obligations
to others. For example, think of all the time you waste taking cigarette
breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting for a light, etc.
- Begin to condition yourself physically: Start a modest exercise program;
drink more fluids; get plenty of rest; and avoid fatigue.
- Set a target date for quittingperhaps a special day such as your birthday, your anniversary, or the Great American Smokeout. If you smoke heavily at work, quit during your vacation so that you're already
committed to quitting when you return. Make the date sacred, and don't let anything change it. This will make it easy for you to keep track of the day you became a nonsmoker and to celebrate that date every year.
Knowing What to Expect
- Have realistic expectationsquitting isn't easy, but it's not
impossible either. More than 3 million Americans quit every year.
- Understand that withdrawal symptoms are temporary. They usually
last only a week or two.
- Since you can recognize that the first week or so of quitting are going to bring stronger urges to smoke, replace your action of reaching for a smoke with deep breathing, or ten seconds of stretching, or searching for a one-line joke. Replacing the urge is not an innovation of the Pathway of Smart People ; it is a time-honored and highly powerful shortcut to replacing one habit with another, preferably a habit that brings pleasure or benefit.. Be aware that this will be your hardest time, and use all your personal
resourceswillpower, family, friends, and the tips in this bookletto get you through this critical period successfully.
- Know that most other relapses occur in the first week after quitting, when situational triggers, such as a particularly stressful event, occur unexpectedly. These are the times when people reach for cigarettes automatically,
because they associate smoking with relaxing. This is the kind of situation that's hard to prepare yourself for until it happens, so it's especially important to recognize it if it does happen. Remember that smoking is a habit, but a habit you can break. NOTE from the Healthiest Websites Zen : Nature abhors a vaccuum. Replacing one habit with another is your high-powered shortcuts here in preparing to quit smoking forever. What else do you love to do?
- Realize that most successful ex-smokers quit for good only after several attempts. You may be one of those who can quit on your first try. But if you're not, don't give up. Try again. A core part and function of the Pathway of Smart People is the value of repetition, and no less so with the Healthiest Websites Zen, regarding health issues.
- Involving Someone Else
- Some people have success in quitting smoking, or at least in the preparation part of quitting smoking forever, by placing a friendly wager with a friend or a loved one, even a co-worker, that you can quit on your target date. Put your cigarette
money aside for every day, and forfeit it if you smoke. (But if you do
smoke, don't give up. Simply strengthen your resolve and try again.)
- Ask your friend or spouse to quit with you.
- Tell your family and friends that you're quitting and when. They can
be an important source of support both before and after you quit.
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