With the smoking ban looming large some people will be feeling under pressure to quit. Or they will be using the event as the nudge they need to break free from a habit they wished they never started.
Today I worked with a client who wanted to stop smoking and who came in believing that he would never actually make it. Not a good start.
So we talked about smoking and his attempts to give up and he revealed that although he had stayed off the weed for more than a month in the back of his mind he had already ‘promised’ himself that he could smoke if he went abroad. His work regularly takes him to other countries.
Hard to Break habit of a Lifetime
This is common when people try to stop a habit that’s been a part of their daily lives for 15, 20 or more years. They know all the reasons why the should, they are fed up with failing to quit smoking, they know they’ll feel so much better as a non-smoker and yet they can’t make the change.
The secret is to train the mind and thoughts to do the things you want it to do. How you say?
Well if I asked you what will you enjoy as a non-smoker, chances are that, like my client did today, your answers will focus on the negatives.
For example you might say; ‘I won’t smell.’ ‘I won’t have to go outside in the rain for a smoke.’ ‘I can look my daughter/son/partner in the eye and not feel guilty.’
All of these are away from the problem type of statements and to have them your mind has to go the image of you smoking first and the associated bad outcomes. So you have effectively given your mind the command to keep tuned into smoking and everything that goes with it.
Re-programme Your Thoughts
So now take the statements above and get the positive outcome by asking ‘What will that give me?’ For example the ‘I won’t smell.’ Can turn into ‘That will give me fresh clean smelling clothes, skin and hair.’ Go ahead do the same with any away from the problem negative statements you have and notice how different they make you feel.
What good has Smoking Ever done for You?
Now work out what good things the behaviour of smoking does for you. Yes you read that right.
Most people when asked say one of the reasons they smoke is to mark the end of a task and to give them a break. That’s not a bad thing to do, it’s shame that a cancer-producing stick of tobacco is involved. However you can now preserve the good part but discard the harmful crutch. Think of ways you can still have a break during the day. Maybe just get up from your desk and go and talk to someone.
These are just some of the tools and strategies that I help my clients develop to stop smoking and feel comfortable and at ease about doing it.
I also help them learn the art of deep relaxation through hypnosis so that they can reproduce the state almost instantly wherever they are and whenever they need to. They all say once they’ve discovered how to do this that it’s much better than anything a cigarette ever gave them.