It does not matter how many times you have tried to quit smoking in the past, this time will be THE time that you are successful. You need to be mentally prepared, recognize triggers, and have a plan in place that will have you smelling fresh for the days ahead. Read on if you want to know the best ways to beat this habit.
If you don’t think you can quit all at once, use nicotine gum or nicotine patches to help replace the nicotine you get from cigarettes. Such easily accessible tools can provide you with the nicotine your body craves as you work to kick the habit free from the difficult symptoms of withdrawal.
When quitting smoking, you must learn to manage your stress. Once smoking is no longer an option, turn to healthier outlets such as massage therapy, long walks in your favorite park, listening to relaxing music, or meditation. Find something you can do that provides near-instant gratification so that you’ll be less tempted to turn to smoking when things get tough.
Do some exercise to assist your goals of eliminating smoking from your life. Exercise just doesn’t go with smoking. Regular exercise can eliminate your stress, and it assists your body in eliminating the bad effects that smoking causes. If you’re new to exercising, start out slow by just walking once or twice a day. Eventually, you can build up to more rigorous exercise for around thirty minutes a day three or four times per week. As always, talk to your doctor prior to starting an exercise routine.
When you are thinking of quitting, switch brands. Pick a new brand that you do not like. Pick the nastiest brand you know. Smoke them as you would your normal brand and inhale them the same. You will enjoy smoking less. This will help you in your efforts to quit.
If the cigarettes you smoke after meals are some of the hardest to give up, replace the habit of smoking after eating with brushing your teeth or chewing minty gum. Slowly, you will break your old habit and build a much healthier association between finishing a meal and freshening your breath.
To improve your odds of quitting smoking for good, don’t combine your effort to quit with another goal, particularly weight loss. You already have enough stress and cravings to deal with just trying to quit smoking. If you try to wean yourself from something else at the same time, you are likely to fail at both.
Avoid triggering that make you want to smoke. Alcohol is a trigger for many, so when you are quitting, try to drink less. If coffee is your trigger, for a couple of weeks drink tea instead. If you like to smoke after eating a meal, do something else rather like taking a walk or brushing your teeth.
To quit smoking for good, quit as many times as it takes. Very few smokers are successful at quitting the first time they try. Stop smoking, and have the mindset that you will stop for as long as possible. If you fail the first time, set a second quit date immediately. Just continue to quit and try to stop longer each time, and continue to learn along your journey. Eventually, you’ll get so good at it that you’ll quit one time and just not go back.
Write down why you’re quitting ahead of time and keep that list handy. When that craving hits you, refer to your list for motivation. Understanding ahead of time why quitting is important to you will help to keep you focused in those moments of weakness, and it might even help to get you back on track if you should slip up.
Take the time to really sit down and think about how quitting smoking will improve your life. This is especially effective if you already have serious health conditions that smoking can exacerbate, like asthma or diabetes. If your family has a predisposition for cancer, then it can also be very powerful for you to acknowledge that quitting now could actually save your life.
If you smoked, inside your house, give it a complete cleaning once you have quit. Wash the drapes and furniture, scrub down the walls and any other things in your home that smell of cigarettes. The difference will be evident not only to you but to all your visitors, and you won’t have to smell cigarettes while you are trying to quit.
There is no easy way to quit smoking. But if you are truly dedicated to getting rid of this habit once and for all, then put the tips that have been provided to you to good use. A day at a time, sometimes even an hour at a time, is the mentality that will get you through.
