Many people have found that including physical activity in their program to quit smoking has added a tremendous benefit to assist in quitting. There are many reasons for this:
When people are more active, they gain confidence and like themselves more. They feel more energy, and are more capable of dealing with tension in their lives. With increased activity, the smell of tobacco actually becomes offensive.
Whenever you feel the need to smoke after you have decided to quit, get up and move around instead. A brief physical activity can provide you with the lift that you may have received from nicotine.
QUIT SMOKING IN SEVEN DAYS
You are now ready to consider the following question: How and when do you want to quit smoking?
There are only two ways to effectively quit smoking, immediately (cold turkey), or gradually. When you quit gradually, you use various methods to taper off before you have that last cigarette.
Neither way is better than the other for all people. Pick the one that you feel fits your temperament. Either way, a nicotine patch may prove to be a real benefit in giving up, especially if you are a heavy smoker.
Try this test to see which way is better for you.
CHOOSE THE METHOD TO QUIT SMOKING THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
Answer the questions by circling “yes”, “no”, or “not sure”.
- Stopping smoking is one of the most important things in the world for me right now.
- I can handle a tough problem without a smoke.
- I have to quit smoking and my reasons are good enough to do it now.
- If I quit this minute, I know I can find a way to resist the craving to smoke, even if it is strong.
If your answer to all of the above questions is yes, you may be a candidate to quit immediately. But before you do, read on to get the tools necessary to be successful. After reading the following, set a time to quit. If not right now, then tomorrow, but do it.
What about the doubts you may be feeling now? Most smokers will get a sense of doubt when they read the questions above. You probably are not confident in your ability to follow through with resisting any future craving to smoke, or finding something to substitute for the feelings that smoking has given to you.
In order to have the confidence to quit, you :
- Must find an alternative to handle the urge to smoke, when it hits, and
- Create ways to deal with the reasons that you smoked in the first place.
Together we will accomplish both these tasks so that when the day comes that you had planned to quit, you will be confident to do it.
