What’s your new year resolution? The New Year is a couple of weeks away and perhaps you have decided that, on January 2nd, you are going to give up smoking and never smoke again! Brilliant.. You have just made the first step to becoming a non-smoker. So what’s next?
REASONS TO GIVE UP SMOKING
So first you need to know exactly what motivates you to do this. Really think about “the why”, write it down explore all the reasons and be specific about the gains. Keep this list close to you, maybe keep it where you used to keep your cigarettes or on your phone, look at it from time to time and add to it. if you are having a wobble then it will be a good resource for you. But really work at the reasons. Try to think about what you will gain rather that what you will lose.
A former 60-a-day smoker (and author of best-selling The Easy Way to Stop Smoking), the late Allen Carr said: “There is absolutely nothing to give up… There is no genuine pleasure or crutch in smoking. It is just an illusion, like banging your head against a wall to make it pleasant when you stop.”
If you don’t know why you want to stop, then here are a few questions to ask yourself that might help you.
- What do I loathe about smoking?
- What do I miss out on when I smoke?
- How does smoking harm my health?
- What will happen to me and also my family if I don’t stop smoking?
- How will my life improve from stopping?
- What are the lifestyle and health benefits of not smoking?
DECIDING WHEN TO GIVE UP SMOKING
Decide exactly when you are going to stop. Have a fixed date for this, write it in your diary and stick to it. Lots of people decide to give up on New Year’s Day, in fact it is the most popular time, and the most popular resolution that people make – so now is the time to plot and plan.
CLEAR EVERYTHING OUT
Have your last cigarette and then chuck all your ashtrays and have a good clean of your clothes and anywhere that is smoke infected and get rid of anything that reminds you of smoking.
TELL EVERYONE
what you are doing, shout it from the roof tops put it on social media. Why? Firstly, so friends and family can support you, and secondly, by telling everyone what you are doing, it highlights your commitment to your goal and makes you more accountable. There is no hiding, there is no going back.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
Think of the money you will save and what you could do with it. One of my clients decided to make a pact that if they smoked again, they would give the equivalent six months cigarette money to their least favourite charity! What a great idea. They told everyone and it worked.
Below is how much smoking costs at today’s money assuming 58p a cigarette.
KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS
You need to be really aware of what encourages you to smoke. Booze is generally a massive trigger, coffee was for me. So, avoid alcohol for a bit. Change your habits and routine away from smoking temptations. It’s not forever, just in the beginning. Awareness is key here; you can’t make a change to your behaviour without being aware of what you do and when you do it.
BUDDY UP
Find a like-minded friend that you can do this with, that way you have your own guardian angel; someone who knows how you feel and that won’t judge you.
SOME MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT…
In 2015, around 79,000 deaths were attributable to smoking in England. This figure represents 16 percent of all deaths. If these grim statistics have not convinced you that now is the time to give up smoking, this is what one of my recent clients wrote:
- I won’t have a hacking cough in the morning. I will be able to breathe more easily.
- I enjoy running and this is really going to help me.
- My kids will be so pleased that I smell so much more pleasant. They hate the smell of smoke.
- My son worries that I will not be around.
- I won’t be a hostage to having to leave dinner tables, to go outside and have a cigarette or plan my day around when am I going to smoke.
- I buy 1 pack a day, this costs me £10 a day or 50p a cigarette. That’s £70 a week or £3,640 a year. I will save a fortune I could use this to take the kids skiing in one year.
- My skin will be so much better, my teeth will be whiter, my breath fresher.
- I won’t feel so guilty for smoking.
DON’T BECOME A STATISTIC! GIVE UP SMOKING WITH HYPNOSIS!
Take the first step to becoming a non-smoker with Fiona Worthington, clinical hypnotherapist at The Putney Clinic of Physical Therapy. Blocks of 3 smoking cessation sessions cost £300. To book, call us on 020 8789 3881 or send an email to info@putneyclinic.co.uk.
If you wish to contact Fiona directly, call her on 07990 514 804. More information can be found on Fiona’s website. Visit: www.fionaworthington.uk.com.
