If you’re a smoker and worried about the risks around COVID-19 then now would be a good time to think about quitting for good.
It’s a harsh reality that if you’re a smoker you’re more likely to get acute respiratory infections and have a higher risk of those infections becoming severe.
There has never been a better time to stop smoking. But quitting is hard for many, and perhaps particularly so at a time of great stress and when many of our routines have been so suddenly disrupted.
Perhaps, like the majority of smokers, the mere thought of stopping fills you with panic.
If you smoke, the mere thought of giving up can fill you with PANIC…?
Is this YOU?
You have every intention of quitting one day - just not today…
Is this YOU?
You are not alone. Most smokers continue to smoke for one reason....
FEAR
THE ONLY THING THAT PREVENTS US FROM QUITTING IS: FEAR!
Fear - that you will have to undergo an unknown period of time suffering feelings of deprivation.
Fear - that social occasions will not be quite as enjoyable without a cigarette.
Fear - that you can’t concentrate or be as confident without that crutch
Fear - that your identity, your personality or your character will change
Fear - that you will lose the “helpful friend” that helps you cope with stress
And that quitting may cause you to gain a few pounds. And here’s the news…
That fear of giving up is actually CREATED by cigarettes
You never decided to fall into the nicotine trap! But nicotine is designed to ensure that you remain there and you need to be motivated to break free.
You can take some small steps towards a nicotine-free life.
A rehearsal for the time when you can give up smoking for good!
Make a list of the reasons to quit There are probably a number of them - but have you ever actually written them as a list?
Set a quit date And stick to it!
Change your brand ONE week before your quit date - change your brand of cigarette. You will find they are not as enjoyable
Try to change the hand you use to hold your cigarette It will feel awkward - but this small change breaks down habits and associations
Change your routine If you normally smoke after a meal Try to break out of this routine. Try reading a chapter of a book, watch a TV show, or retreat to a part of the house where you wouldn’t normally smoke
Get active A five-minute walk or stretch produces chemicals in the brain that reduce cravings
Positivity! Make regular affirmations to yourself several times a day such as “I am enjoying life as a non-smoker”
Hypnotherapy can help you to have your last cigarette ever! It will show you the reasons to stop And can help you
With motivation to stop smoking - and stay stopped
Break the connections - the triggers - to smoking
feel positive about becoming a non-smoker
So if you haven’t been able to quit smoking before, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do it now! And if you COULD stop smoking easily and without cravings why wouldn’t you break out of that habit into a fresher, cleaner, healthier YOU. Find out more about our stop smoking programme.