Motivation tips on how to quit smoking

When you quit smoking, you will not only miss the effects of the nicotine, but the habit of smoking as well. When you’ve smoked for a long time, the habit is well entrenched in both body and mind and no matter why you have decided to quit smoking, you will probably need help.

Products that can help you to stop smoking

There are several products on the market that can help you stop the smoking habit. You can buy patches, gum and mints at almost any drugstore. You may even substitute cigarettes with chocolate when the desire to smoke hits you.

If you’re worried about weight gain, try eating sugarless chocolate or fresh vegetables. It’s important to fill your hands and mouth with something to keep you from reaching for that cigarette.

Motivation tips

Motivation plays a significant part if you want to stop smoking. A new baby in the home, being pregnant, early signs of lung cancer or the onset of heart disease are all good physical motivational reasons, but why wait for such a serious condition before you decide to quit?. Maybe you just don’t want to smell like an old ashtray all the time. Better yet, maybe your spouse and children are complaining about kissing that ashtray! Whatever your motivation is, to stop smoking is a great goal which can be reached.The following motivational hints may help you to keep going and to stick to your new stop-smoking resolution:

• • Get involved with other people that want to quit smoking. Answer to someone, even if you have to find a supporting group in your neighbourhood or on the Internet. There are also forums and discussion boards that help smokers to quit. When you are answering to someone, you are more likely to avoid that one slip. Being accountable to someone is one of the best motivational factors for any difficult task you have to face.

• • Talk to someone about quitting the smoking habit. This will also help to hold you accountable.

• • Make a chart of your progress and set small goals. If you currently smoke two packs a day, limit yourself to a packet and a half for the next day. If you can’t do that, try just cutting back two cigarettes a day. Keep going and keep track. When you are feeling discouraged, you can look at your chart of progress and see how far you’ve come and how much closer you are towards reaching your goal.

• • Give yourself a reward when you’ve reached a goal. Rewards work for teachers, parents and employers − and they can work for you. If you’ve set a goal to cut down from two packs a day and you reach one pack, give yourself a treat. Go out for an evening, buy yourself a new outfit, or calculate how much money you’ve saved and get that software you’ve been wanting.

• • Keep yourself busy and take time to have fun. When you’ve successfully cut down on the number of cigarettes a day or have already stopped smoking, you will no doubt be feeling better. Take the time to do something you’ve wanted to do for a while. Maybe it’s attending a ball game, or taking your children on a trip to the zoo, or it could be an overnight get-away with your spouse. Keeping busy and active will also help by not allowing your mind and body to dwell on the fact that you’re quitting smoking.

If you have been toying with the idea of stopping the smoking habit, now’s the time to start. Look at the above five motivational tips and just do it! Here are the five motivational tips once again: join a support group; set small goals; keep a chart of your progress; reward yourself; and finally, yet importantly, have fun.

Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EAP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about how to stop smoking.