Again
and again I want to stress on the fact that this is a task
that can be achieved only if you are well and truly prepared.
There is an old saying that says “well begun is half done,”
and the same thing rings true in the matter of quitting
as well.
So
let us hit the different buttons that are part of the preparation.
As I mentioned earlier, it is not just enough that you
know that you are trying to quit smoking. All those who
move around closely with you must be let into the affair.
This includes your family, your friends, your colleagues
and -brace yourself for this- your boss as well. Now, that
might sound a bit strange, what the hell has your boss
got to do with your attempt to quit smoking?
The
answer is simple, if you tell your boss that you are trying
to quit smoking it gives you one more reason to go for
it with a resolute mind because no body would want to stand
sheepishly in front of a boss and say something like, “well
I kind of gave up I guess.”
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Do
NOT Take It Lightly…
Smoking
is not a joke and quitting is even a more serious affair
so it is best that you approach the problem with all the
seriousness of the affair. It would be best if you prepared
yourself mentally, emotionally and physically for the change.
And it doesn’t stop with that. You should also prepare
your surroundings. Get rid of any thing and every thing
that reminds you of smoking. This includes things like
ash trays, packets of cigarettes.
It
would also be a good idea to put up signs and reminders
that smoking is injurious to health and that you are trying
to quit smoking so that you really get the hang of it.
Try to come up with original stuff if you want. If you
can make them funny then it is going to be all the better
but these signs should also be morale boosters, they should
make you feel good about what you are trying to do and
should make you feel that it is worth the effort.
You
could try messages like:
This
last bit is something I penned when I was trying to quit
smoking. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s corny, but
it proved to be very useful for me. I hope it will have
the same effect on you. Now we have another important task
to do and that is preparing our selves emotionally for
the change that might take place.
The
main thing is to get your mind of smoking and for that
you have to find a substitute for it. There are many other
things that you could practice when you get the urge to
smoke. I will list out the things that you could do here.
Then you could choose the ideal thing to do according to
your life style.
Music
Music
is a wonderful way of getting your mind off that urge to
smoke. If you have fixed times for getting a smoke like
after meals or during the coffee break you could try playing
something very soothing using a walk man and head phones
so that you do not disturb others though you might attract
attention. Another thing you could do is that you could
play music on your computer if you have a work station
all to your self.
Music
is a wonderful stress reliever. I do not want to emphasize
on any particular type of music because tastes differ.
Breathing
Exercises
Breathing
exercises too can prove to be useful in controlling the
urge to smoke. It is common knowledge that the human body
takes in a lot of toxic substances, both through the air
and through food and drink. Apart from this, various toxins
are also released in the body as a result of the various
processes that are going on. These toxins have to be released
on a continuous basis or else they will accumulate in the
body with serious results.
One
of the best ways of releasing these toxins is by means
of exhaling while breathing. One funny fact is that most
of do not breathe properly. Just take a look at the picture
like this. With each breath that we take, we take in oxygen.
This oxygen is carried by the blood to every cell of the
body and every cell must indeed get enough oxygen not just
to survive but to remain healthy as well.
So
it is imperative that we make an honest attempt to breathe
properly. But first of course we have to make sure that
we are breathing in unpolluted air. The time best for breathing
exercises is early in the morning when the air is comparatively
unpolluted. Now what you have to do is this. Again, sit
comfortably so that there is no strain to any part of your
body. It is not imperative that you close your eyes, but
I have always noticed that the exercise works better when
the eyes are closed.
When
you are ready, what you have to do is to breathe in deeply
and slowly, and feel the fresh air filling up your lungs
until it just can’t take any more. Conjure up images of
the air encircling throughout your body and reaching every
cell, literally bathing it with oxygen. Of course it doesn’t
happen that way but the image helps a lot. Then hold your
breath for a few seconds and then very slowly exhale letting
out all that foul air.
Again
conjure up an image of all the toxins being released from
your body. Every cell has become free of the burden it
was carrying. Now pause for a second or two and again breathe
in deeply, slowly letting your lungs fill up with all that
good, clean, rejuvenating air. Repeat this exercise at
least ten times and take your time for it taking care not
to rush through.
When
you have done that part of the exercise it is time for
the second part. Again sit with your eyes closed, but this
time, keep one nostril closed with the help of your index
finger. It is best to close the right nostril first and
that too with your right index finger. Now breathe in deeply
and slowly through your left nostril keeping the right
nostril closed. When you have held air for a second or
two, release your right nostril and breathe out through
it.
While
you are breathing out conjure up an image of all the toxins
being released form your head and the brain especially.
And as you breathe in conjure up images of the clean air
circulating though out your brain freeing it of all the
worries and trouble and lightening it.
Repeat
this exercise with the other nostril closed and in this
way alternate between the nostrils at least ten times.
The entire breathing exercise need not take more than ten
minutes. But you will be surprised at how light hearted
and free you will feel after the exercise. Once you have
practiced it for three or four mornings, you will be in
a position to do the exercise each time you get the urge
to smoke. The breathing exercise can easily become a substitute
for the urge to take in that hourly doze of nicotine.
An
Experiment
Now,
I want you to try something. It’s a little gory, I admit,
so I’ll apologize for that right up front. Here’s what
I want you to do next...
While
you are doing this breathing exercise and feeling all those
cells perk up, just think for a minute about what happens
when you’re inhaling the hot, fuming, toxic, carcinogenic
smoke from a cigarette. Visualize the smoke circulating
through your body and slowly killing all the cells that
it comes in contact with. Watch as it slowly but surely
pollutes your entire body, and then see yourself finally
succumbing to it one day.
I
know this experiment is tough to deal with, but it’s important
that you understand the hideous crime that you commit against
your body each time you smoke a cigarette, compared to
the good you do your body by inhaling clean, natural oxygen.
Try
Something Else
When
you get the urge to smoke try using something else like
a chewing-gum or a toffee. Try things that have strong
flavors like menthol, mint or spiced with something like
cardamom. It is even better if you can get your hands on
spices like cloves or cardamoms; they really help a lot
though you could burn your mouth if you take in more that
a teeny weenie bit. You should not swallow these things
immediately, but should bite into them and then let the
taste linger in your mouth for a couple of minutes. You
might experience numbness in your mouth but it helps take
away the urge to smoke.
But
please note that these things can be addictive too, so
try alternating among chewing gum, candy, chocolate, spices
and maybe even coffee.
Make
a list of all the smokers around you who you know closely.
And then what you have to do is STAY AWAY FROM THEM. Unless
they too are trying to quit, keep a very safe distance
from them. If you had a habit of smoking with them at fixed
times, take special care to steer very clear of them at
those fixed times.
Don’t
Put It Off
Most
people - in fact, I should say all of us - have a habit
of putting off things for another day. This habit is called
procrastination and it’s the guardian angel of smoking.
As long as we have this habit of procrastination, we are
never going to stop.
The
funny thing about procrastination is that we only tend
to postpone unpleasant tasks. The good things in life we
try to do as early as possible and the things that involve
hard word, giving up comforts, or a little bit of pain,
we try to put off till the last possible date.
The
dangerous thing over here is that in the case of most smokers
there no real last possible date. Many people become serious
about quitting after a first heart attack or a stroke.
Don’t tell me that you too are waiting for a real warning
like that. If we are waiting for a doctor’s warning, then
we can’t be too far from falling terminally ill. There
is absolutely no sense in putting it off.
There
is a law in Physics that was put forward by Sir Isaac Newton.
It states that a body continues to be in a state of rest
or of uniform motion until an external force is applied.
This same rule is true in the case of smoking as well.
Smoking is not a habit that can die a natural death all
of a sudden. It is something that has to be worked on.
It is something that involves a lot of restraint and control.
The only cases in which I have seen a smoker stop at one
go is when the doctor shook his head and said “I’m sorry
but you have only a few months left to live.”
Come
on get a grip on your self. You are much stronger than
you think. So why do you have to postpone it any further.
There is no better day than today. It is not something
that you have to wait till New Year to do as a part of
your New Year resolutions. Do it today itself and you can
increase your chances of succeeding and …gulp…surviving.
Just
think about it for a minute. Did you really want to become
a smoker? Was that really your ambition as a child, to
grow up into a smoker? Chances are that you became a smoker
as a result of habit. Look at yourself. You have a respectable
job and you have people who you care about and who care
about you.
If
one of your friends were to approach you with a problem
and ask you to think of the most sensible decision wouldn’t
you do it for them? Now if you would do that for a friend,
shouldn’t you be able to do it for you as well? If you
are capable of taking sensible decisions for others don’t
you owe it to yourself to take sensible decisions as far
as your health is concerned? Of course you do, but then
what is stopping you?
The
Voice Within
Well,
I have news for you. You might not believe this but the
fact is that you always wanted to stop smoking. Oh yes
you did. You do not need any body to tell you what is good
for you and what is not. Deep down inside, a plaintive
voice has been calling out to you to quit and you have
been heeding it but you just haven’t done anything about
it now.
You
want to know why that happens. It is because you have convinced
your self that you will stop smoking at a later date. This
promise false though it might be was enough to subdue that
inner voice. The voice cried out and the response it got
was...
“Well
I didn’t say that I was not going to stop smoking did I?
Just give me the time and I will do it. I know what is
good for me so don’t nag.”
And
that silences the inner voice. But that later date never
comes. Come on who are we trying to fool. It’s just a way
of convincing yourself that you can stop if you want but
certain external factors are hindering your efforts.
You
can start the quitting process by doing some paper work
again. You have to have a very clear idea about why you
want to quit and the best way to find out why is to sit
down with a piece of paper and write down why you exactly
want to quit.
You
list should include things like:
But
the most important point that you should put down is that
you should try and quit in order to make it healthier and
safer for those who live around you especially your friends
and family. Hey come on, you really owe it to them. I would
like to take another moment off to digress and talk about
second hand smoking.
Second
Hand Smoking
The
funny thing about second hand smoking is that most smokers
don’t even know that something like second hand smoking
exists. It is also referred to as passive smoking.
Second
hand smoking is the process by which another person smokes
but the toxic smoke is also inhaled and affects those who
move along with the active smoker. The sad thing about
this is that second hand smoking is just as harmful as
active smoking. So the next time you smoke in the company
of other people you have to be well aware of the fact that
you are not just putting your self in danger but the same
amount of danger is being passed on to your loved ones
as well; a very strange gift indeed to pass on to your
loved ones.
So
if not for your self, at least for your loved ones you
ought to try and give up the habit.
So,
though I included the reason of passive smoking at the
end of the list, it should be the most important reason
for you to stop smoking. Isn’t it a very selfish way of
existing without bothering about the safety and well being
of others just because you want to indulge in a pleasure
of yours?
More
Paperwork
The
next thing you have to do is that you have to fix the day
when you want to start quitting and write is down as well.
But as I mentioned earlier, it should not be very far away.
The very next day is as good a bet as any other day. And
may I ask you, why not today itself?
There
is still a little more paper work to be done. It would
be a good idea to write down any other occasions when you
had tried to quit smoking earlier but did not succeed.
Try and find out the reasons while you failed and write
them down as well. These reasons are what we call pitfalls
and it would be best to be extremely wary of these pitfalls
and steer clear of them.
That’s
enough paper work for the day. But do not throw away this
bit of paper but try and keep it where you can see it always.
You could try pinning it in your work station or even on
your bathroom wall.
Admit
That You Are Addicted
Go
on, face it like a man, (or a woman) say it and realize
how much it hurts. If you can do that much then the battle
is half won. Most smokers make a fatal mistake here. They
keep on telling themselves that can break off as easily
as snapping their fingers when they really can’t. They
try to fool themselves and you know why?
It
is because they feel sort of weak and submissive when they
admit that they cannot do with out that hourly puff. So
they do not admit it. They just say something like,
Well,
it sounds very cool but what such people do not understand
is that what they are really saying is that they cannot
function well by themselves. They are actually admitting
that their brains are incapable of carrying out those routine
activities any more without the help of an external agency.
It’s all the same thing isn’t it. And personally I think
it is much better to admit that they are simply addicted
to smoking.
There
is nothing to be embarrassed about. There is no need to
feel inferior. Again take a look at the statistics and
see all those people who have become addicted to smoking.
But unlike those people you are going to do something about
it. Tobacco is like a colossal octopus. Once it gets its
grip around you, then you are done for. It swiftly tightens
its tentacles around you and before you know it, you are
fully and completely in its grip and you cannot even breathe
without its permission. You and only you can save your
self.
That
is why I said that the first thing you have to do is you
have to take a look at your self in the mirror. Look at
your self for a minute and face the truth. Let is sink
in slowly and maybe painfully. Notice the tentacles of
the octopus around you. Then you can admit to yourself
that you have indeed become a slave to the master that
is tobacco.
Now
that is not a nice thought at all is it? You with all your
remarkable faculties, abilities and potential have actually
become a slave to something so gross! You who have never
bowed your head before any one have actually been taken
by this gruesome monster. Grr…the thought is going to be
infuriating. But you have to face it, you have to accept
it only then can you muster up enough strength to fight
back.
And
please take heed; we are not talking about any ordinary
battle over here. We are talking about fighting to win
and win is what we are going to do that this manual is
all you are going to need for that ultimate victory.
All
Kinds of Cigarettes Are Bad
Some
people think that the number of cigarettes one smokes decides
on the harm that is caused but that is not true. Smoking
any number of cigarettes is harmful. Of course the harm
is increased when the number of cigarettes is increased
but that does not mean that a person who smokes only one
or two cigarettes a day is free from danger.
Similarly,
let us get this straight once and for all, all kinds of
cigarettes are harmful to health whether filtered or not,
whether it contains menthol or not, all of them are terrible
harmful to your lungs and every other part of your body
that the toxic smoke touches.
So
do not go about believing that just because you have a
different smoking pattern from most smokers you are going
to get away Scot free.
