Hello, how are you doing today? During one of my recent ‘amebo’ mission (winks), I
heard you have FINALLY decided to quit smoking. My reaction was: Hmmmmm, thank
God ooo. By finally, I mean … like most smokers, I know how much you have tried
to quit many times and failed. But then, this time around, I could read the
optimism on your face and the zeal in your voice, so I decided to share the top
10 things that can make this FINAL quit successful when the others failed.
1. Commit
Yourself Fully. If you are sincere with yourself, you will agree with me
that the quits that failed happened because you were only half into it. Of
course, you decided to quit but you always felt it at the back of your mind
that might probably fail.
This
time around, I advice you inform family and friends about your decision. These
will be in the following tips, but the point is that you must fully be
committed, and there must be no turning back.
2. Make
a Plan. You can’t just get up and say, “I QUIT.” You have to prepare yourself,
plan it out; have a person to call when you are in trouble, develop a reward
system for yourself, and lastly, write down what you will do when you get an
urge to try a stick of cigarette. If you wait until you get the urge to figure
out what you’re going to do, you’ve already lost. You have to be ready when
those urges come.
3. Know
Your Motivation. When the urge comes, your mind will rationalize. “What’s the
harm?” And you will easily forget why you’re doing this. I advice you know why
you’re doing this BEFORE that urge comes. Is it for your kids? For your wife?
For your health? So you can run? Because the girl you like doesn’t like
smokers? Have a very good reason or reasons for quitting. List them out. Print
them out, put it on a wall and remind yourself of those reasons every day.
4. Not
One Puff, Never. Your mind and can friends can sometimes be very tricky. They
will tell you that one cigarette won’t hurt. And it’s very hard to argue with
this logic, especially when you’re in the middle of an urge. And those urges
are super hard to argue with. Don’t give in. Tell yourself, before the urges
come, that you will not smoke a single puff, ever again. Because the truth is;
“that one puff can ruin everything. One puff leads to a second, and a third,
and soon you’re not quitting; you’re smoking. Don’t fool yourself. DO NOT TAKE
A SINGLE PUFF!
5. Reward
Yourself. Set up a plan for your rewards. If possible, reward yourself after
the first day, and the second, and the third. You can do the fourth if you
want, but definitely after Week 1 and Week 2. And month 1, and month 2. And 6
months and a year. Make them rewards that you will look forward to: buy books,
T-shirts, shoes, visit the cinema, a massage, a dinner at your favorite
restaurant. … whatever you can afford. Even better: take whatever you would
have spent on smoking each day, and put it in a jar. This is your Rewards Jar.
Celebrate every success! You deserve it.
6. Delay.
If you have an urge, wait. Do the following things: take 10 deep breaths.
Exercise, drink water, eat a snack, chew gums, or try fruits. Call your support
person. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES, BUT DELAY, DELAY, AND DELAY AGAIN. You will make
it through it, and the urge will go away. When it does, celebrate! You can do
it.
7. Replace
Negative Habits with Positive Ones. What do you do when you’re stressed? If you
currently react to stress with a cigarette, you’ll need to find something else
to do. Deep breathing, self massage, and exercise can work wonders for you.
Other habits, such as what you do first thing in the morning, or what you do in
the car, or wherever you usually smoke, should be replaced with better, more positive
ones. Just replace these excuses with something positive.
8. Make
it through Hell Week, then Heck Week, and You’re Golden. The hardest part of
quitting is the first two days. If you can get past that, you’ve passed the
nicotine withdrawal stage, and the rest is mostly mental. But all of the first
week is hell. After that, it begins to get easier. The second week is also very
difficult, but not really as hellish as the first. After that, it will be
smooth sailing. You just have to deal with an occasional strong urge, but the
rest of the urges will be light.
9. If
You Fall, Get Up. And Learn From Your Mistakes. Yes, we all fail. That does not
mean we are failures, or that we can never succeed. If you fall, it’s not the
end of the world. Get up, brush yourself off, and try again. You might fail
numerous times, but you know what? Each of those failures should teach you
something. Figure out what your obstacles to success are, and plan to overcome
them in your next quit. And don’t wait a few months until your next quit. Give
yourself a few days to plan and prepare, commit fully to it, and go for it!
10. Think
Positive. This is the most important tip of all. If you have a positive,
can-do attitude, you will succeed. Trust me. It works. Tell yourself that you
can do it, and you will. Tell yourself that you can’t do it, and you definitely
won’t. When things get rough, think positive! You CAN make it through the urge.
You CAN make it through Hell Week. And you can. You must understand that
millions of people have done it and you too can. They are not better than you.
Finally,
please note that you can also follow these steps when you decide to quit every
other negative habit you are tired of.
Your
distant friend,
Oluwaseun.
Visitors
Corner: So glad you are here, were the tips helpful? It will be a pleasure to
hear your contributions. Don’t leave without dropping a comment. Enjoy the rest
of your day.
