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PSYCHOLOGICAL EXERCISES FOR QUITTERS

Giulia
Member
1 14 15

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT SMOKING?
Well STOP IT!  Change your focus.  Don't dwell in the well of smokey tarry thoughts.  The more you focus on smoking, the greater the cravings will be.  
When thoughts such as the following  come into your mind
"Oh I wish I could....",  "
“I want a cigarette..."
"A cigarette sure would taste good right about now...."
“I need one because I’m under so much stress.....”
“THEY can smoke, but I CAN’T...”
“It’s relaxing...”
“I used to sit out here with one....” 

"A cigarette is the only thing that will get me through this..."
Push them aside.  Chuck those thoughts out of your mind.  And do so every single time they come in.  Repeatedly.  And do so immediately.  DON’T GO THERE.  Re-focus.  YOU are in charge of directing where your mind goes.  Therefore be MINDFUL, not mind-less.  Don’t be a victim of your thoughts
Here’s an example.  This is an acting exercise, but I somehow suspect it will work for quitting also.  As a quit exercise, take an object that means something to you emotionally, that you’ve lived with for a while.  Perhaps a gift from a loved one.  Perhaps something you saved up for.  A photo of someone you love.  Or something you created yourself.  Hold it in your hand.  Think about where it came from.  When you got it.  What does it feel like?  Really look at it with all your senses.  Bring all the memories into play about that object in your life.  Do this for 5 minutes.  
Now, take an object that means nothing to you emotionally.  A wastebasket.  A Cell phone, a fork, a comb.  Hold it in your hands.  Spend the next 10 minutes (and I mean 10 minutes - put a timer on)  studying it, thinking about it, thinking about how you use it in your life, what it’s purpose is.  In detail.  What it means to you in your life.  I can almost guarantee you that that fork, cell phone, waste basket, comb will have an entirely different importance to you the next time you look at it and use it.  For you’ve spent emotional, physical and psychological time dwelling on and with it, thinking about it.  Hence your perception of it changed.  Do you see how your thoughts influence you?  Do you see that you controlled that thought?
The same is true with smoking.  But in this case you’ve done it for a lifetime.  The cravings keep pulling you back and if you give them “thought power” they will grow.  So starve them.  Think about something else.  Plant a different seed.  Change your focus.  It’s hard in the beginning until you’ve mastered it.  It takes practice.  But once you master it, shrugging off a craving thought becomes old hat.  Remember, a craving is simply a thought manifested into a feeling.  And you have the power to change it.  Change your thoughts, and you change your feelings.  Change your feelings and you change your reality.
 

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About the Author
Member since MAY 2008. I quit smoking March 1, 2006. I smoked a pack and a half a day for about 35 years. What did it take to get me smoke free? Perseverance, a promise not to smoke, and a willingness to be uncomfortable for as long as it took to get me to where I am today. I am an Ex but I have not forgotten the initial difficult journey of this rite of passage. That's one of the things that's keeping me proudly smoke free. I don't want to ever have another Day 1 again. You too can achieve your goal of being finally free forever. Change your mind, change your habits, alter your focus, release the myths you hold about smoking. And above all - keep your sense of hewmer. DAY WON - NEVER ANOTHER DAY ONE. If you still want one - you're still vulnerable. Protect your quit!