As an ex-smoker myself I know how difficult it can be to kick the habit, but with the right mindset and preparation, it can be made a lot easier.  I find that a lot of my smoking clients have tried to stop smoking before but have not really thought about how they will deal with the sudden change in habits and cravings.

So here are 5 tips to help you on your stop smoking journey:

1 Cut down on your caffeine intake – nicotine helps break down caffeine so when you stop smoking, the effects of caffeine are much stronger.  So if you start feeling anxious or jittery, reduce your caffeine intake rather than use it as an excuse to start smoking again.

2 Prepare a reward list – we are great at beating ourselves up when we fail at something but not very good about blowing our trumpet when we do well!  So, create a reward list and decide on the milestones for receiving them – it could be one after 1 day, 3 days, a week, a fortnight, a month, or all of the above…just decide what works best for you.  The money you save on not smoking will pay for these!

3 Create a distraction list - prepare a list of things to do to distract you should you get a craving for a cigarette, but try and distinguish between ‘thinking’ about smoking and ‘having a craving’. It will be quite normal to still think about smoking as it will have played a big part in your life.

4 Change your habits – I was a totally habitual smoker. I got up, made a cuppa, had two cigarettes, showered, had breakfast, had another cigarette, drove to work (whilst smoking) and if I was early had another; more cigarettes at breaktime and lunch and so on. So, change your routines where you can and create new behaviours to disrupt the pattern and support your non-smoking lifestyle. 

5 Track the money you are saving – you will undoubtedly save some money when you stop smoking.  It could just get lost in your usual spending but a good idea is to either put the money saved in a jar, or better still, set up a direct debit to a savings account for the weekly/monthly amount you would previously have spent on smoking. Then you won’t even have to remember to do it, and your savings will build up without you knowing it.

These are just a few tips but if you would like help to stop smoking feel free to email me.

If you have already stopped smoking, what tips (apart from not starting in the first place) would you give?

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