Much of the hearsay evidence about smoking cessation is contradictory. How many people have you heard say “giving up smoking was the hardest thing I ever did”. On the other hand I’ve heard some say, “one day I just gave up”.
What seems to be for sure is that everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another.
I started smoking when I was 18 and very quickly developed a 20 a day habit. I immediately noticed a dip in my health – not to mention an increase in my asthma. But still I soldiered on. I tried to give up numerous times, sometimes using gum or patches, but it never worked. Whilst giving up I was incredibly depressed. Every minute of the day I thought about smoking, or felt awkward, or both.
Over three years ago I developed a passing interest in Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and from that became interested in self-hypnosis and meditation. For other reasons I started practising self-hypnosis and meditation for a few weeks and then one day stopped smoking! I was 35. I have been free from cigarettes and the desire to smoke for over 3 years. And (whispers) it didn’t hurt!
Don’t put any pressure on yourself to quit – just know that it will come eventually. We need to add a 5 minute routine to your daily life which may increase to 10 or 20 minutes as time goes by.
During these moments, try to concentrate on the present. Don’t think about the past or the future. It’s not as easy as it sounds.
Relax! Just as you observe your breathing, observe that you are feeling clean and better and that you want to smoke less.
Through the day concentrate on what you are doing. If you are walking, concentrate on the sensations of you feet on the ground.
Try not to see yourself as an independent animal effected by, or even victimized by, his/her environment. Prefer to see the “outside” world as something that occurs and changes within you as, for all you know, that’s what it is.
All of life happens within this capacity of observation. The desire for a cigarette is just another little thing that goes on within this capacity and it will arise and pass just like your breath.
