If you’re a smoker and worried about the risks around COVID-19 then now would be a good time to think about quitting for good.
It’s a harsh reality that if you’re a smoker you’re more likely to get acute respiratory infections and have a higher risk of those infections becoming severe.
There has never been a better time to stop smoking.
But quitting is hard for many, and perhaps particularly so at a time of great stress and when many of our routines have been so suddenly disrupted
Perhaps, like the majority of smokers, the mere thought of stopping fills you with panic
If you smoke, the mere thought of giving up can fill you with PANIC...? Is this YOU?
You have every intention of quitting one day - just not today...
Is this YOU?
You are not alone
Most smokers continue to smoke for one reason...
FEAR!
THE ONLY THING THAT PREVENTS US FROM QUITTING IS: FEAR!
Fear - that you will have to undergo an unknown period of time suffering feelings of deprivation
Fear - that social occasions will not be quite as enjoyable without a cigarette
Fear - that you can’t concentrate or be as confident without that crutch
Fear that your identity, your personality
or your character will change
Fear - that you will lose the “helpful friend” that helps you cope with stress
And that quitting may cause you to gain a few pounds.
And here’s the news...
That fear of giving up
is actually CREATED by cigarettes
You never decided to fall into the nicotine trap!
But nicotine is designed to ensure that you remain there and you need to be motivated to break free
You can take some small steps towards a nicotine-free life
A rehearsal for the time when you can give up smoking
for good!
1 Make a list of the reasons to quit
There are probably a number of them - but have you ever actually written them as a list?
2 Set a quit date And stick to it!
3 Change your brand
ONE week before your quit date - change your brand of cigarette. You
will find they are not as enjoyable
4 Try to change the hand you use to hold your cigarette
It will feel awkward - but this small change breaks down habits and associations
5 Change your routine
If you normally smoke after a meal, try to break out of this routine. Try reading a chapter of a book, watch a TV show, or retreat to a part of the house where you wouldn’t normally smoke
6 Get active
A five-minute walk or stretch produces chemicals in the brain that
reduce cravings
7 Positivity!
Make regular affirmations to yourself several times a day “I am enjoying life as a non-smoker”
Hypnotherapy can help you to have your last cigarette ever!
It will show you the reasons to stop
And can help you
• With motivation to stop smoking - and stay stopped
• Break the connections - the triggers - to smoking
• feel positive about becoming a non-smoker
So if you haven’t been able to quit smoking before, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do it now!
And if you COULD stop smoking easily and without cravings Why wouldn’t you break out of that habit into a fresher, cleaner, healthier YOU
To give back to my local community in these current times, I’m offering five deserving people the chance to become smoke free and have their last cigarette ever
As so many people in our community are currently helping others. I wanted to offer something that could help someones long term health. However, rather than just picking someone at random I figured it would be nice to give something to someone who is deserving.
I will be taking entries and then will sit with friends and colleagues to decide who to give the free sessions to – there must be lots of people out there who are too consumed helping other people that they often neglect themselves.
To be in with a chance of being given a free session, email northantshypno@aol.com
with no more than 100 words as to why you deserve the help. The closing date for entries is Monday 4th May
