Be Whole

Every smoker will tell you how relaxing it feels to purse their lips against a cigarette butt and slowly inhale those carcinogens. They know what it’s doing to their bodies but it’s just too good to quit. I can vouch; I was a smoker.

Avoiding any hypocritical bull like when people who’ve successfully quit bad habits try to preach to those who are still occupying the habits – love to every one of you who still smoke. The self-experienced tips below are guidelines for anyone who has tried to quit smoking but failed to do so. You can see more of how I started smoking by clicking on this link: I wanted to be badass, now all I want is to be good. 

I stopped smoking because as I grew older, I developed different goals. My health became more important than everything I cared about in the above post. Here are some tips to help you quit the habit for good:

Stop hanging out with people who smoke

At least until you feel comfortable that you won’t be influenced to light up again. There’s a story of a captain who instructed his men to burn their ships in an attempt to win  a war. His logic was that he and his men would either win the war or die but they would not flee from their mission. That’s how  you need to treat avoiding your friends who smoke – because you love spending time  with them but it’s going to be so much harder for you to stop smoking if everyone around you is doing it.

Change your routine

You have to switch up your routine to avoid your regular smoking habits like your after breakfast, after lunch, and after supper cigarettes for instance. It’s going to be a challenge but find a substitute like sugar-free sweets or gum.

Write down all the reasons why you should quit smoking

It’s funny how you’re loyal to everyone you love but don’t honour commitments to yourself, hey? Why do you think that is? You’re usually quite reliable until it comes to matter that that involve only you. Let’s change that. Write down all the reasons why you should stop smoking and put it in a place where you can see it every day – remind yourself why you are quitting. You deserve that.

Get yourself a progress partner

Ever heard the saying, birds of a feather flock together? The more you normalize a lifestyle without smoking, the easier it will become for you to stop smoking. You also need to give yourself time to experience activities without trying to squeeze in a smoke here and there.

Design a reward system

Of course, your health is the greatest reward here but sometimes it’s easy to look past the overall benefit as the incentive. Track how much money you are saving after two weeks, to a month of no smoking and gift yourself with it. You’d be shocked at how much you’ve been spending once you track it and will feel relieved when you decide to use the money for something else.

Are you a former smoker who’s quit the habit? I’d love to share your story. Leave me a comment in the section below or email me directly to robyn@bewhole.co.za