How to Reduce Smoking Habit?
How to Reduce Smoking Habit? A widely asked question.
Breaking free from cigarettes or any smoking habit is NOT A SMALL TASK.
For a lot of smokers trying to quit smoking, it is a fight that involves more than just fighting an addiction.
The fight is about overcoming your mental dependence on cigarettes and breaking your social triggers that increase your urge to smoke.
A lot of you would have tried quitting smoking with the help of traditional methods such as Nicotine patches, chewing gums, medication, etc., but still find yourself coming back to light up a cigarette now and then.
If that is the case or if you are somebody planning to quit smoking, then it’s the right time to discover how to reduce tobacco and slowly and gradually walk on the path of how to leave smoking entirely in a short time.
It’s time to dive into all about how you can quit your smoking habit by ditching those traditional methods and just quitting smoking using mindset techniques and so much more.
Don’t trust us?
Could you keep reading to know all about it?
Developing a Strong Mindset
The decision to quit smoking starts in your mind. Your mindset is the foundation upon which you build all your plans and strategies. Let’s explore how you build your mental strength.
- Understand your smoking triggers/Reasons—One of the first steps on your path to no smoking is to define reasons that help you quit smoking. Some common reasons can be a financial burden, health reasons, family, etc. Once you identify your reason, it becomes your motivation factor later on.
- Positive Self Talk – Your inner consciousness can do wonders if talked properly. Instead of thinking, I can’t quit smoking, I am not able to quit smoking, etc., think and speak positive affirmations to yourself like Yes, I can leave my smoking habit, I’ll get better with each day, etc. These affirmations will strengthen your commitment to quit smoking.
- Set Achievable and Realistic Goals—It is essential to break your quit-smoking journey into different parts. This way, you can reward yourself every time you achieve a small goal, which will motivate you to achieve the bigger goal of quitting smoking.
- Imagine your success—From the day you start quitting smoking, start visualizing yourself as a non-smoker. Think about the post-quitting glow, better health, more money, etc. This will help you stay focused on your end goal.
Practicing Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the activity of being present in your surroundings and being fully committed to the moment you are in. This is a powerful weapon in managing your smoke cravings and lowering your stress levels, the most common reason for your smoking habits. Let us see how you can include Mindfulness in your quit-smoking journey –
- Mindful Breathing—As soon as you feel a craving to smoke, take a step back and focus on your breathing movements. In this moment of focus, inhale and exhale a deeper breath while holding it every time you breathe in. Deep breathing can calm your mind and drastically lower your smoke cravings.
- BodyScan Meditation – As the name suggests, this kind of meditation involves scanning your body from head to toe while you pay attention to every organ and part of your body. This will help you become more aware of your body patterns and stress levels and reduce your urge to smoke. When you become aware of your body patterns, you can ditch your desire to smoke.
- Mindful Eating – Another part of practicing Mindfulness is Mindful Eating. In terms of psychology and Mindfulness, smoking is considered a mindless habit. To answer your question about how to decrease your smoking habit, replace mindless smoking with Mindful Eating. When sitting down to eat, pay close attention to the food flavors, smells, etc. This will divert your attention from smoking to eating.
- Practice Mindfulness every day – Quitting the smoking habit is an everyday journey. Therefore, you need to set aside a few minutes each day to practice Mindfulness and beat your smoking triggers and cravings. You can start by sitting in a quiet place and focusing on your breath.
Say Hey to Physical Exercise
A lot of people keep asking how to decrease smoking habit. But, when asked about physical exercise, they don’t believe it. Physical exercise is not just vital to keeping yourself fit. It is also a method to fight your urge to smoke, improve your mood, and additionally improve your overall health as well. Here is how you can incorporate physical exercise into your journey
- Start Small – if you are not used to exercising, start with just walking. Set a goal of a 10-minute walk every day. From there on, increase it according to your comfort.
- Look for an activity you enjoy – Physical exercise has many forms, and you need to find the one that you like the best. It can be swimming, cycling, dancing, aerobics, etc. When you see an activity or exercise that you enjoy, no one can stop it from becoming your positive alternative to swimming.
- Exercise when you crave – Craving a cigarette? Well, then, this is the right time for you to exercise. Try push-ups, jogging, or anything you feel is fine for you. This will help you distract your mind from the strong cigarette urge and reduce its intensity as well.
- Join Apps – There are lots of applications available at your fingertips, like NicoNil, that adopt a holistic approach to helping you quit smoking. You can join these apps to keep yourself motivated and share your progress to gradually increase it.
Conclusion
Quitting smoking is a challenging yet challenging journey, but with the correct mindset, mindfulness techniques, and physical activities, you are sure to beat your smoking habit like a pro. Always remember that when walking on the path to quitting smoking, every small step matters, and you have to always be kind to yourself and celebrate even the smallest of wins.
Each day you spend without a cigarette is a win and a step toward a healthier and better you. All you need to do is stay focused, dedicated, and committed to your goal.
ITS NOW OR NEVER
