How to beat your Mind Games when you Quit Smoking

Long term smokers are expert at mind games because if you think about it, to be able to continuously smoke for years or decades while being completely aware of how destructive it can be to your life and your health, you must be playing mind games with yourself to still continue smoking. Do not quit smoking because you have to, do it as a rewarding challenge in order to teach yourself to not smoke. There are plenty of mind tricks that can help you get started.

Mind tricks to Stop Smoking

If you want to stop smoking for good, you should never allow yourself to ever think that you “need” to smoke. You should instead think of it as “”I want to smoke” or “I’m feeling some stress that I would have interpreted in the past as a desire for cigarettes.” This will help you analyze your feelings and make you realize that you are not in any pain or discomfort over a craving to smoke. In addition, you should also never allow yourself to think that you could “just have one” because you will end up relapsing, you should instead think “I will be a smoker again” which will help trick your brain to focus on the negative aspects of smoking and put you off lighting one up. When you feel desperate to smoke, you should not picture yourself smoking, you should instead picture the worst smoke you have ever had in your life so that you do not envy your good memories and it will turn you off instead. You should often point out the benefits of quitting smoking to yourself, such as getting a money jar and constantly putting the money you have saved instead of buying a pack inside it so that you can visualize how much money you are saving and it will motivate you to continue the streak.

People have a tendency to tell themselves that they are suffering or stressed, however, they rarely tell themselves when they feel great. It is just as easy to tell yourself you feel great as you complain about your stress and the fact that you feel terrible. Telling yourself that you feel great will automatically reduce stress and anxiety in your mind and it will deter you from smoking when you feel like it. Another way to help beat the mind game is to deal with smoking triggers early on and slowly so that you do not deny yourself from something good. For example, if you associate smoking with sitting on your balcony or porch, do not simply avoid that activity just because it's a trigger, you should still go and sit there and maybe try to do something else for example getting a coffe or reading a book. In the first few days after you quit, everything will feel like a trigger to smoke. However, you should try to fight it so that you are not depriving yourself of something that you like to do. However, alcohol is an exception because it lowers your inhibitions so you should take it easy. Another way to reduce stress immediately and distract yourself from smoking is to laugh often. Watch funny videos or read jokes often so your mind temporarily relieves stress and you will not feel like smoking. You should also never let yourself get into the junkie thinking and treating quitting as the end. Think of it as the start of a healthy lifestyle where you will be met with many new opportunities and start fresh. Do not let your mind tell you that the damage is already done because if you think that way then you will end up smoking again. There is always time to change your ways and shift to a healthier lifestyle, it's never too late.

It’s extremely difficult to stop smoking because the habit and the percieved plesure derived from it are enforced on a subconscious level. Your mind is enforcing inaccurate beliefs and distorting your perceptions so it is important that you play mind games with yourself in order to finally stop smoking for good. If you need professional help or someone to give advice and tips to quit smoking then do not hesitate to contact Dr. Narindr at one of the links below.