Stop Smoking Cravings
There are several effective ways to stop smoking cravings. If you have the will and determination, you can become very creative in your journey to beat the cravings. Combining the need to overcome the cravings along with the possible concern you may have over weight gain, brings us to one of the most challenging habits to develop and enjoy. That’s exercise! Just a few minutes of brisk exercise and some deep breathing will often stop the smoking craving in its tracks. The chemical in the brain that promotes and sends out the signal for a smoking craving sensation is noticeably lowered by activity, while other “feel good” chemicals are increased. Your thought process is changed naturally by the focus on the exercise you are performing.
Another way to self motivate and stop smoking cravings is to reward yourself. Add up the savings you will experience daily, weekly and monthly. Designate an account, or even a piggy bank, to keep the funds as they add up. Then plan your reward. You may, at first, want to go with a weekly reward in order to really feel the accomplishment of beating the craving. However, eventually you will find that the bigger items are attainable, whether it’s a new laptop or a vacation for the entire family. You find yourself embarking on a new way of life!
There is one tool that should be considered one of the strongest ways to stop smoking cravings. It is called visualization. It’s a very important technique that seems to get buried in all the scientific data on the effective measures one might take to overcome the sensation of a powerful craving. Generally a craving may last up to 2 or 3 minutes. That’s a very long time when you find yourself wanting to smoke in a stressful situation. This is where visualization comes in. Do your research. Find pictures of smoke ridden lungs, and understand these are probably how yours would appear. Next, find a picture of a healthy set of lungs, all pink and full of life. Implant that picture in your mind. Call on it whenever you need additional support, and tell yourself you want this set of lungs. Continue to sharpen your visualization by learning some simple relaxation techniques. Then, simply day dream yourself out of the crisis, and stop smoking cravings.
You can combine the visualization with experimenting with other tools. These are things such as candy, for oral satisfaction, a pencil or pen to twirl to keep the hands occupied, or a puzzle to pass the time. You will find yourself growing stronger each and every day until smoking has become something in your past. Years later, many an ex smoker still feels the tug of the craving. The successful ex smoker will acknowledge it, and then release it back to the past where it belongs.
