Mind Over Matter & Conquering The Fear of Quitting Smoking

Are you afraid to quit smoking?  Recently someone told me that they're scared of not smoking.  So that got me thinking, if there's one, then there's got to be at least a few more gazillion smokers out there who (whether they know it or not) have some fear about quitting. 

So, if you don't have time right now to read this blog in it's entirety, let me give it to you in a nut shell:  being afraid of not smoking is a normal and perfectly reasonable response by your body and your brain who is currently chemically dependent on nicotine.  At this point in time, nicotine is considered and looked upon by your body in the same way as water.  Meaning you got to have it.  That's scary!

Now into the nitty-gritty.  The beauty of your humanity is that we humans have the ability to have a 3rd person experience of ourselves.  Meaning we can "take a look at our self."  Looking at yourself from an outsiders point of view is great because even though our instinct and ego are now convinced that we need cigarettes and nicotine like we need water, we can look at ourselves from a third person perspective and realize that it is not true.  With that knowledge from our higher awareness we can now start to transition our mind into a place of thinking and believing that we don't need to smoke to survive.

Another aspect of smoking is that the cigarette becomes a friend and part of the family.  Smoking very quickly gets ritualized into our daily life.  Cigarette with morning coffee, after work, after a good meal, after good sex, after bad sex, while driving, etc.  You've got your own little smoking rituals that enhance a moment or brings peace to chaos.  The cigarette is your friend and always there when you need it.

The relationship you have with you and your cigarette is also unfortunately an incredibly dysfunctional relationship.  Clearly, this relationship will not end well.  You're slowly killing yourself.  It's an abusive relationship.  Odds are pretty freaking good, you're NOT going to make it to 100 like granny over here.  If you're going to hit 100, you're literally going to have to "break up" with cigarettes. 

So you'll have some common fears.  Fears of being alone, fears of being looked at weird by your peers, fears of failure, etc.  What are your fears?  There are plenty and they are unique to you but they are there none the less.

 

Be strong and go anyway!  How????????????  Simple.  Mind over matter.  Keep in mind, simple does not mean easy.  Case in point, look at Benedikt Magnusson here.  He's going to deadlift 1015 pounds.  Let me say that again, One Thousand And Fifteen Pounds.  How??????  Mind over matter.  Yes, he's competed in  The Worlds Strongest Man and is a professional strong man and power lifter so he is very strong.  But watch how he gets ready for this pull.  See his determination, commitment, focus?  Look at the "crazy" in his eyes.  And then look how gently and smoothly the weight rises off the ground.  He had to conquer the weight in his mind before he could conquer it with his body. 

So goes it for you, the soon to be "smoker who doesn't smoke."  In my book How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone, you will see how it is far better to just stop than to try to quit.  You'll begin to understand how to talk yourself into it and then right on through it.  You'll find out how to kick the habit and not loose one ounce of your identity. 

Finally, you'll begin to recognize that you deserve more and you deserve better.