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So, you’ve given it some serious consideration and now you’re at the point of preparing to quit smoking – a crucial stage on the journey to becoming smoke free.
If you’ve been smoking for many years, it’s likely that you have certain habits when it comes to lighting up, behaviours that have been reinforced over and over again – acknowledging that quitting is not going to bean overnight process is important and just like our smoking habits have been learnt over time, our change from being a smoker to a non-smoker, will also take time (and patience!). Taking the time to create a plan of action is helpful in the process…
A good point to start may be making a list of your triggers or moments in the day that have become associated with lighting up – for example, the morning coffee, after meals or on work breaks. Not only do we bring our attention to times we may be on autopilot (think how many times you’ve lit a cigarette without thinking the moment the kettle begins boiling!), but we also become aware of how many activities in our day are intertwined with smoking. Beginning to experiment and make small changes in these areas over time – think switching the morning coffee to an orange juice or changing your work breaks to avoid the smoking crowd – can add up to an overall change of smoker to non-smoker.
Are you aware of the support and resources available that can assist the quit journey? Research into what’s out there – blogs, handbooks, telephone and face-2-face services and even friends that have gone through a similar process – to get as informed as possible is a great way to get into the mindset of quitting smoking.
And what are your real motivations for quitting? Of course, health and cash are clear answers but what about more specific things like playing outdoors with the kids more or being able to join the work football team? Note down a list of personal motivations and motivating statements to get the juices flowing!
If this resonates with where you are at, you may find these short videos on the stages of behaviour change interesting: Behaviour Change| Preparation
We’d welcome you to get in touch if you'd like to set up a call with one of the Quit Coaches here to discuss how we can together create a plan of action - hello@28days.org.uk
