Today, global figures state that 1 in 4 adults smoke. Even more concerning, did you know, there were 100 million premature deaths during the 20th century due to cigarettes? Thankfully, there is an ongoing worldwide campaign to significantly reduce the impact of smoking. The World Health Organization, together with many governments, are taking action by encouraging smokers to become ex-smokers, highlighting the dangers of cigarettes/e-cigs, the threat to non-smokers and the environment we live in, as well as the economic impact on businesses and the healthcare industry.
Many smokers long to quit to minimize the chance of serious illness, stop the pressure on the non-smokers around them and to live a longer, active, healthy life. Of course, giving up smoking will make a significant difference to lifestyle, but there are plenty of other benefits to embrace such as real positive change for mental and spiritual well being.
If you want to quit, by making the decision to give up smoking and deciding to focus on achieving your goal (not only for the short-term but importantly for the long-term), you will open the door to that healthier future and inner balance you want. Let’s find out more.
Mindfulness and the Quitting Smoking Journey
For people who are used to applying mindfulness to their daily lives and perhaps who already include meditation, giving up any bad habit, including smoking, should be easier to attain. This is because mindfulness builds self-awareness. What’s more, people who are mindful learn how to live in the moment, whereas many people constantly look into the future or dwell on the past, forgetting about the present. If you are a smoker, and you decide to give up, thinking about the past when you smoked could hamper your progress. In the same way, considering a future without cigarettes and combining that with telling yourself you won’t be able to reach your goal could make it extremely difficult to achieve non-smoking status. So, if you struggle with mindfulness, how do you overcome the challenges?
The Role of a Support System in Your Quit-Smoking Journey
Firstly, have a firm goal and end date so you have something to work towards. During the days or weeks leading up to your quit date, practise mindfulness every day and learn how to think “in the moment.” When you find yourself spending too much time looking back in time, bring your mind back to the present and stop looking into the future, certainly if you find yourself thinking about situations where you will want to smoke. Instead, deal with those situations when they arise.
You should also arm yourself with tools to help you give up successfully and look at reputable websites to help you become a non-smoker. There are online resources that will make an extraordinary difference in your quest. For example, Snus– store and Nicotine Pouches website, both sell a wide range of smokeless alternatives, already proven to help hundreds of thousands of now ex-smokers manage their cravings. It’s also worth reading and re-reading their online resource centers which have plenty of guidance on quitting smoking, with useful tools and tips.
Surround yourself with a supportive network, whether it’s confiding in friends, family, or online communities. Tell them you want to become an ex-smoker and achieve a healthier, more balanced life. All will help provide encouragement and strength especially during difficult moments. Having a positive, supportive network can help you stay committed to your goal. Of course, giving up smoking is a personal journey but for many, sharing the journey benefits the end result. If you can, invite others to meditate with you, subconsciously having someone alongside you gives you a boost in your quest for better quality of life!
Create Healthy Habits to Replace Smoking
If much of your smoking cessation journey involves mindfulness and meditation, then you’ll already have formed a positive, healthy habit. Meditation undoubtedly works, as this study displays, with a significant reduction in smoking of 60% after 2 weeks of meditation training. Learning how to meditate and using this tool daily will also help you with other goals you wish to achieve. Moreover, meditation is an incredibly powerful tool for reducing anxiety, stress levels, boosting feel-good hormones, inviting positive wellbeing and for deeper, more restful sleep.
Yoga is another idea that goes hand-in-hand with meditation and mindfulness. In fact, combining yoga with meditation at the end of your practice achieves a balanced body and mind. This study shows how yoga is excellent for quitting smoking, especially amongst women. Once you learn how to practice yoga, incorporating it into your life on a daily basis brings a wealth of other benefits. It boosts the immune system, strengthens and stretches the muscles, improves posture, lifts flagging mood, builds strength and benefits the heart.
Staying Focused and Managing Cravings
Of course, while the above mindful suggestions will make a difference, there is no harm in including positive replacements to reach your goal. Both Snus.online and NicotinePocuhes.net have a collection of tobacco-free nicotine pouches which are small sachets worn orally that release flavorings and nicotine, therefore controlling cravings. Proven to work with smoking cessation, these pouches slip into any lifestyle, can be worn any time, anywhere, won’t harm others around you and are fast becoming the healthier market-leading replacement for cigarettes.
Combining smokeless alternatives with staying mindful and focused will manage cravings. When cravings occur, using a nicotine pouch and embracing deep breathing along with mindfulness exercises should reduce the urge to smoke, while keeping you centered. You don’t have to just practice mindfulness either, physical activities such as yoga (as mentioned), Pilates, swimming, walking or running, for example, will take your mind off your desire to smoke too.
Celebrating Progress Along the Way
Rewarding your achievements along the way also helps keep a positive mindset – and you’re more likely to achieve your goal if you set mini-goals such as a meal out in your favorite restaurant. A new outfit, a weekend at a yoga retreat or a trip abroad with the money you save by not wasting it on cigarettes. Whether it’s a few days, a few weeks or a few months of your new, smoke-free life, recognizing and celebrating your progress is key to maintaining motivation and inner balance.
Conclusion: Finding Peace in a Smoke-Free Life
Deciding to bring positive change to your life by giving up smoking is the beginning of a transformative journey that will result in you achieving a more peaceful, balanced and healthier lifestyle. Choosing to include mindfulness, meditation and physical activities such as yoga or similar can positively impact the end result – becoming a non-smoker. Stay in the moment, use the above as tools and attain your goal faster by adding support and the right resources. In doing so, you will successfully navigate your no-smoking journey, and soon embrace the incredible benefits that come with a smoke-free life.