Letting go of a habit will never be easy. I started smoking when I was 17 years old, and for almost 8 years, I could not stop inhaling and exhaling the cancer sticks. Whenever I am stressed out or feel the urge to release all the challenges I’m going through, I smoke. Just sharing this story actually makes me teary eyed. It was a struggle for almost a decade. I wasn’t mindful of the people around me. Smoking for me is something I used to really need. I used to smoke a pack and a half a day. It was gruesome. It makes me sick just by imagining it now.
Time passed and I realized that I’m getting old and that I need to be healthy for the ones I love. I also came to that conclusion that smoking is not an addiction, but a sign of desperation and frustration. People smoke to inhale the hardships they are going through and exhale everything as if things will be forgotten. When I decided to stop smoking, I decided to choose healthy and choose to live.
Here are a number of tips I would like to share in order to help the smokers out there who want to quit and start living.
1. Help yourself.
Face your problems and never run from them. I used to run from all my problems and it never helped in any way; solutions were never thought of and the problems I had just grew bigger. Never settle for less. Choose to love yourself, because it is you who will be responsible for your own life. Don’t focus on being too emotional. Rationalize on everything and be positive. Problems have solutions, challenges have answers.
2. Think of your loved ones.
Think of all the chemicals you are inhaling, and then exhaling on your mother, father, brothers and sisters. What have they done to you for you to kill them slowly? Think of them as the people who you want to be with until you grow old. Take care of them, most especially your parents, who took care of you when you were only a baby.
3. Make a list of all your goals in life.
After writing all your plans and goals in life, see if there is a part of it where you are about to fall in the pits of unhealthy living. Scratch it out and check your list again. Breathe in and breathe out. Feel how beautiful this life is.
4. Choose beautiful.
The moment I stopped smoking, I felt younger and freer. Besides that, I was under a water therapy where I only drank water and not juices or soft drinks. For the first time in my life, I knew I was deciding to take a brighter path; one which may be a challenging journey, but will surely take me somewhere.
5. Find an alternative.
Instead of smoking, invest on finding the most delicious fruit shakes in your local place. You’ll be surprised one day that you’re not hooked in the habit anymore.
6. Be busy.
Never focus on smoking. Do your work and always stay positive.
7. Start now.
Photo credits to Lee’s Summit.