WELLNESS CONNECTION · Life Balance

Discover Your Personal Motivation to Quit Smoking

By Barbara E. Savin, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Healing Energy Specialist

September 17, 2010 - 10:29AM

There are many compelling reasons to quit smoking, including reducing your risk of developing cancer, heart disease and even early death. Perhaps the idea of a life-threatening disease doesn�t seem real � �It will never happen to me�. Many smokers find they need a more personal motive to kick the habit. The following steps will help you realize your own powerful reasons to quit smoking once and for all.

1) Take a few moments to write down the negative aspects of how smoking makes you feel. Be sure to include physical consequences such as shortness of breath, fatigue, anxiety, clothes and breath having the scent of smoke, and potentially even your fears such as leaving your children before your time. Write down as many examples as you can, and ensure that each reason you select is significant to you and not just a stereotypical response.

2) Once you have completed your list, think about how each experience feels in your daily life. Based on your response, choose the three most persuasive points and circle them. For these three top reasons, write out a detailed description of each. For example, if one of your statements was "to not die young", write a paragraph or two about why that is important to you. What would you miss out on that you could have in a longer, fuller life? How would it affect your children? Will your smoking addiction encourage them to smoke? Continue writing until you feel you have identified your core motivation for wanting to quit. This exercise can be incredibly powerful.

3) When you have your three descriptions completed, take a moment and now write a depiction of the most positive, opposite outcome. When you do quit smoking, what will happen instead? For example, you might describe how you will be around achieve your life goals, how proud of you your family will be for quitting or that you will have the energy and stamina to embrace life. This step in the process will provide you with the inspiration to quit smoking.

Read the motives you�ve established on a daily basis. Paying attention to how they make you feel. With enough repetition, you will actually begin to train your brain to view yourself as a non-smoker. This thought process will make quitting easier when you�re ready.

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