Quit Smoking Monday Messages

5 Tips That Will Help You Quit Smoking

With the right information and a plan, each one of us has the ability to quit smoking permanently. And that, of course, is what we all want -- lasting freedom from nicotine addiction.

If I had to pick 5 essential ingredients for long-term success with smoking cessation, they would be:

If you want to change your life, change your mind.

You can abstain from smoking for years, but if you never change the relationship you have with cigarettes, the chains will continue to hold you tight. Change the way you think and you can free yourself in an instant. You'll still have to do the work to undo the years of habit of course, but once you free your mind, you are on your way.

Yard by yard is always hard, but inch by inch is a cinch.

This is a catchy way to remember another valuable truth that will help you on your journey. Recovery from nicotine addiction is a process of gradual release over time. Keep yourself in the present moments of today and you'll find the job manageable. Don't worry about tomorrow or the next day or forever. Think about today only and what you can do with it. Recovery comes in inches, but those inches add up.

Think of momentum as a tool.

We all start our quit programs on day one. We all have to endure hell and heck weeks and the discomforts beyond them. Every smoke-free day makes you stronger and more able to succeed. The gains are imperceptible at first, but they're happening all the same. Day by day you're building momentum and it will propel you forward with greater ease as time goes by. And that momentum will carry over into other areas of your life as well. You'll use it to achieve other goals you once thought of as unattainable. We can always do more than we think we can.

Time heals.

When I first quit smoking and found the About.com Smoking Cessation forum, an old-timer told me that in time, smoking would lose its importance in my life. I hung on those words - they gave me hope. I had a hard time believing it from where I was as a new quitter, but I wanted what he said to be true so badly.

Well, that old-timer was right. Today, smoking has lost its luster completely. Along with a change in attitude, time has helped me to replace the hundreds of associations I had to smoking. The triggers are gone - and new, healthier habits have taken their place. It's a very rare occasion when a thought of smoking flits across my mind anymore. Time has been a great quit buddy.

Smoking cessation is not a race.

Relax into your quit. Don't think of it as a destination but as a journey. Take your time and let the healing happen as it will. It's a mistake to place expectations on your recovery, and it's a sure-fire way to set yourself up for failure. Let the process unfold for you as an individual. Take the experiences of others into account, but don't let them drive your quit program. Your quit program is yours alone.

You can quit smoking successfully. Think of smoking cessation as a journey - a grand adventure that will bring you treasures and rewards beyond your wildest dreams. Yes, there will be times of turmoil, but they are temporary. You are building a new and improved you. Be patient and give yourself time to grow into it.

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Take The Quit Smoking Monday Pledge

Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.

• Quit Smoking Monday Messages Archive

We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.

You can quit smoking ... and we’re here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.

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