When do people usually quit smoking? Unfortunately, they wait until one morning when they look in the mirror and notice how yellow their teeth are, how bad their skin looks and how awful they cough; in other words, much more later than they should. If you find yourself in the same situation or close to it, that means you’ve just become or you’re about to become conscious about the fact that you have a problem.

Once you realize what your problem is, you get down to business and try to solve it – obviously by quitting smoking. First week after quitting cigarettes is idealistic – you breathe easier, your hands don’t smell bad anymore and, since you’re so determined, you think you can break any records.

Nevertheless, you should also expect to go through a period when you feel capable of killing for a smoke. Lack of nicotine will also affect you physically, not only mentally. You’ll find yourself in great pain, in a bad mood, just as if you quitted taking drugs. When you go through precisely the period described above, keep away thoughts like: I’ll smoke only one more and then I’ll realty quit – once you start smoking again, you suffered all that pain in vain. On the other hand, try not to:

• Start drinking, instead of smoking. It’s even worse.
• Keep any lights around or ashtrays – they will represent too much of a temptation.
• Encourage you friends to smoke next to you, just to show them how tough you are.

Keep in mind that there are thousands of people on this planet trying to quit smoking, so you are not alone. Try to get more information regarding the amount of evil cigarettes do to you. Watch TV, read magazines, go on line, or even try to get professional help, because once you did made your decision to quit smoking and you respected it for more than two weeks, it’s a pity to give up.

Many persons, and not only women, have confessed that they are afraid to gain considerable weight, when quitting smoking. Specialists have not denied this fear. They do admit that we have to use something in order to compensate for the cigarettes we don’t smoke anymore. Usually lack of cigarettes is compensated by candies, which served in great quantities will result into a lot of body fat; chewing gum, which actually stimulates our gastric juice and makes us hungry more often.

Nevertheless you have to assume all those risks and try to diminish the unpleasant effects by exercising a lot, because otherwise, the problems to deal with will be even more considerable than a few extra pounds.

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After a while smoking becomes a program that our mind continues to run. It is not your body requesting a cigarette – your mind is responsible for this process. By going straight to the source of this problem (your mind) you can obtain control over it. Otherwise, your attempts to quit smoking will only affect you on your conscious level, leaving the unconscious one free to reinitiate the desire to smoke. Most of the times, the initial strong will that determines the conscious mind to say STOP is going to fade away, allowing your “smoking program” to come back even stronger than before. You are creating a whirlwind you will have less and less chances of escaping with the passing of time. After a while (months or years, depending on the individual) smoking becomes part of your mental processes, on the same level as breathing, eating, sleeping.

There are other good reasons to stop smoking for good, as it’s not only your health getting damaged in the process. By repetitively quitting and returning to smoking you will become aware of your weakness and low will power. This can lead to other psychological issues, such as depression and a very low self-esteem. A person experiencing this will cause himself/herself even more problems, becoming insecure and unwilling to take on important projects due to fear of failure.

Self-hypnosis is a good solution to all these problems. Several methods of falling into a self imposed and controlled state of relaxation are available. They work by providing your mind with a safe and quite place, where you can recollect your thoughts and start working on the problem. Hypnosis works with suggestion and you will apply this to your smoking problem. Repetitive practices of self-hypnosis are needed but each time you will feel even more confident with your mental powers. Whenever your subconscious mind pushes you towards lighting a cigarette you can revert to self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis does not have immediate effects, but it is probably the best long term solution you can take. Many people will be skeptical about its effects and might quit after a few days. This is a process that requires you to start knowing yourself better, which many see as a hard journey. However, this method not only gradually reduces your desire to smoke, but also reprograms your subconscious mind to eliminate the desire to smoke forever. When practiced regularly for a few months, self-hypnosis techniques become efficient and beneficial to other aspects of your life. Positive changes don’t stop at smoking and extend to other aspects of your life, boosting your morale and self confidence and guiding you towards a healthier mental state, which, in turn, is reflected on your body’s health.

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