| How does your throat feel the day after a night of | | | | One suggestion is to repeat healthy affirmations as |
| heavy smoking and drinking? What about your endless | | | | often as possible. For example, with emotional intensity |
| coughing? Did you sleep well or did you toss and turn | | | | repeat the affirmations: 'I let go of unhealthy thoughts |
| most of the night, your chest feeling tight? | | | | and I feel great. I release the need for unhealthy habits |
| You probably want to quit smoking but don't know | | | | in my life. I am healthy, full of energy and vitality. I sleep |
| how. Allow me to inform you that the most effective | | | | soundly all night.' The idea here is to keep your |
| way to quit smoking, in the long-term, is to change the | | | | thoughts and mind occupied with healthy living rather |
| way you think about yourself, your health and your life. | | | | than about quitting smoking. If you keep thinking about |
| If you want to live a smoke-free and healthy life you | | | | quitting smoking, you will still think about smoking. Get |
| have to adopt the thoughts that flow with the idea of | | | | smoking completely out of your mind and fill it with |
| a smoke-free and healthy you. | | | | healthy thoughts. |
| The way you live is the way you think. Constantly think | | | | 4. Another suggestion is to replace smoking with |
| good health and joyous living. Keep your thoughts | | | | healthy food or drink; for example, eat plenty of |
| away from smoking as if cigarettes never existed. | | | | carrots, apples and tomatoes, and drink a lot of water. |
| Change your line of thinking and you can live life the | | | | 5. With the summer fast approaching, you could begin |
| way you want; where you choose your destiny as a | | | | an exercise programme. Exercise relieves stress, |
| healthy person. | | | | releases happy hormones and is great in helping your |
| Here are a few ways you can start to change your | | | | body recover from the damage caused from years |
| thinking patterns and habits toward smoking: | | | | of smoking. If it has been a while since you last |
| 1. There is a huge power in the question 'why'; the | | | | exercised, start off slow and gradually build up on it. |
| reason 'why' you want to quit smoking. When you find | | | | When I quit, I exercised on a rowing machine. I started |
| the ultimate reason why you want to quit smoking and | | | | off rowing three minutes three times a week, and then |
| you feed those reasons regularly to your mind, you will | | | | increased my time gradually one minute per week. |
| be rid of that habit. So start off the habit of being | | | | Now I row for an hour (on a good day) every day. It is |
| smoke-free and healthy by writing as many reasons | | | | recommended to consult a physician or your doctor |
| as you can as to why you want to give up smoking. | | | | prior to starting any exercise programme. |
| Then choose the top three most powerful reasons | | | | For you to quit smoking, you will need to make that |
| and read them with feelings twice or more daily. | | | | all-important decision that you want to and must quit |
| 2. Your next step is to write down all the benefits that | | | | smoking. By using the 'why' as your driving force, you |
| you will gain by quitting smoking. A few examples to | | | | go to work on your day-to-day thoughts. |
| get you thinking: I will live longer, I will feel healthier, I will | | | | By adopting healthy-living thoughts you will be rid of the |
| sleep better, I will feel better, my hair and hands and | | | | pain of smoking; the coughing, the wheezing, the |
| clothes will smell better, I will save a lot of money that I | | | | sleepless nights, being constantly out of breath, and |
| could put to better use, and many more. Again, read | | | | more. |
| the benefits of quitting smoking as many times as you | | | | Change your inner, core thoughts and quit smoking and |
| can during the day. | | | | live a smoke-free and healthy life. |
| 3. It helps to plan a replacement for your smoking habit. | | | | |