Need to Quit Smoking? 2 Tools You Need.

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quit-smokingSmoking cigarettes is a habit – or addiction – that is very hard to quit for many reasons. We all know about the physical addiction to nicotine- it’s known to be as hard to beat as heroin. But many people do not realize that there are many deep-seated emotional issues, as well as subconscious beliefs, that keep them smoking.

Smoking cigarettes is often used to stuff feelings and emotional pain that’s left over from historical trauma and/or belief patterns. These lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure (just to name a few).

If you are aware that cigarettes calm you down, chances are good that you’re wanting to avoid dealing with some old unprocessed emotions. If you don’t believe this, my question to you is: why do you need cigarettes to calm down? Many people who don’t smoke can calm down without cigarettes or another substance.

There is the addiction, as discussed earlier, and just missing the nicotine can make you feel anxious. But there are people who quit cold turkey and stay quit. So why do YOU rely on cigarettes for calming down?

What most people don’t realize is that our social and cultural conditioning dictates a lot about how we experience ourselves and the world we live in. These perceptions dictate how we deal – or don’t deal – with emotions and challenges. Over time, these patterns just seem normal so we assume it’s just “the way I am”.

You might say, “I have an addictive personality” but that tendency toward addiction is really based on how well you deal with stress. If you don’t have natural tools and skills for dealing with stressful people and situations, then you can’t calm down and think clearly when you face a challenge. You might turn to substances that make you feel better. But you are still not dealing with the challenge and things often get worse.

Stress can be dealt with in ways that don’t make you unhealthy and eventually kill you. Two tools that I use with clients include EFT, which stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques, and Transformational Breathing. These powerful techniques can dramatically change the way you:

  • see, value and take care of yourself
  • experience the world and other people
  • honor and communicate your needs and desires
  • experience emotions and feelings
  • go with the flow, and benefit from it, rather than resisting what is

You can certainly continue to smoke. That is the easy way at this point. But as you know, the end result is an early, very unpleasant death. And along the way, you are losing the opportunity to have a richer, more fulfilling life. Because when you are busy stuffing your feelings, you are missing out on the richness that life has to offer… through feelings!

Call me if you want help kicking that old habit into the can!

 

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