Hi Future Non Smoker
So you smoke to manage your stress, which is very common. When you feel anxious, or overwhelmed you light a smoke, when you feel angry or sad you might smoke, or perhaps when you feel depressed or lonely, bored you smoke. Or maybe you smoke to relax and just let go.
So many occasions, events and feelings are accompanied by cigarettes, and it may seem that life would be all hard to manage without them.
I have written many times about nicotine causing stress not relieving it, and to give you the quick story, when you smoke you get a short feeling of relief but nicotine caused your adrenals to secrete the stress hormone cortisol.
In your mind you already know which emotions you link with cigarettes, what if you continue to smoke and the likely bad news.
Anger is common, a smoker can quickly become angry at themselves for not quitting sooner or for being so stupid for starting in the first place.
Regret sets in and a great sense of loss is felt for time waisted smoking and the future loss of time and health.
Fear grips everyone who faces the uncertainty of pain illness, disability, treatment and possibility death. I say this without wanting to be dramatic just being real.
Sadness comes when considering those you won’t spend time with or the lost opportunities or the things you won’t do or the places you won’t go.
Dealing with the shame of being responsible for creating a serious health problem for yourself and having to face loved ones.
Confusion reigns as you are faced with the news and having to make important life changing decisions.
So many emotions and there would be many more as you go from diagnosis to treatment to prognosis.
Now if you compare this level or stress and the full gamut of emotions to the emotional benefits you derive your smoking habit.
The problem is that you feel these benefits every day and the painful emotions are hopefully never going to surface or at least are so far over the horizon that you can’t relate to them. I heard it suggested many times that all smokers should do a tour of the cancer ward, this sounds like intense advice but just maybe it could shift the thinking of a few smokers and therefore save those same few smokers.
You could hope it won’t happen to you or you could take action with a quit smoking hypnosis session.
To quit smoking the fast easy way just call me for a complementary chat on 1300 203 422 in Australia.
You can quit with me at, South Bank Brisbane, Buderim on the Sunshine Coast or Toowoomba.
All the best
Ian Newton
