Are you a smoker trying to quit the habit? Quitting any bad habit can be incredibly hard. Any number of people will vouch for this absolutely. And, there is no second opinion that smoking is a bad habit. At some time or the other all smokers in their heart of hearts want to quit, but find themselves incapable and helpless. The law of attraction can help you give up your nicotine addiction. Let us show you how to use the law of attraction to quit smoking.
The law of attraction is neither magic nor a miracle. It is a philosophy based on the beliefs of ‘mind over matter’ and ‘like attracts like’. Most people are not aware of the power of their minds and how it can be used to transform lives. And, when you wish to attract something good in your life, all you need to do is to give yourselves a big boost of positivity. However, before you apply the techniques of the law of attraction, you need to understand why you smoke and why is it so hard to stop smoking.
Why do you smoke?
Almost all smokers start the habit very early in their lives, in their teens or even earlier. Mostly it is peer pressure and coolness quotient associated with smoking that gets you into the habit. As you reach the twenties, you realize the health implications of your habit but refuse to admit to yourself that you are addicted. You reassure yourself as well as your well-wishers that you can stop smoking any time you want to, but continue to smoke nevertheless.
As years roll by, the casual habit you started turns into addiction without you ever becoming aware of this. From this point on, you smoke to satisfy your cravings.
The truth is at no point in your life, you smoke because you like it. Initially, it was to gain acceptance, later on, it was to cater to your addiction.
Most smokers are under the impression that the cravings are purely physical. That is, the body is demanding its daily dose of nicotine. There is only a small element of truth in this. The cravings are more emotional. Smoking brings a kind of relief from some unrecognized emotional pain. It helps you to escape from the problem that you are unable to address or resolve otherwise.
Unfortunately, escape and relief are just that, not a solution to the emotional problem. So long as your problem remains unresolved, you use smoking as a means of relief. Unless the need for the escape is dealt with, you won’t be able to quit smoking. Even if you do manage to quit for a brief period, you will go back to smoking or worse still, start another bad habit such as drinking or binge eating for relief.
Are you addicted to smoking?
Many smokers think they have an addiction problem when they actually do not have one. And, many smokers with addiction continue in denial, refusing to accept their situation. So, how do you know whether you are addicted to smoking or not?
To answer that question, you need to understand what is addiction. Addiction can be physical as well as emotional. When you find it difficult to go without a smoke for more than an hour, then it is a physical addiction. You feel anxious and jittery and break into a cold sweat when you can’t light up. Others can go without a puff for a week without any anxiety attacks, provided there are ample distractions to keep their mind occupied. This kind of addiction is more emotional.
Physical addiction is easier to deal with. There are deaddiction therapies and drugs to get rid of the habit. However, emotional addiction is a different ball game altogether. When you use smoking as a compensation mechanism, you tend to go back to it every time you want to destress or feel good. Addressing the root cause of the problem is the only way out.
Why do you find it so hard to stop smoking?
The short answer to the above question is cravings – both physical and emotional. For some, it is also because of habit. At a certain time of the day or on some occasions, it is customary for them to light up. However, after you promised yourself to quit the habit, ideally you should be able to go through with it, but fail most often. By addressing the root cause that acts as a trigger, you have a better chance of success.
Even among those who take the help of the law of attraction to stop smoking, the success rate is abysmally low. The reason lies in the approach and implementation rather than the process. Unlike other goals that state something positive that you desire, quit smoking as a goal is negative in approach. Smoking is something you don’t want or want to stop.
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How to use the law of attraction to quit smoking?
Embracing the philosophy of the law of attraction changes the way your mind works. A positive shift in your thoughts and feelings will have a direct impact on your actions and thus on your life itself. When you can keep your emotions in check, thereby curbing your urge to smoke, quitting the habit is just a matter of time.
Take it slowly or go cold turkey?
You can choose to stop smoking either slowly or abruptly. Both have their pluses and minuses. Taking it slowly is easier on you physically and emotionally. Since the root cause of smoking is emotional for a vast majority, this method is the most popular. However, this approach is full of pitfalls as you have easy access to cigarettes and all it takes is a moment of weakness to undo all the good work.
Quitting smoking cold turkey can be very traumatic, but has a higher rate of success comparatively. Before going through with this plan, you need to address the emotional pain/pains that are triggering the addiction. With your emotions on firm ground, you just need to deal with your physical cravings.
The sudden death method is ideal when quitting smoking using the law of attraction. With the gradual approach, your mentality is still that of a smoker, while the psychological effect of the abrupt approach is more in line with the philosophy. By putting a full stop to smoking, you no longer possess a smoker’s mentality. It will be easier for your subconscious mind to accept the situation and for your body to follow through.
Work up a powerful motivation
The only route to success in quitting any bad habit is by developing a compelling reason for quitting. Even in your darkest hour, this motivational factor or a combination of factors will help you stay strong and keep going. When you are quitting smoking using the law of attraction, this is all the more important. Instead of concentrating on the negative emotion of quitting. focus on the positive aspect of it like improved health and saving money. Some more reasons to explore are
- Honoring a promise to a dear one.
- Setting a good example for the younger generation.
- Saving your family from the bad effects of secondhand smoke.
Find the cause and eradicate it
Stress and anxiety are the most common reasons for smoking. To succeed in quitting, eliminating these triggers are vital. Meditation, pranayama, and yoga are considered the best stress-busters. You may also try the gym or a hobby. In fact, anything that makes you feel good about yourself. As you cultivate a happy and peaceful emotional space and strengthen your willpower, the opportunities for you to feel stressed and anxious just vanishes. And with it the urge to smoke. It is really as simple as that!
Ignore the habit and focus on why you want to quit
While trying to manifest your goal with the law of attraction, focusing on something you don’t want is going about it the wrong way. Affirmations that goes something like “I quit smoking successfully’ is not going to help. Any affirmation with ‘stop smoking’, ‘quit smoking’, or ‘cannot smoke’ is more harmful than helpful.
These affirmations that you consciously repeat as often as possible to remind yourself of the goal are actually reminding yourself that you are a smoker and trying to stay away from it. As long as ‘smoking’ is the dominant thought in your mind irrespective of whether you wish to quit or not, it is counterproductive and works against your desired outcome. You are constantly reminding yourself of how important smoking is to you.
Instead, focus on positive aspects of quitting. On what you will gain by stopping the bad habit. Such as better health, saving money, or smelling better.
Block negative thoughts about quitting
This is a trap most people fall for when trying to quit. You may have heard, read, or seen accounts of hardships faced by people trying to stop smoking. So, when you are attempting to stop smoking, you would be expecting similar hardships on the road ahead, including withdrawal symptoms.
The law of attraction teaches us that whatever we believe in, we create or make it happen. If you think you will experience problems, you most probably will. The trick is to entertain positive thoughts about quitting.
How to use Visualization to stop smoking
Like affirmations, visualization is a powerful tool in the manifestation process. Visualization technique is used to impress upon your subconscious mind that there is a beautiful and happy life waiting for you after you quit. It helps to convince yourself that you don’t need cigarettes to have a fulfilling life. Follow these steps for a successful visualization experience.
- Identify your goal. Instead of having ‘quitting smoking’ as a goal, think of why you wish to quit and keep it as your goal. Like, better control over yourself or simple pleasures like the ability to taste your food.
- Choose the image/images or scenes from your future life when you are smoke-free. It can be you doing physical activities without feeling out of breath or coughing. Or you sitting around with friends who are smoking, but you not feeling the need to light up. Or you having some guilt-free fun time with your family. The point is to impress upon your subconscious mind that you are capable of quitting the habit.
- Set a time and place for this exercise. You need to be available undisturbed during the period. The place should be calm and quiet, devoid of external sounds.
- Set the mood by lighting scented candles or playing soothing music. This is optional.
- Sit in a comfortable position. Concentrate on your breathing to bring your mind into focus and get you into the groove.
- Play the images you chose earlier as a slideshow in your mind. You can also opt for videos of future scenes. To add to the effect, you can include your sensory organs in the process. Like the audio, touch, smell, and taste.
- For visualization, you may view the images/video from a first-person or third-person point of view. Or both, one after the other.
- Once you feel comfortable seeing yourself in the future setting without activating triggers for smoking, you can wind up the session gradually in a gentle manner.
- Repeat these visualization sessions to boost your willpower and help you continue on the right track.
Quit Smoking Tips Using Law of Attraction
Addiction of any kind is similar to a trap into which you allow yourself to walk in, most often knowingly. So, to get out of it, you need to want it fervently. If you are not convinced or going through the process half-heartedly, nothing can help you quit. Ultimately, it boils down to whether you really want to quit or not. Before you decide to stop smoking, make sure you actually want to quit.
- Do not guilt-trip yourself over smoking. Do not demonize the act. Whether you smoke or not, it is entirely your decision. If you do smoke, do it in peace and enjoy it.
- Every single time you light up a cigarette, ask yourself whether you really want to smoke. Most often, it is a habit or a need or a compulsion. Do not make excuses. Promise yourself that you will smoke only when you want to and not because you do not have a choice.
- Pay attention to what is the trigger for you to smoke. It may be for relief from stress, anxiety, anger, fear, loneliness, helplessness, boredom, or feeling overwhelmed. Or the reason can be a celebration, wanting to belong, or look cool. Try to find a way to get rid of the trigger. Manifestation using the law of attraction can help in this.
- Closely monitor whether there is some pattern to the habit. How often you are smoking and when. Some days you will be smoking more. Try to find what is the reason for smoking more or less. Replicating the feeling that leads you to smoke less will help.
- If you manage to identify the patterns and triggers that are making you light up, take constructive action to alleviate them. For example, if you are feeling powerless, learn to stand up for yourself. Or, if you have a horrible boss, change the job or learn to focus on your work. Whatever relief you are trying to get in life with smoking, search for ways to bring the same feeling in real.
- Quitting is no cakewalk. During the process, you may find yourself in vulnerable situations. You may enlist the help of a dear one to hold you accountable for your promises and goals, encourage you to continue and help you ride out the troubled times.
Final thoughts
Success in quitting is all about accomplishing the difficult task of identifying and eliminating negative emotions. There is no single fail-safe or sure-fire method that can be applied successfully for every smoker who wants to quit. You have the choice to quit slowly or abruptly. You can also choose how you are going to deal with the triggers. But the bottom line is what you want in life and how you want to feel. The law of attraction can help you a lot in this effort, not just in quitting smoking. That is just the beginning. The law of attraction can help you reveal your true self and the amazing things you are capable of. Can’t wait to meet the new you, can you?
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