Quitting smoking easily may seem like an impossible feat, especially when you can’t stay motivated and committed to your goal. You may have quit in the past but found that your motivation waned over time. You’re not alone. Many of us tend to quit smoking in the heat of the moment when our motivation is high but then relapse a day or a week later when our cravings increase, and our motivation dips. As a result, we seek more motivation hoping it’s the key to quitting smoking successfully. We usually try to find this extra motivation boost on a special quit date, a finished pack, or even a health scare, but it rarely lasts.
In this article, you will learn how to stay motivated to quit smoking without guilting yourself into taking action. You will also discover why motivation is not enough to quit smoking easily and what you need instead.
How Motivation Works
First, it’s important to understand that motivation is not something that you either have or don’t have. Motivation is a fickle force that has ups and downs. Think of the motivation to quit smoking as a dynamic force that needs frequent boosts. Like a car, you don’t put fuel in once and expect it to run forever – you have to refill the tank. Similarly, you have to refuel your motivation when it dips.
Tapping into Your Motivation
So, how can you motivate yourself to quit smoking? The answer is in the first quit-smoking stage of the Cognitive Behavioral Quitting (CBQ) method. During the first stage, called “choose to quit,” you make a firm decision to live free from addiction. Part of this decision stage is discovering and reflecting not only on your logical reasons to stop smoking but also your emotional reasons. Simply put, your logical reasons are why you should or must quit, while your emotional reasons are why you want to be free. Both logical reasons, such as the negative impact of smoking on health, and emotional reasons, such as feeling better about oneself, are important in feeling motivated to quit smoking.
Refueling Your Motivation
Motivation is like a flame, it flickers and dims, but with the right tools, it can be reignited.
The solution to staying motivated to quit smoking is to know how to refuel your motivation. When your motivation dips, all you have to do is remind yourself of why you wanted to stop smoking in the first place by revisiting your logical and emotional reasons.
How to Find Your Emotional Reason to Stop Smoking
Step 1: Take 5 minutes alone in a quiet place and ask yourself: “Why do I want to be free from addiction?”, “How would my life change for the better if I didn’t have to smoke anymore?”
Step 2: Imagine how your life would change for the better if you were never to smoke another cigarette or vape. Consider how your health, mental health, inner peace, confidence, finances, and relationships would be impacted.
Step 3: Think about how not smoking would take you closer to your ideal image of yourself and your life.
Step 4: Look for one or for multiple emotional reasons for quitting smoking. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer.
Step 5: Write down your emotional reasons on flashcards and carry them with you.
Step 6: When you feel unmotivated, read through your flashcards and remind yourself of your emotional reasons for quitting smoking.
Step 7: Repeat this process until you find an emotional reason that truly moves you and gives you the motivation to quit smoking.
Beyond Motivation
Motivation may be essential to quitting smoking, but it is not enough to help you become a happy non-smoker. That’s where preparation comes to save the day. Preparation, the CBQ Method teaches, will take you further than motivation ever will.
Motivation and preparation are two different things that are both important in the process of quitting smoking. Motivation depends on our emotions. Even though it can be a powerful force in the beginning stages of quitting, it can be unpredictable and unreliable. Preparation, on the other hand, provides a solid foundation and the necessary tools and support to successfully quit smoking. By focusing on preparation, you can secure your success regardless of how much your motivation fluctuates.
While motivation is like a flame, preparation is like a seed; it may start small, but with proper care and attention, it can grow into a strong, resilient tree that can withstand any obstacle.
Conclusion
Staying motivated to quit smoking is possible! To tap into your motivation, discover your logical and emotional reasons for quitting smoking by following the first stage of the CBQ Method. When you feel unmotivated, remember it’s normal, and all you have to do is refuel your motivation.
*This content is the intellectual property of the CBQ Method.
