Coping skills

From the Mayo Clinic, October 26, 2006

Many smokers yearn to stop but find it hard because of nicotine's powerful addictive hold. You may need more than one attempt before you successfully stop.

Maybe you want to stop smoking but don't feel ready to stop right now. Many smokers experience similar feelings. Although they want to stop, most also have reasons to put off taking action. The good news is, most smokers eventually do stop. But how can you build the motivation to make the change now?

Start by addressing the mixed feelings you may have about smoking. Identify the reasons why you'd like to continue and the reasons why you'd like to stop. Make a list of your barriers and benefits to making a change. Continue to update the list as you think of more reasons.

Identify barriers
These barriers are real for you and may make you hesitant to change your smoking behavior. But by identifying barriers before you try to stop smoking, you can:

• Start thinking of ways to overcome these barriers. You may even decide that some barriers aren't as big as you had originally thought. You may be able to control weight gain with just a little extra exercise.
• Already start working on overcoming certain barriers. For example, if you're concerned about a lack of social support, talk to a friend who used to smoke or to a health care professional. If you're worried about the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms, consider the use of nicotine replacement or bupropion to help.
• Develop strategies to build confidence to overcome barriers. For example, in situations that trigger your urge to smoke, think of alternatives.
• Set smoke-free boundaries. If there's another smoker in your household, set boundaries by making your home and car smoke-free.

Identify benefits
Stopping smoking is a good change for many reasons. Identify the reasons that are important to you.

• First, make a list. Think of short-term benefits (such as breathing easier, saving money, no more smoky-smelling clothes) and long-term benefits (lower risk of disease, increased chances for a longer life, no secondhand smoke affecting the health of your loved ones).
• This list gives you strong reasons. Whether your list is long or short, the better you're able to identify the benefits of stopping, the stronger your reasons are to stop.
• These reasons build your motivation. Remind yourself of these reasons regularly, especially when you feel your motivation to make a change is lagging.

Build self-confidence
You may have little confidence in your ability to stop smoking. You may have tried to stop many times. If so, try to change your perspective. Instead of thinking of stopping as a huge, impassable obstacle, focus on the smaller details. Identify specific situations in your day that could help or harm your attempt to stop. For example, you may feel confident that you can stay smoke-free in certain situations, such as at your work desk, but less confident about other situations, such as at a party. Take these actions to build self-confidence:

• Identify your major areas of concern. This will help you problem solve and develop strategies to stop smoking.
• Identify situations in which you have some confidence. You'll find that you have many situations in which you're already able to stay smoke-free.
• Seek support. As you work on stopping, seek the social support you need and practice your new coping strategies. In this way, you'll increase your confidence in being able to make a move toward being smoke-free.

Are you giving yourself enough support and encouragement? Make sure to send yourself positive messages about stopping.

• Develop a positive attitude by practicing positive self-talk. Start by looking in the mirror and saying, "I can stop smoking" or "I can be smoke-free."
• Think of one or two phrases to use repeatedly for encouragement. Examples are: "I can make it" and "Keep it up."