By Wendy Lapidus-Saltz, CH, NLPMP

It’s my opinion, based on experience, that the most enduring and harmless aid to smoking cessation is still hypnosis.  Many will tell you that it has the highest rate of success.  And even if hypnosis were only in second place, it has strong benefits:  it involves no drugs, no acupuncture, and no lasers, and is usually relaxing.

That alone makes it worth considering.

But some prefer a more left-brained approach because they are used to thinking that way in their work.  I asked them why they thought they needed this.  The usual answer went something like this:  “Because my cigarettes have helped me handle a bazillion situations, like what to do with my hands, what to do when I feel lonely, and tons more!”

If you’re among them, I recommend hypnosis as your primary stop-smoking method, with the following as a backup tool.

It can also be used in conjunction with any other methods your physician advises.

“Left-brained” Approach

I created a portable, hands-on, go-to place available whenever it’s needed.  Very few of my clients have needed to use it, but those who did said it provided extra insurance and confidence. 

With that in mind, I offer it here. 

The Power Of List-making for Breaking A Habit

The idea is to make lists now of what you can do instead of smoking (also of use if you’re an overeater).  Each list will contain distractions or activities that will help you keep from smoking in the moment you think you need to smoke. 

When a cigarette seems to be calling your name, you’ll find, for example, things to do with your hands instead of smoking, things to think about when you’re bored and therefore vulnerable to thoughts of smoking, and more. 

The trick is you’ll be generating these lists yourself at your leisure and before you need them. I’ll supply the categories, and you’ll fill them in.  Of course you’ll need to get this all down in a place that will always be accessible to you. 

That can be a simple pad or whatever techno device you always have with you these days.

Where do the categories come from?

All smokers who visit me with the goal of smoking cessation are asked to provide situations or cues that can lure them to pick up, light, and smoke a cigarette. 

I used these to customize their smoking cessation sessions, and that was that.

But a client pointed out that for those who can’t visit my office, and haven’t embarked on a guided stop-smoking program, these lists are still useful.  At the very least, it helps them delay or skip a smoke when they feel the desire for it.

How does it work?

Well, what if one of your triggers for lighting up were, for instance, feeling bored? And what if you had at your fingertips 50 options for dispelling that feeling or thought?

And what if those options fit you personally—the things you like to do, the tools or toys accessible to you, the talents you have?  You’d have a way to turn away from that cigarette for the moment and become occupied in something else, wouldn’t you?

Chances are you wouldn’t be looking for a cigarette for a while.

And when you did think about it again, that extensive list would again be at your beck and call.

So where to get that customized, personalized list?  Well, you create it, which is easy once you have the format.  I’ll show it to you as you read on.

You’ll want to fill in the lists with possibilities that you can truly imagine yourself doing, even if they’re goofy. Actually, a few humorous entries might be a good thing to just make you giggle when you start imagining a cigarette.

But the majority should be do-able when you’re truly feeling like you want to smoke.

Use these categories, find an accessible way to store the information so it’s at your fingertips when you need it, and get started.  You might want to invite friends to help brainstorm with you. 

This is the basic format.  I give you a category, and you fill in as many do-able ideas as possible, customized to you, and then you move on to the next.

Set up your formats something like this:

50 things to do with my hands
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

After you set it up, fill it in.  If you can’t make it to fifty on the first try, push yourself for twenty-five.  Add more later.

Here are all the categories.  Set them all up, fill them in , and make sure you can get to them easily.

Okay, here are those categories:

50 things to do with my hands

50 ways to keep company with myself

50 ways to spend my free/extra time

50 things to do when I’m at a bar

50 ways to not be bored

50 ways to keep my mind occupied

50 ways to feel un-lonely

50 ways to feel—and look— like I’m doing something

50 ways to relax and calm myself

50 ways to feel I’m not alone

50 things to do while I’m watching TV

50 thoughts to think when I would’ve reached for a cig

50 new habits to create instead of smoking

50 new ways to keep myself company

50 mouth-filling nibbles that won’t make me gain weight

50 ways to meet new, nonsmoking friends

50 tunes to occupy my lips

50 famous nonsmoker role models

50 ways to feel okay just hanging out with myself

50 ways to stay a nonsmoker when my friends still smoke

50 ways to take care of myself when someone blows smoke in my face

50 ways to hold my own space when people around me are smoking

50 ways to stay slim and trim and not smoke

By the way, if you have any ideas for additional categories, let me know by Clicking Here to email me.

Wendy Lapidus-Saltz, principal of Jaguar Mind LLC, is a mind coach certified in hypnotherapy, NLP and other disciplines.  She specializes in stop-smoking hypnosis, particularly with longtime smokers. She created the Hypno-Attraction® Hypnosis for Love CD and workshops on the topic of love and relationship.  Call her Chicago office at 312-640-1584. www.hypno-attraction.com and www.nonsmoker4life.com