Fear, like all emotions, is a signal that shows us what we need to prepare for. If you’re afraid of failure, relapse, or just being without the thing you’re addicted to, this is a sign that you need to prepare for those situations.
On day 5 of the CBQ program, you learn the 2 ways to overcome the fear of quitting smoking.
Doing the lessons and the exercises will help you overcome the fear of being without the thing you’re addicted to.
Why?
The antidote to fear is knowledge and action. To overcome the fear about something you first have to understand it and THEN go on and do it, experience it.
Knowledge: The more we understand something the less we fear it. So doing all the program lessons properly is very important because you’ll better understand yourself and the nicotine addiction. As a result, you will begin to fear less.
Action: Do your exercises. Especially the daily experiments. (Revisit lesson here)
The more we dwell on fear, it increases. When we take action against fear, it decreases. The experiments you’ll start doing on day 5 are there to help you take action while feeling safe.
If you have a lot of fear, do more experiments. Make sure to plan every experiment beforehand and make them bite-sized.
I have been doing the exercises but I’m still afraid
This means you may need to approach the exercises differently. (I’ll explain)
The fear of being without cigarettes may not disappear 100% before you quit, but it can become minimal. For some people, the fear disappears when they actually quit. (and see that there’s nothing to be afraid of)
If you’re still afraid, you need to define what exactly scares you so you can focus on it and prepare before your quit date.
Here’s how:
Rewatch day 5 of the CBQ program.
Ask yourself: “What about not smoking scares me?” “What am I afraid will happen if I don’t smoke/vape/chew?”
Your answer is your lesson.
For example, if your answer is “I won’t be able to manage the cravings,” start doing experiments where you manage your cravings.
If your answer is “I’m afraid I can’t sleep without smoking,” start doing experiments where you go to bed as a non-smoker.
If your answer is “I’m afraid I can’t cope with stress,” start doing experiments where you cope with stress as a non-smoker.
