Here are some tips from other program members that can help you:
The tips below have been shared on the Members-Only Facebook Group by other members and our amazing group moderator Jodi Woods. Join here
Visualization Tips
- If I asked you to recall the times when you smoke would you be able to tell me?
So if yes, your answers may be as follows:
đź”´ I wake up, make coffee, then have a cigarette.
đź”´ I drink my coffee and I smoke a few cigarettes
đź”´ I drive to work and I smoke a cigarette
đź”´ I take a morning break and smoke a cigarette
đź”´ I eat lunch and then I smoke a cigarette
đź”´ After work, I sometimes meet my friends for a drink and I smoke a cigarette
Okay, enough examples.
Now, to visualize yourself as a non-smoker, all you do is think of yourself doing these same activities but without the cigarette.
It’s like your “memories” of how you do things today as a smoker and picturing those same activities without the cigarette.
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2. What I did and that helped: I took Nasia’s prompts and recorded my imagery and ideas, then play them back to me in the mornings and evenings. That gets the visuals in motion.
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3. What helped me with my visualization was I found a picture from my MUCH younger years when I did NOT smoke yet and was much thinner. I copied it and put 1 every place I would see it often. On the lamp by my bed, on the bathroom mirror, on the freezer door, and on the coffee maker. It helped me a lot because addiction I must say does not allow much room for “visualization or imagination”.
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4. What I do is at night, I lay down for bed, and just close my eyes, and just start thinking about my morning. And continue to visualize everything that I normally would do, just without smoking. I even visualize if I get a craving, and instead of smoking, I run and grab my journal and just start writing my feelings down. This actually helps, however, I fall asleep very quickly. The morning visualization is the hardest for me because I wake up so many times all night long, and I usually jump out of bed like immediately lol. Kids and dogs and a cat lololol. But as much as I can, I’ll lay back down and visualize my day until I lay down for the night without smoking. And after that visual, I will get up and start my day. Sometimes I can only do it for 30 seconds, and sometimes a little longer. But any little bit that you can squeeze in there definitely helps A LOT!
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5. You need only to see yourself “as if” it already happened.
Two examples:
✔️I used to visualize myself at my sister’s house. She entertains a lot. I would visualize myself being there and smelling my fabric softener on my clothes instead of the usual cigarette smell. I would visualize smelling the scent of my great shampoo on my hair instead of the chemical/ashtray hair. I would visualize giving hugs to anyone also invited as they were coming and going without the dread of them smelling the nasty smell from smoking. Otherwise, I would conveniently disappear if I could to avoid embarrassment.
✔️I imagined saying “yes” to a trip with friends and feeling excited that I didn’t say no and make an excuse because nobody else going on the trip was a smoker. I didn’t have to give up a fun time because of it. I saw myself smiling and saying “yes, I am in!”
So, anything you can visualize yourself doing but without the cigarette is all you need to do.
It’s your personal “movie” starring YOU
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6. Started with imagining what it would be like or looming at people who didn’t smoke & being curious about what they do in situations etc. I just did 3 days holiday & it was amazing to walk past people who were smoking & not even look at them!
In my visualizations, cigarettes hold no interest for me & get no attention.
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7. See yourself doing all your everyday routine but without the cigs and being happy!
Visualization needs practice!
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8. When I did it, I said the same thing. I had no memory of not smoking. The techniques are for your current life though. Imagining not smoking while driving, or not smoking in the house, or choosing to wait extra time after a meal. These are new behavior to begin so that the little “automatic” thinking is put to planning instead. Mine was only smoking in the back yard, I left mine in a container at the end of the property. Some have found successful options to smoke at the end of the driveway – but something completely different, so you are saying no not now. Don’t worry, you’ll get good at it and more empowered each time. So visualize smoking only in one place, never in your car or home. Do some deep breathing at those moments, drinking water, going for a walk without cigs.
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9. I think about what annoys me about vaping and as I visualize myself as a non-smoker I tell myself how thankful I quit, and how great full those annoying things are out of my life. I even tell myself it’s been a year since I smoked and see the process I went through to get to that year. I am only on day one, yes, I am lying to my brain because I haven’t quit yet, but I consider how my brain has lied for me to continue to smoke (vape).
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10. Personally I realized I needed to look at it like daydreaming, like I’m already a none smoker, thinking about doing certain things, and feeling certain emotions without having the cigarette during or after those things or emotions/feelings.
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11. When cigarettes sneak in your visualization you can imagine yourself saying “no” to them and then feeling confident, proud, and in control, because you said no.
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12. Tip from fellow CBQ Program member Tracy Brown
Imagine your future as you want it to be.
“So, just close your eyes and imagine something. For example – there was a time you didn’t smoke – probably when you were a little kid. Bring up a memory for a moment, of Christmas, Easter, or any happy memory from your childhood. See yourself and go over the memory. You didn’t smoke then. You were happy. You were just fine. Now, imagine yourself as you want to be – doing something that you want to do – going to a movie – having dinner with a friend in a restaurant. And see yourself doing this, as if you were watching a movie. See yourself Laughing, having a good time, and realize that you are happy and not smoking. These are “moments” of being a happy non-smoker. Real moments from the past – and future moments that can be yours. Doing this was, for me, highly effective, because I felt that smoking was part of “who I was” – but I found that this was a lie and that my identity was not tied to smoking. In fact, my identity was better and more of who I actually wanted to be, without cigarettes. Now, if I go out to a movie or dinner and I see someone outside – having a smoke – I am filled with tremendous relief and I think to myself, “Wow, I’m so glad that I don’t have to do that anymore.” In truth, smoking, in spite of the fact that I did it for years, and years, and years, and year – was not and is not who I really am inside at all!! This was a wonderful discovery and I came to in, in part, through these visualizations of who I could be!”
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13. Before I get out of bed I start deep breathing then I mentally put myself a year ahead and look back at how I accomplished becoming a non-smoker. I say to myself how grateful I am and I look at the struggles and the wins. I bring myself back and continue my day then I do the same at night. I love it.
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14. It’s okay to leave the happy part out of your visualization if you are not able to visualize it. It has a different meaning to different people. It will come in its time.
Just visualize yourself doing things that you do today but without the cigarette. Add something that you don’t do today but will do in the future if possible. For example. I always said no to trips with my family or even friends if it meant I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to smoke whenever and wherever I could. I imagined myself saying YES to all those invites because I wasn’t a smoker anymore. Too bad covid hit and I can’t go anywhere, but that’s okay. It will happen one day. No longer will I miss cigarettes and the fun times they caused me to miss out on because I was trapped
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15. In my visualizations, all of my happy plans I did have now been scrapped. Now, I just picture being able to stay inside when it’s cold or hot and not be chained to that thing making me miserable. I’ll feel bad for the ones who still trudge out there. Also, flight anxiety and getting in my vehicle, and wearing perfume. And singing. I don’t focus on those happy plans but all the victories ahead, and just typing this, I got a little wave of happy optimism going!
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16. It works but you have to feel emotion. Not enough to picture the images, because it doesn’t shift the subconscious. I find I need a moment to settle in and ground, then do my visualizations.
I also visualize when I smoke. Instead of scrolling on my phone and not even realizing I smoked, I consciously inhale each puff and picture poison entering my lungs and bloodstream. I literally want to gag by the end of a cigarette. When I put it out, I picture my lungs restoring their health with pink healthy cells. This has helped tremendously with my daily cravings. I hope this helps!
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17. Maybe try journaling your visualization to kick start it? I did this and it made it very vivid and more focused for me and then I was able to visualize more vividly in my mind when I woke up and before bed.
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18. Have you ever been to places you like to go to that don’t allow smoking, maybe a favorite restaurant or theatre? But as a smoker, you’ve found it annoying that you had to step out for a cigarette, or constantly losing focus due to cravings. Imagine being in those places without that added stress of cravings and irritability. Imagine yourself in those places enjoying the company your with, the food you are eating, the laughter your experiencing because you don’t have to miss out.
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