You'll have noticed by now that I haven't suggested you actually begin the fitQuit process and it's because you're the only one who can know when it'll be right to start. I'll lay out the four steps in the next blog and you can decide whether or not you want to commit to them.
Lurking in the background of most smoke cessation programs is the idea that the 'craving' for nicotine is a bad thing. This is simply not true! The craving is just a signal from your nervous system telling you to replace the nicotine which has been depleted since you last smoked. Your body rids itself naturally of the poison so all we have to do is not get in the way of a normal body function. With fitQuit, instead of trying to distract or medicate ourselves, we take time to examine the craving. We focus on the craving and NOTHING BUT for as long as it lasts. We pay attention. This is what needs to be done for the moments that the craving lasts.
An experiment once took place in a martial arts dojo or practice hall. The neutral shaded mats which covered the floor were replaced with red mats. This distraction totally messed up the timing and techniques of the students. When distraction is introduced, the ability to think and perform drops. Most jurisdictions have laws banning the use of 'hands-on' cell phones while driving because tests have shown that they create a level of impairment equivalent to a couple of alcoholic drinks. Runners, walkers and cyclists who practice their activities while listening to portable mp3. players are more injury prone and less aware of danger from traffic, animals or predatory humans. Nevertheless, distraction of one sort or another is a multi-billion dollar industry.
It's only by paying attention to our actions and by repeated practice that we learn. You'll have a week or so to learn this lesson at a gut level as you use your craving as a tool for focusing your attention. The feeling that you have when the sensation goes away is not just the reward for paying attention. This feeling is available in other areas of your life as you successfully practice new endeavors.
Lurking in the background of most smoke cessation programs is the idea that the 'craving' for nicotine is a bad thing. This is simply not true! The craving is just a signal from your nervous system telling you to replace the nicotine which has been depleted since you last smoked. Your body rids itself naturally of the poison so all we have to do is not get in the way of a normal body function. With fitQuit, instead of trying to distract or medicate ourselves, we take time to examine the craving. We focus on the craving and NOTHING BUT for as long as it lasts. We pay attention. This is what needs to be done for the moments that the craving lasts.
An experiment once took place in a martial arts dojo or practice hall. The neutral shaded mats which covered the floor were replaced with red mats. This distraction totally messed up the timing and techniques of the students. When distraction is introduced, the ability to think and perform drops. Most jurisdictions have laws banning the use of 'hands-on' cell phones while driving because tests have shown that they create a level of impairment equivalent to a couple of alcoholic drinks. Runners, walkers and cyclists who practice their activities while listening to portable mp3. players are more injury prone and less aware of danger from traffic, animals or predatory humans. Nevertheless, distraction of one sort or another is a multi-billion dollar industry.
It's only by paying attention to our actions and by repeated practice that we learn. You'll have a week or so to learn this lesson at a gut level as you use your craving as a tool for focusing your attention. The feeling that you have when the sensation goes away is not just the reward for paying attention. This feeling is available in other areas of your life as you successfully practice new endeavors.
