What is Willpower?
Willpower is another word for mental strength.
When applied to quitting smoking, willpower is the ability to talk yourself out of smoking and convince yourself into staying a non-smoker, especially when faced with a craving.
Everyone has at least a little bit of willpower to get their quit journey started, and everyone will use their willpower to some extent to get through cravings.
How can I use willpower to assist my quit smoking attempt?
Well-developed willpower strategies are an important part of your overall quit smoking plan.
Better still, if you combine effective willpower strategies with any of the evidence-based quit smoking methods covered in this section, you will greatly improve your chance of success.
The great thing about willpower strategies is that they are completely free and can be used whenever you need them, such as when a craving comes along. All you need is your mind!
One way to quit is to go ‘cold turkey’. This simply means you stop smoking abruptly with willpower, then use willpower alone to stay quit. Learn more about quitting smoking ‘cold turkey’.
Be aware that the ‘cold turkey’ method alone has a much lower success rate compared to other quit smoking methods. By combining willpower with an evidence-based quit smoking method, you’ll have a much better chance of success compared to using willpower alone.
To improve your chances of quitting, practice the simple willpower exercises found in this section, then combine these with your own natural willpower – along with an evidence-based quit strategy – to create a powerful quit plan.
Willpower Strategies to Quit Smoking
Willpower is really about using helpful ‘self talk’. This self talk allows you to:
1. Improve your motivation to start your quit smoking attempt, or restart your quit journey if you have a slip up.
2. Talk yourself out of smoking and convince yourself to stay a non-smoker, especially when a craving comes along.
3. Maintain your motivation once you’re an ex-smoker.
For example, your self talk might involve saying to yourself each day: “I’m going really well today. I can do this.”
While this self talk may come naturally, you can learn all sorts of mental strategies that might help you along the way.
Find Out More About Willpower
Use the following links to learn more about willpower strategies that can assist your quit smoking attempt:
Using Willpower to Beat Cravings
Willpower Strategies
Develop Your Willpower Muscle