If you’re a smoker you know how intrinsic lighting up a cigarette has become in your daily routine. Your days have probably assumed a natural rhythm around smoke breaks. If you work in an office you have probably formed an unofficial department with your coworkers sharing the same unhealthy habit. As a former smoker, I say from experience that the only way I found to effectively quit smoking was to make my quitting a part of a larger health make-over.

I had tried numerous times before to stop smoking, I knew how bad it was for me. But making the commitment to better myself by quitting cigarettes had to come in a bundle. I found that the more I was focused on the singular task of banning cigarettes from my life, the more obsessed I became with them. It felt like I was thinking about smoking more when I would try to quit than when I was not trying to quit. This was not at all an effective way for me to quit smoking.

Celebrate the New Year Now

My approach to quitting cigarettes was a lot like making a New Year’s resolution. I knew why I smoked, it was an emotional crutch. Whenever I got really stressed or upset, I knew I could escape by lighting up. Once I realized this I knew I wanted to be stronger. An escape had turned into a full blown addiction, not just physically but also emotionally. I decided that for me cigarettes and stress had a direct correlation in my life, so in order to be happier, and to break many bad emotional habits, I had to quit smoking.

For all intensive purposes, today is December 31st. Sit down and think about why you smoke. Is your job stressful? Family? Friends? How can you change these things? Start by writing down some ideas of actions, like re-writing your resume to start the application process, or finding a mediator for your family issues. Also make sure you focus on your physical health, because let’s face it if you’re smoking you’re probably not hitting the gym 6 times a week. Make a list of some ways to improve your physical health that include quitting smoking, but make this decision part of a general shift towards a healthier lifestyle to create an effective way for you to quit smoking. Maybe you could start walking 30 minutes a day, or stop going to the fast food down the street for lunch everyday.

Once you find a way to effectively quit smoking you won’t look back. You will be redefining yourself as a healthier, happier person. An effective way to quit smoking will be a catalyst for other positive changes in your life. If you can quit smoking you can do just about anything else you set your mind to.