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Not surprisingly half of all the cigarettes consumed are by those who are suffering from some type of mental health issue. This could be Stress, Anxiety, Depression or an Addiction.

Any attempt to stop smoking would require resolving the root cause of this problem. Before we understand how the Psychologist will help you resolve these mental health problems lets understand what they are:

Stress:

Demystifying one point is that Stress is not completely bad, without stress some of the most brilliant ideas would never have happened, but stress is the body’s way of reacting to a situation over which you perceive not to have control. Stress in life is inevitable, what is of importance is how you react to that stress.

Anxiety:

Is a feeling of uneasiness, worry, or nervousness about an event in the future. Anxiety would about the result of an exam or the outcome of a job interview etc. Again in life there will be anxiousness about many facets, the key is how you react to these feelings of things not being in your control.

Depression:

Depression is a feeling of complete despondency and dejection. However, every human being will suffer from various levels of depression during their life. No one person will live life without depression. Depression can be diagnosed to be mild or severe or some degree in between these extremes. How an individual reacts to depression is within their control, or with the help of counseling or even anti-depressant medication. Drugs, alcohol or nicotine is never an answer to depression.

Addiction:

Addiction is a complex condition of the mind, where a person is unable to control their need for a particular substance or activity. Moreover, one may be addicted to food, exercise, sex, alcohol, drugs or nicotine. This chronic dysfunction of the brain where it needs “rewards” and is indicated by a lack of self-control is resolved with counseling and other techniques that an experienced Psychologist is equipped with.

In conclusion, if you or someone you love needs to stop smoking cigarettes, it is best advised to consult with an experienced Psychologist who will treat the problem at the root cause instead of treating it superficially.

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About the Author: Dr. Prerna Kohli – Ph.D. is a practicing psychologist for over 25 years. She is a four-time gold medal winner for her academic excellence. She has been awarded by the President of India for her contributions to Mental Health. Learn more about Dr. Prerna Kohli.

All pictures courtesy of Pixabay.

So you have finally made a decision to stop puffing, but you don’t know how. Your loved ones, be it your parents, spouse, children or any other well-wisher has convinced you to stop inhaling smoke for your own health and the health of those who are suffering your second-hand smoke.

One of the easiest ways to stop smoking is to receive counseling for your addiction. Immediately your defense mechanism kicks in, counseling is so expensive, I don’t have the time for counseling, I don’t need help from an outsider to learn how to stop smoking, I can do it on my own. So let’s answer each of these questions.

Counseling is so expensive: Yes it costs money to receive counseling from a good and experienced Psychologist. The cost will be much lower than what you spend on cigarettes alone, and the improvement to your health will be priceless.

I Don’t have time for counseling: Yes counseling takes time, you drive from your home or office to the Psychologist’s clinic, you spend time with the Psychologist. This takes time, but if you continue to smoke you will ruin your health, and you will be waiting for appointments with cancer specialists, lung specialists, and other procedures at hospitals.

I don’t need outside help for quitting smoking: Who are you fooling? You are only fooling yourself. If quitting smoking was so easy, or your will power was so strong you would have quit smoking a long while ago. It is best to recognize your limitations and seek specialized help from an experienced Psychologist who is an expert in helping you overcome your addiction.

There are no two buts about it, smoking will kill you. The death will be painful and unpleasant. If you don’t want to quit smoking for yourself, at least do it for your loved ones. They don’t deserve to see you suffer from all the illnesses that are caused by smoking.

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About the Author: Dr. Prerna Kohli – Ph.D. is a practicing psychologist for over 25 years. She is a four-time gold medal winner for her academic excellence. She has been awarded by the President of India for her contributions to Mental Health. Learn more about Dr. Prerna Kohli.

All pictures courtesy of Pixabay.

Every smoker wants to stop smoking. And they should stop smoking. Smoking not only destroys your wealth but also your health. Smoking even one cigarette a day can lead to a large number of illnesses ranging from a minor cough to cancer of the lungs, liver etc.

Every smoker wants to stop smoking, but they don’t know how. Given below are some simple tips and tricks on how to stop smoking. Try every one of them and you should be able to stop smoking.

Exercise: Start a daily regime of exercise, when your body becomes healthy you automatically have a lesser need to smoke.

Get up and go: When you have an urge to smoke, just get up and go. Leave the environment where you are and take a small brisk walk.

Chew Gum: When you have an urge to smoke, you can divert your mind by chewing some gum. This will divert your mind and take away the desire to smoke.

Drink water: You mind sometimes plays tricks on you. You may be thirsty, but you think that you need to smoke a cigarette. Drink a couple of glasses of water every time you want to smoke.

Relax with Deep Breathing: You want to smoke? sit and take deep breaths, long and deep breaths. This will divert your attention and you will not want to smoke.

Watch a Movie: Want to smoke, start watching a movie. Your mind will be focused on the movie and the urge to smoke will go away.

Change your friends: If your friends are smokers, it is time to change your friends and spend more time with non-smoker friends.

Ask for help: If you are smoker, ask your friends and family for help. They will be able to guide you.

In case you are unable to stop smoking with your own effort, you much seek help from an experienced Psychologist

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About the author: Dr. Prerna Kohli is India’s leading Psychologist with over 20 years of experience. She has been awarded by the President of India for her contribution to Mental Health. Click here to learn more

All images are courtesy of Pixabay.

People continue to smoke knowingly. Knowing that smoking is damaging their health and wallet. The consequence of smoking to your wallet is inconsequential as it is money that can be earned again. But the consequence of smoking to your health is irreparable.

Once your health is harmed by the side effects of smoking cigarettes, it is neither repairable or reversible. Smoking leads to a slow and painful death.

Just in case you weren’t aware some of the key diseases that are a result of smoking are listed below:

Lung Cancer:

Smoking is the number cause of lung cancer worldwide.

Heart Diseases:

One of four patients who suffer from heart trouble are smokers.

Diabetes:

Smoking is a top contributor to diabetes in adults.

Liver Cancer:

Smoking even a few cigarettes a day increases your risk of liver cancer.

Erectile Dysfunction:

Smoking cigarettes will result in a weaker erection of the penis in men.

Ectopic Pregnancy:

Women who smoke have a much higher risk of ectopic pregnancy, i.e. where the fetus grows outside the uterus.

Vision loss:

Smoking leads to cataract and glaucoma.

Tuberculosis:

Patient who have suffered tuberculosis substantially increase their risk of the reoccurrence of the diseases.

Rheumatoid Arthritis:

Smoking even one cigarette a day substantially increase your risk of this disease.

Colorectal Cancer:

Smokers increase their probability of dying due to colorectal cancer.

Stroke:

Smoking thickens the blood which can result in a stroke

In conclusion, there are so many other diseases that are a direct result of smoking cigarettes. Unfortunately, once you are hooked to smoking it is very difficult to quit. Fortunately today there are many therapies which are available to help smokers stop smoking. One of the most effective therapy is counseling.

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About the Author: Dr. Prerna Kohli – Ph.D. is a practicing psychologist for over 25 years. She is a four-time gold medal winner for her academic excellence. She has been awarded by the President of India for her contributions to Mental Health. Learn more about Dr. Prerna Kohli.

All pictures courtesy of Pixabay.

We all know that smoking is not good for one’s health, but then why do people continue to smoke?

Why do people pay tobacco companies to help them die a slow and painful death? In one word it can be termed as an addiction.

First of all, why do people smoke or get addicted to smoking? Here are a few most popular reasons.

Expression of freedom: At one time it was considered that women who smoke were amoral. To counter this opinion, the tobacco companies ingrained it into the psychic of women that smoking made them liberated and independent.

Sophistication: Movies along with tobacco companies made smoking a statement of style and sophistication. Media portrayed it such that only elite smoked.

Celebrity endorsement: Top movie stars, athletes and extremely good looking models would smoke. People wanted to emulate their role models and followed them into smoking.

Weight loss: There is a belief, which might partially be true that smoking leads to weight loss. Smoking a cigarette gives you a feeling of being satiated. Fortunately, there are many other healthier options to feel satiated.

Military influence: In the past and even today in certain countries soldiers are provided cigarettes free or highly subsidized. Soldiers smoked to alleviate boredom.

Peer Pressure: Particularly, in teenage boys and girls consider it to be hip and cool to be smoking cigarettes. What starts as a style statement quickly evolves into an addiction.

Coping Mechanism: Some people believe that smoking a cigarette helps them in dealing with stress and anxiety. This may be a fact. However, there are far better alternatives for dealing with stress and anxiety such as exercise and meditation.

In conclusion, smoking cigarettes is an addiction that will definitely lead to an unpleasant death. Today there are many remedies available to smokers to quit smoking.

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About the Author: Dr. Prerna Kohli – Ph.D. is a practicing psychologist for over 25 years. She is a four-time gold medal winner for her academic excellence. She has been awarded by the President of India for her contributions to Mental Health. Learn more about Dr. Prerna Kohli.

All pictures courtesy of Pixabay.