mindfulness workbook

Step 1 of 12 - Your Plan

Getting Started
We invite you to complete this online workbook to learn some mindfulness and meditation practices to help you with quitting smoking and staying smokefree.

Enter your email address here and we'll be able to send you a copy of your Mindful E-Quit Workbook immediately after you complete your entries. Then you'll be set up with your own personal plan for how you'll begin incorporating more Mindfulness practices into your day.
All information you input remains confidential and is protected by the NL Smokers' Helpline. This is simply a tool to help you reflect on what strategies you feel may work for you and to help you create your own personalized plan.

Mindfulness is a non-judgmental way of paying attention to the present moment. It is a popular way of becoming more conscious of our self, and more aware of how our consciousness and the world in which we live works. Through practicing mindfulness we can achieve greater openness and balance and it leads us to an acceptance of ‘what is’, and an openness to ‘what may come’. This can help with overcoming tobacco addiction. We can experience the physical sensations of cravings without acting on them.

Here are some Mindfulness Tips to try. (Check off those that you feel would be helpful for you.)

During the day make a conscious effort to focus on your breath.

Pay attention to your body when you walk or stand- your posture. Feel the air on your arms, face, legs as you walk.

Pay full attention to routine activities like the sensations that occur when you brush your teeth.

If you work in an office take a few moments to tune into your body sensations.

Use your breaks to connect with nature instead of browsing the web.

Take a moment to listen to the sound of nature in the morning.

If you have to drive a distance during the day, take this time to be mindful of the process.

Before going to sleep take some time to bring attention to your breathing.

Remain consistent in the daily mindfulness routines you cultivate.

Meditation
Meditation is a form of mindfulness. It is a practice where we use a technique (ie: focusing the mind on an object, thought or activity) to help establish a sense of clarity, increase attention and awareness for the purpose of helping to cultivate an emotionally secure, stable and calm state of mind.

Tips (Check off those that you feel would be helpful for you.)

Find a regular time each day to meditate.

Be as comfortable as possible.

Make sure your space is quiet and free from distractions.

Start with an intention. - What is the purpose or focus of your meditation?

Be aware of your body and your breathing.

Close your eyes and do nothing for a minute. Thoughts may come during this time but that is okay.

Here's an inspirational quote:
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."
-Buddha

My Reasons to Quit
To become and stay smoke free, it is helpful to focus on your desire-based reasons for stopping. Why do you want to stop rather than why do you have to stop. In other words…what positive things will being smoke free give you? List as many reasons for stopping as you can...big reasons and small ones.

Check off your reasons:

To breathe easier

To reduce risk of health-related issues such as

To have more control in my life

To set a good example for my family

To save money

To honour my life

To look, smell and feel better

To improve my relationships

To improve energy

Other

Here is some space for you to reflect on your own personal reasons for quitting.

Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is not selfish--it is a necessary component in any recovery process. When we are compassionate toward ourselves and others, we tend to see the benefit more clearly in making healthy choices and are more likely to engage in actions that mitigate our suffering- for example, by saying NO to Tobacco, we are saying YES to our self.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), howould you rate yourself on your level of self-compassion?

Key Elements of Mindfulness
CONSISTENCY - Practice this consistently... it will help you become more aware of when you are smoking, why you are smoking and will help you find alternatives rather than falling into old habits.
AWARENESS - Mindfulness is about attending to and being aware of our experiences, whether they are positive, negative, or neutral. Look to the sensations of the cravings and see them as they are.
REFRAMING - Through mindfulness we learn about our minds, and this often leads to shifts in perspective. We recognize we can choose these shifts. You may reframe quitting as gaining health & vitality rather than giving up smoking.
SIMPLICITY - Simple knowing is a way of attending where no judgment or narrative is added to the experience of the moment. A thought is a thought, a sensation is a sensation, a sound is a sound, and a feeling is a feeling.

Negative feelings can prevent you from living in the moment. These can rob you of peace, tranquility and focus.
Just as we have to schedule maintenance checks to make sure our CARS are functioning properly, make the conscious decision to do a daily check-in on your mind.

CARS Maintenance Check

Consider how have negative feelings such as stress, fear and guilt impacted your smoking cessation journey? Write down and reflect on your thoughts.

Triggers
Individuals struggling with addiction often develop habitual patterns in which addictive behaviors occur automatically in response to triggers, with little active intention or awareness.
Mindfulness interventions seek to interrupt this process by encouraging a flexible and nonreactive awareness of triggers, providing a space from which clients can notice when triggers occur, and actively choose how to respond to them.

Triggers

List your triggers that you connect with smoking (for ex. drinking coffee, driving, breaktime at work).

Mindfulness Strategies to try

Now, list some mindfulness strategies you can try to help manage these triggers.

Mindfulness Strategies Examples (Check off those that you feel would be helpful for you.)

Breathe deeply

Walk in nature

Drink water

Slow down

Listen to music

Meditate

Living Mindfully
My Values
ving a life according to your values can support you in the recovery process. So, ask yourself what it is that you value and how can you incorporate it in to your daily living?
My Attention
Being able to focus your attention can help effectively manage adverse feelings that often lead people to light up.
My Wisdom
Wisdom is acquired through experience. Wisdom teaches us that there is success within each failed attempt. Each time you make a quit attempt, you may learn something helpful to better prepare you to quit successfully.
Staying calm, cool and collected
dversity and stress in our lives are inevitable but when we choose to look at these situations as opportunities for growth we learn to respond skillfully.

Here's another quote:
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."
-Socrates

The moment you have a craving: (Check these off to save.)

Focus on three different objects and name them. This exercise will return your brain to the present.

Reflect on your reasons for quitting. This helps you make more conscious choices that reflect your values (ex. health).

Accept & remain non-judgmental. By grounding our attention in the here and now, we learn to acknowledge, accept and let go of difficult emotions and thoughts.

Workbook – Mindfulness and Meditation Practices to Help with Quitting Smoking