Many people wonder whether they should quit smoking during COVID. People often think that quitting smoking will be even more difficult during a pandemic. It may seem like a difficult time to give up nicotine because of the stress, anxiety, and in some cases the loneliness people experience.
All forms of nicotine including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and vaping are known to suppress the immune system. An immune system that is suppressed can leave you more susceptible to catching COVID. Furthermore, people are more likely to have a more serious case of COVID 19. This can include more serious symptoms and side effects due to a suppressed immune system.
Scientific Studies
According to the W.HO., also known as the World Health Organization, studies seem to show that there is a direct connection between smoking and those who require inpatient care, the severity of symptoms, and the mortality rate of hospital patients who contracted COVID-19.
Now more than ever it is essential that smokers seek out help kicking the habit. Very often cigarette smokers disassociate from the true risks of nicotine. It usually requires a medical scare to get smokers to associate the true ramifications of cigarette smoking.
How to Quit Smoking During COVID
There are many forms of help available to cigarette smokers. They include, but are not limited to help lines, nicotine replacement aids, counselors, apps, coaches, and medications. For some, these forms of assistance can be very helpful. However, there are many who still struggle even after seeking help. For those people, hypnotherapy can be an excellent and completely natural alternative.
Hypnotherapy to Quit Smoking
Unlike how it is portrayed in the media, hypnosis is a very focused yet relaxed state that allows for access to the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is the control center of our desires, urges, and compulsions. A hypnotherapist can give suggestions that can eliminate the desire to smoke. Suggestions are simply directions given to the unconscious mind that is in the best interest of the patient.
Patients are not asleep but experience a focused attentive state similar to being immersed in a work project or a creative hobby. Almost all patients report feeling very relaxed after a hypnosis session. Patients are aware of what is happening in the environment around them but are singularly focused on the guidance given by the hypnotherapist.
A skilled hypnosis practitioner will also give suggestions related to the emotional connections and/or associations to nicotine. Healthy alternatives to addressing stress, loneliness, boredom, and anxiety can be programmed into the unconscious mind. As an example, instead of reaching for nicotine in any form, the patient will reach out/connect with a close friend or family member when they are lonely.
It is clear that cigarette smoking leaves you more susceptible to catching COVID 19. When traditional methods of quitting smoking fail, seeking out a certified hypnotist may be your best option. If you want to quit smoking during COVID, hypnotherapy can help you reject nicotine in all forms.