If you're contemplating giving up cigarettes the only thing that is holding you back is probably your fear of the "downer" that comes as the nicotine supply runs dry.
You might have felt a bit of it already if you've tried to stop smoking by cutting down or if you've actually gone a few days without smoking.
It's that anxious, prickly, restless, empty feeling that seems to rise up from the very center of your being, demanding that you provide the fix that will make it go away.
This is where most people cave in and go back to their old ways.
The good news is that there are things you can do to make your journey through the nicotine withdrawal phase less daunting.
Firstly, you can become aware of the symptoms of withdrawal and reassure your mind that what you're going through is normal.
And secondly, you can reframe the unpleasant experience so that you see it as a good experience.
Let's look at these steps in more detail:  Step 1 - Understand the nicotine withdrawal symptoms The withdrawal phase is temporary, lasting between three or four days.
After that the nicotine is mostly gone and your body will respond by producing its own feel-good chemicals.
Remember, by smoking you've told your body that it doesn't need to produce the chemicals that regulate your own mood because the nicotine has taken over that job.
So it's completely normal to feel a bit blue and irritable as the nicotine supply is cut off.
In a short while, your body will step up and regain control of your mood.
Other common symptoms during the withdrawal phase include physical pains, nasal irritations, headaches, and even insomnia.
It might feel a bit like you've got a cold.
Just know that this is normal and is simply your body adjusting and ridding itself of toxins.
So now, when you experience these symptoms, you won't be alarmed - you'll just know that the process is working.
And it's temporary - the better days are just ahead!  Step 2 - Reframe the experience Reframing is a term that comes from neurolinguistic programming, and it means to change the way you perceive and experience different aspects of your life.
We constantly attach meaning to things by judging them as good or bad.
The first thing is to realise that meanings can change.
The second is to realize that when we change our interpretation of an event, it profoundly affects our ability to accept it or cope with it.
So what we need to do is reframe your experience of the nicotine withdrawal so that you experience it as something good, something, in fact, that you seek.
To do this, simply read the following mini self-hypnosis script a few times until it really sinks in (for the part in the brackets, just fill in your own withdrawal feelings):  From now on, when I experience the [anxiety/depression/emptiness ...
] I understand that it is the nicotine leaving my body, and it is good that it is leaving.
The more intense it gets, the better it gets because I know the process is really working.
Every minute that I sit and accept this feeling is one more minute closer to my freedom.
I need never experience that minute ever again, it is gone, a quantity of nicotine has gone and will never return.
From now on I look forward to the symptoms of the nicotine leaving my body because I know it is the pathway to my freedom.
I know that if I sit with it for just a few days I'll be home free.
This withdrawal is a good feeling, it is the feeling of success, the more intense it is the more successful I am.
So read this a few times, and perhaps make up your own script.
You'll begin to really look forward to that great feeling as you know the nicotine is leaving and the process is working.
Every minute that you stay with that feeling is one more quantity of nicotine that has left your system.
And you would not swap that great feeling of success for a dirty old habit.
You know you wouldn't.