DAY FOUR. I think the Think Quit MP4 Player (pictured) is fantastic and possibly the best quit method available for die-hard smokers like myself. But if you can’t afford the $297 price tag, the Think Quit program is also available as a book published by Allen & Unwin (RRP $24.99).
Although I now have the Think Quit MP4 player, I will continue to refer to the Think Quit book as well.
I spent most of the day watching the video and listening to the audio on the new Think Quit MP4 Player, which Mark Stephens was kind enough to send me free of charge (see ‘My Quit Smoking Challenge: Day Three’) – along with both the Think Slim and Think Sleep MP4 players.
The new Think Quit MP4 Player comes with a speaker attachment, which will come in handy when you’re doing the meditation exercises included in the video content on the MP4 player. There are 24 videos, including six self healing meditation exercises and seven habit busters.
After watching a couple of the videos, I listened to the first 12 audio sessions on the MP4 player. But don’t worry, I only listened to 12 sessions as a catch-up exercise, you are only required to listen to one session and one self-hypnosis per day.
The highlight for me on day four was track 10 “Message in a Bottle” which is the same as the ‘Inner Wisdom Self Hypnosis’ which appears on page 106 of the Think Quit book published by Allen & Unwin. If you’ve never used self hypnosis before, you’re in for a real treat and if you’re like me, you’ll want to do this self hypnosis again and again. After all, it’s almost impossible to be anything but relaxed after traveling to a beautiful beach in your mind and swinging in a hammock tied between two palm trees! You’ll find the Message in a Bottle (Inner Wisdom Self Hypnosis) on Day Three of the Think Quit program.
On Day Four it is time to turn our attention to habit replacement strategies. Mark has identified 24 replacement strategies and provided room in the book for you to add four additional strategies of your own.
Cigarette cravings only last 2 – 5 minutes and replacement strategies are just a means of distracting yourself until the craving is over. But don’t worry, Mark assures us that the number of cigarette cravings we experience will reduce in number and intensity.
You’ll also find a ten-count breathing exercise on page 113 of the Think Quit book. If you’re like me and you have early stage emphysema, you may find this exercise almost impossible to do and if this is the case, you might want to do the habit replacement deep-breathing exercise on page 88 (Day One of the program) instead.
As someone who has battled depression since the age of 13, I found ‘The Influence of Serotonin’ on page 115 of the book, an interesting read. By doing one of the deep-breathing exercises you’ll be stimulating the release of serotonin (the happiness hormone) in your brain. Combine the deep-breathing exercise with a dose of sunshine each day and you’ll be grinning like the ‘Cheshire Cat’ in Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland, in no time at all.
Day Four also talks a little bit about the dangerous chemicals found in cigarettes and teaches you how to do an ancient chi kung exercise called the ‘Tortoise Poise’. If you have the Think Quit MP4 Player you can watch a video demonstration of this exercise performed by the creator of Think Quit, Mark Stephens.
I must confess that I’ve never really been into all this ‘new age hippie’ stuff and practicing the ‘Tortoise Pose’ was out of my comfort zone. I was alone in my room with no witnesses and yet I still felt a little silly doing it. While having a short, webbed neck like I do – it was really more of a turtle pose than a tortoise anyway.
Rounding out Day Four of the program is a ‘Self-hypnosis session to build self-esteem and confidence’ which you’ll find on page 122 of the Think Quit book. I actually listened to the audio track of before bed and I slept like a baby – or maybe that was just the over the counter sleeping medication I took earlier in the evening. Hence, why I’m planning to do the Think Sleep program as well.
For those of you who live in Sydney, Mark Stephens will be holding a Free Quit Smoking Seminar on 13th March 2010. They will be taping the seminar for a national TV program so you just might get the opportunity to wave to mum on television.
For more information or to register for the free seminar, just head over to www.thinkquit.com.au.
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Think Quit: smoke free forever by Mark Stephens is published by Allen & Unwin and is available now at book retailers across Australia (RRP $24.99). ‘Think Quit’ will be released in the United States in June 2010.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
