Smoking can be a serious problem in a person’s life. It can lead to health issues, to serious diseases and to social and emotional problems. What’s worse about smoking is that it’s a habit that’s hard to get rid of. Some people have had several unsuccessful attempts quitting smoking and begin to fear that this habit is threatening their lives.

Devin had spent a long time trying to quit smoking. He tried many different things, from counseling to medicine, but nothing seemed to lead to a stable change. This is what Devin had to say about smoking before he was able to resolve the problem: “By the time I was 41 I woke up struggling for breath. Smoking was kicking my ass and I was afraid it was going to kill me.”

 
Why do we cling to Bad Habits?

Smoking is an addiction. It has some physiological parts, but it is also very much linked to the emotional and the psychological. In many cases, the problem is not just the smoking, but what is behind the smoking.

Our behaviors, even if they seem irrational, even if they are harmful to us in one way or the other, usually have a cause. This cause is sometimes hidden in the past, relating to negative emotions and experiences.

In Devin’s case, smoking served as a sort of “crutch”. This type of habits can be helpful on a superficial level, because they fill a purpose. However, they hurt us on a deeper level. For example, smoking can be a way to deal with stress and negative emotions or it can fill some other purpose, but there are other behaviors that are healthier and can be used to achieve the same goals without compromising one’s health and even one’s life.

We set barriers for ourselves without even realizing it. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is find someone who can help us see where these barriers are coming from and how to deal with them. Here is where a coach can help. Devin says about his experience with Scott: “He nailed the emotional and psychological part of the addiction.” Watch more in below video testimony by Devin

Unresolved issues from the past can keep us stuck in the present, so dealing with them becomes an important step forward.

How to live up to Your Full Potential?

Imagine yourself carrying around a heavy suitcase. It weighs a lot and has a lot of things in it. Some things are useful, but others are not. What is more, you are carrying a lot of negative things in it, things that affect you and hold you back. If you were able to get rid of some of the things in that suitcase, it would be much lighter and hold only useful things. It becomes much easier to live up to your true potential when you don’t have to carry around a ship’s anchor. Negative emotions can feel just as heavy as an anchor and hold you down just the same.

You can improve greatly if you work with different issues. In these cases, the habit appears as a symptom, so working with the cause can improve the symptom. A coach can help you identify where your problem is coming from and work with the negative emotions involved in the process.

A life coaching Sydney process can be very helpful to help you get rid of your anchors, so that you feel free moving forward.

For Devin, coaching was an immensely satisfying experience. After years of trying, he was able to give up smoking for more than a short period of time. Devin says himself: “I’m confident this time I quit for good.”

So, bad habits can be linked to unresolve past experiences. Often, this is why people have such a hard time overcoming these habits. However, working with the past can improve the present. Bad habits can prevent you from reaching your full potential, so if they are gone, you can move forward with a lot more freedom.