- With Mayo Clinic behavioral counselor
Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
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Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Jennifer Kern is a tobacco treatment specialist, certified through the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center.
Her counseling work addresses various aspects of tobacco addiction, including the love-hate relationship many tobacco users have with their smoking or chewing, education about nicotine addiction, and effective strategies to help with quitting.
In addition, she explores the importance of getting emotional and social support when stopping tobacco use, and offers ideas and suggestions about how to ask for and give this support.
Being bilingual, she enjoys counseling in both Spanish and English. She holds a master's degree in psychology, with interests including spirituality, psychosomatic illness, depression and anxiety, maladaptive coping behaviors, and overall health behavior change.
"As a former smoker, I am personally familiar with the complexity of dealing with the 'tobacco shackles,' " she said. "I am committed to helping others conquer this addiction so they may regain their freedom and possibly even save their own lives."
Latest entries
- Join the Great American Smokeout
Nov. 17, 2009
- Preparation key to quitting smoking
Nov. 5, 2009
- Learning to be a non-smoker
Oct. 23, 2009
- Build confidence in effort to go smoke-free
Oct. 16, 2009
- Goal-setting helps smooth way to smoke-free future
Oct. 1, 2009
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Quit smoking blog
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Sept. 4, 2009
Blog: Don't think failure when quitting smoking
By Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Many times we hold ourselves back from what we really want in life because we're afraid we won't be able to attain it. Fear of failure often causes us to shy away from setting goals that we deeply desire to reach and that would improve our quality of life.
Failure, however, is fiction. There's no such thing as failure, only judgment passed on an undesirable result.
When a child is learning to walk, we don't call their falling down a "failure." We recognize that it's part of the learning process for them to reach the point where they gain their balance and become oriented and capable of maintaining themselves in an upright position while moving around through life.
Quitting smoking is like this in the sense that it can take a number of attempts to discover both what is effective for you and what can get in your way and lead you to stumble. Through the process of moving toward your goal of being smoke-free, you learn to look ahead at the things that could cause you to lose your footing. You discover what you need to lean on until you gain your balance so eventually you can "walk" on your own.
If you have a slip or even a full relapse while navigating the process of becoming smoke-free, recognize it simply as an undesirable outcome. Attaching the label "failure" to it is a judgment, a negative opinion that leaves you feeling discouraged. Instead, find a way to learn from your "stumble" so you can get back up and try again. Eventually, you'll find your balance and be able to walk through life capably reoriented as a non-smoker.
How can you shift your focus from judging your efforts around quitting smoking to enjoying the learning process as you work toward becoming smoke-free? Please share.
5 comments posted
November 17, 2009 6:53 p.m.
Hi, I'm a student at Metro State of Denver. I'm researching a new product possibility; the product would be a "Quit Smoking" aide that offers a stepping down approach. I am a former smoker myself but I'm addicted to Commit lozenges and they contain nicotine. I would still buy them if they had zero mg of nicotine but they don't offer that. I would like to market a product that does. Anyways, I made this survey for my research project and it would really help me if anyone could take it [smokers, former smokers, and non-smokers are all welcome] Thanks so much. -- Casey Here's the link to the survey. http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/206243/r2zgt
- Casey
November 16, 2009 8:58 p.m.
You couldn't have said it any better. We do judge ourselves harshly which inhibits our enthusiasm for our next attempt at trying again. I have to to suggest something else as well, to anyone looking to quit. I've attempted to quit smoking at least twenty times in my life and the only time I was able to quit was when I made the decision to quit and didn't let one thought of smoking seep into my mind to persuade my decision. Not one thought. The cravings come but we can make it a lot easier on ourselves if we don't think about it. That was the answer to my success. Just like I denied all of the negative side effects I was feeling, I used denial in a positive way while quitting. And last but not least, I quit cold turkey and it took me and a few people I know approximately three weeks to feel human again. I hope this helped and thank you for helping too!
- Jenny
October 27, 2009 7:01 p.m.
Thank you so much for a (finally) enlightening post. I have overcome almost all the obstacles of quitting except 2 in 3 weeks, and after 14 years of smoking, I think it is quite an accomplishment. I will continue the learning curve.
- Andy
September 20, 2009 6:32 p.m.
I can't agree more. i actually think when trying to quit relapses or slips should be viewed as normal. statistics show up to 10 or more relapses before going smoke-free for good (of course other people relapse less). Once we have that mind set it should be easier to overcome "failures". ---------- FACT: Smoking Relapse is normal
- Rockie
September 3, 2009 8:32 p.m.
You're right - you do have to look ahead to see what trips you up. After a month without smoking, I think I've identified all my triggers. Now, if I can just get my mental act together, I'd be really happy!
- Brady
5 comments posted