- With Mayo Clinic behavioral counselor
Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
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
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Quit smoking blog
-
Oct. 23, 2009
Learning to be a non-smoker
By Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
When quitting smoking, many people think that the risk of relapse ends when their daily cravings diminish. The transition to becoming a non-smoker, however, typically takes more than just a few weeks.
When you stop smoking two things need to happen — you need to learn to think like a non-smoker and act like a non-smoker. In order to "own" your smoke-free life, you need to grow into the non-smoker personae, and like anything in life, this requires a learning process.
In learning to think like a non-smoker, it's important to identify your beliefs about how cigarettes are beneficial to you. Do you think smoking makes you relax or deal better with stress? Do you believe that it helps you manage your weight? Or keeps you from getting bored? Try challenging those beliefs with new thoughts, such as:
- Smoking won't make the stress go away; it won't fix the problem.
- The cigarette doesn't make me thin; there are healthier ways to manage my weight.
- I can find interesting things to do other than smoke; I'm open to trying something new.
Create your variation of these ideas so you can begin to debunk your personal stories about how the cigarettes do you good.
This will help you act like a non-smoker. Try different coping strategies for the times you're used to smoking. When you find what works for you, establish a new lifestyle so you can truly transition into being a non-smoker.
As you progress, you'll be faced with old smoking situations, but now without the cigarette. Be patient and know that it's normal to have thoughts of smoking months and even years after becoming smoke-free. Your long-term goal is to rejoice in a life without cigarettes. Focus on the rewards of being smoke-free and embrace the belief that there's no benefit in returning to smoking.
Please share your thoughts on the transition to living smoke-free.
8 comments posted
November 17, 2009 10:27 p.m.
I am not a blogger and in fact I am very unsavy re technology BUT I did peek at Mayo newsletter re smoking and found the comment sections just read to be VERY helpful--I AM going to not smoke on Thursday, 19th, smoke-out day. I really want to NOT smoke therafter but I am frightened of it all! I am using chantix but still smoke! Go figure! I will check this site for more tips/help! Thanks for the seven folks who posted comments!
- pw
November 14, 2009 3:21 a.m.
Think about what you'll look like in ten years. Multiply that by ten. Then think about how NASTY the stink is. Then think about what it does to your teeth, your hands, your lungs. Good for you for wanting to quit. I always looked at the negatives and tried to make them worse than they were. That worked for me.. Not to mention the rece$$ion. Do whatever you got to do and good luck!! Keep at it!
- Martin
November 14, 2009 3:19 a.m.
You just have to make your mind up not to smoke. The words will power comes to mind but I've never had much of that. I have been chewing nicotine gum which does help some with the cravings and regular gum to keep me uhhhhh, busy? It's the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm going on seven weeks.
- billyjoneess
November 3, 2009 6:07 p.m.
Ex-smokers ? just quitting ? thinking of quitting ? You guys should check out this new iPhone app (it's free for the first few days, hurry up): Quit'n'Tell is a new revolutionary approach to help you quit smoking. Quit'n'Tell leverages the power of Social Media in order to give you that additional support from all your friends every time you need it, every time your cravings for a cigarette become too hard. Quit'n'Tell helps you quit smoking by tracking your progress, sharing it with your friends (Facebook and Twitter) and seeking their support when things get too difficult. With Quit'n'Tell, quitting suddenly becomes fun. You have no excuses not to try it !!
- Erwan
November 1, 2009 8:54 a.m.
I would totally agree on this one. first three weeks is probably the hardest but if you are thinking as non-smoker(because you are)you stand much more chances to succeed. Thanks. http://www.thestopsmokingtip.com
- stopsmokingtip
October 30, 2009 2:42 p.m.
Most definitely you find other things to do when you quit smoking! I actually have more energy and I didn't think that would happen. As far as trying new things, for me that didn't happen but that's ok. I like the rhythm of my life! I know when I walk into my house, that it doesn't smell stale and I know my teeth are staying whiter even though I drink coffee. Both of those things are a tremendous help in my quest to stay smoke free!
- Kirby
October 30, 2009 6:22 a.m.
I really thank you. Boredom does not fade away by smoking.. It only takes a few minutes.. So it is wise to find something that keeps you interested and busy for quite a while..
- Ayse Julide
October 24, 2009 2:17 a.m.
No, cigarettes do not help reduce stress. I've found, after 10 smoke free months occasionally ruminating on 16 years of smoking that nicotine and the chemicals in cigarettes increase stress levels. It seems to me that nicotine, and perhaps this occurs only after a significant period of usage, causes feelings of anxiety that are totally unrelated to any actual real situation. This may cause more smoking to supposedly help handle the stress and thereby cause more undue anxiety. Vicious circle. I admit still think fondly of cigarettes, even enjoy breathing in the occasional cloud of second hand smoke. I had written here that my life isn't any less stressful after quitting but I erased the sentence. My life is less stressful. I feel clean and strong, can take better advantage of exercise and better breathing practices to counteract the effects of stress and have the awesome feeling that I have conquered Mt.Everest every day-the Mt.Everest that is nicotine addiction.
- K
8 comments posted