- 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
- Focus on gratitude, not craving a cigarette
Nov. 24, 2009
- 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
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Quit smoking blog
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Sept. 23, 2009
Blog: Quitting smoking takes an inner-outer world shift
By Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
When undergoing a personal transformation so profound as stopping smoking, it takes time for your "interior world" to catch up with this external change. Becoming smoke-free isn't something that happens on your quit date. It's a process that begins the day you first contemplate the idea and concludes the day you internalize your identity as a non-smoker.
Many people anticipate instant results. They think withdrawal will be done in a few days and that after a week they'll be comfortable without cigarettes. However, the inner world of your thoughts and your emotions has to undergo a great deal in order to catch up when your outer world shifts so quickly.
Don't run astray by expecting too much too soon. When you go smoke-free you're changing your entire reality; it's not just about giving up the cigarette. Everything has to shift — your patterns, your beliefs, your self-image. Your inner life has to be deconstructed and rebuilt. That process is different for everyone. For some it may require staying busy, but for others it could call for a personal retreat.
Give yourself permission to take the time you need for quiet and self-care:
- Read
- Write
- Listen to music
- Sit in silence
- Exercise your body
- Dive into a creative hobby
- Rediscover your passions
Be gentle with yourself as your inner world changes. So many people become restless and impatient, because they think their thoughts and emotions should keep pace with the abrupt shift from their familiar outer world to a new, uncharted reality. More often than not, you need to embrace the quiet hours before you can awaken to a new dawn.
Do you have other ideas to share about making this change?
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