~~Be gentle. You are meeting parts of yourself you have been at war with.~~ Unknown
Quitting is so much more than just not smoking. While your body is trying to heal itself, it is also struggling with wanting that addictive substance again. The habits you had....smoking after a meal, smoking with your morning coffee, etc....are still there as you struggle to find healthier habits. The emotions you could stuff as you puffed away are now all over the place...anger, depression, anxiety, fear. All normal emotions that seem so large as you try to find a balance without smoking.
And to top it all off, you just want the cravings to stop. You want to be 'normal'. You want to move on.
Recovery, friends, is a process just as life itself is a process. So stop trying to rush through to normal. First of all, there is no 'normal'. Second, take the time to need to heal. To find yourself. To be ok, one day or one hour or one minute at a time.
The real you is in there somewhere. Underneath the addict. Behind the shadows of the smoke. Tucked away from the world that can be harsh. So take this time in your quit to bring out the you that you were always meant to be. Find your strengths. Bring out your curious. Explore. Discover. Delight.
Recovery can be difficult but you can ease that somewhat through focusing on yourself and all the good you are. All the talents you have. All the stuff you forgot as smoking took over who you are.
Be gentle on yourself as you recover. Ride the waves of an addiction that is slowly losing its grip on you and allow it to trickle into the past. Little by little, bit by bit it will fade. Let it go. Don't hold on to it, hold on instead to the you who is emerging. Healthier. Happier. Confident.
You can quit. Of course you can!! Be gentle.
