Yesterday, I noticed that the sycamore leaves are now blushing with a dusty gold color, and that a few of the leaves are actually falling. Our friends up above the Mason-Dixon Line are much closer to autumn than those of us down here in Dixie, but the common focus for this time of year (and for my blog) is to start thinking about autumn and winter “seasonal triggers“.
A “seasonal trigger” happens when shifts in temperature and sunlight, and changes in daily activities and obligations, spark strong recollections of smoking. These are often unforeseen urges that don’t become an issue until the weather actually changes, and they can catch a newcomer off guard.
Since we’re going into the end of 2016, I put together just a sampling of “seasonal triggers” that are soon to be headed our way…
Fall football games
Pulling out the coats and jackets and sweaters
Pumpkin-spiced...everything! (And apple pies, cookies, breads, muffins, etc.)
Raking leaves (and how they smell like oregano)
All things Halloween (parties, candy, decorating, handling trick-or-treaters, etc.)
Cozy fireplace rituals
Seeing and smelling the smoke from a chimney
All things Thanksgiving (overeating, "food comas" and sleepiness. stacks of dishes, leftovers, crowds of family, backyard football, missing loved ones who couldn't attend or who have passed away, etc.)
All things Christmas (happiness, celebration, shopping, parties, family, friends...sadness, depression, overspending, missing loved ones, too many invitations, too much food, etc.)
Smoky firepits, snowball fights, the merriment of New Year's Eve
"Seasonal triggering" is a real phenomenon for us ex-smokers, and it's a well-grounded belief here that we each need to successfully navigate through 2 sets of seasons in order to master how we cope with these changes of the year.
Autumn is my happiest time of year, and I was always a “cold-weather smoker“, so the last 3 months of 2014 certainly did test my new quit… hard. The feelings of nostalgia for smoking became quite vivid, so I had no choice but to tackle this challenge. I ended up switching out my usual coffee (and my pumpkin-spiced lattes) for cups of hot green tea or Earl Grey. And, I also used those heavily-scented laundry “beads” to infuse my sweaters and hoodies with fresh “aromatherapy”. Switching things up really helped joggle the old associations! Naturally, I couldn’t lock myself away inside the house, and not rake the yard, or not hike on a frosty afternoon, or not go to holiday parties; I had to live my life and just “surf” through many of the things of fall and winter. But, I did make changes where changes were possible, and my first autumn without cigarettes was made more bearable.
My second autumn and winter without smoking was much more manageable, as the “romance“ for cigarettes dwindled. Now, as I go into my third chilly season without smoking, I accept that my addictive “hardwiring” will still cause nostalgic urges. They’re coming, they’re a part of me, they’re natural…but, they’re not commands to actually do anything.
I’m ready. And, there's plenty of time for YOU to start thinking ahead and strategizing for success.
*** I find myself wanting to write and write and write more about this topic, but I’ll turn this blog over to you now. It’s my hope that your comments will offer practical tips, hands-on skills, and valuable insights for the newcomers who have yet to manage their first autumn and winter without smoking. So, with them in mind, feel free to contribute to the topic at hand...
15 Comments
