Its a strange feeling to know you never want to smoke again, yet your body and mind think you do. I belong to a Facebook group for people quitting and I constantly see people saying "quitting again" and I do not ever want to have to do this again. My old habit of smoking wont seem to let me go. I even dreamt of smoking last night. I basically lay here all day because everything I do reminds me of smoking and I just dont want to feel terrible. Please understand I am fully determined to continue my new lifestyle, I just really need to figure out how to continue living my life while being a non smoker. I made it through hell week and I was really hoping things would be much better but instead they are just slightly better. I fear this is going to take much much longer than i'd hoped.
Community
The first two weeks are the most difficult, but this quit thing is a journey, not an event...and you are just in the opening miles (sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings!).
The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit. If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
You need to distract yourself through any craves. You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game. Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time. You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits. Get busy! Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?" Then DO it. You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
Don't sit there with those old smoking thoughts going round and round in your head. Change it up! Get busy! Both WILL make this easier!
Nancy