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Channeling self-care?

Dr_Hays
Mayo Clinic
7 2 184

I wanted to give a shout out to psychick, who wrote a blog a while back on self-care and what it means to her in a very honest and very real tone.

We all have good days and bad days and practicing self-care can improve how you plan to quit tobacco and manage the stress of it all. Practice self-care for the best interest of you, this is YOUR quit attempt! Own your quit and make it something you want or are looking forward to. Think of all the reason you want to do this for YOU not for your doctor, spouse, friend, co-worker… YOU!

Make a plan:

One thing we practice at Mayo is HALT, making sure you are never too Hunger, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.  It is situations like these where we are spread thin and impulsively respond to stress in a way we later may disapprove of such as relapsing on tobacco, indulging in fatty food, drinking too much, or etc. Do a body scan- “what is it that I need in this moment to feel content?”

Before these moments of desperation occur; think of things you enjoy and can easily be distracted by…. Add that to your self-care plan. The more you plan the easier it will be to recall in times of need, so don’t wait, start thinking today!  

One of my patient’s would write down their favorite self-care strategies then when they had a craving they would pull from the jar. Example: hiking, biking, spa day, attend church, spend time with family, laugh, play with your dog, go for a run, the list goes on.

Send us what a good day looks like for you when you are keeping up with your self-care

Stay positive 
Dr. Hays

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About the Author
An expert in tobacco use and dependence, Dr. Hays has authored and co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed scholarly articles and book chapters on various aspects tobacco dependence and its treatment. Since joining the Nicotine Dependence Center in 1992, he and its staff have treated more than 50,000 patients for tobacco dependence.