So today marked my 3rd day of not having one....it's rough...any suggestions on how to occupy myself when I find myself wanting to take 5 minutes and step outside? Good luck to all of you as well in quitting 🙂
I am on day 4 - hang in there. I actually growl at the craving then get mad and then try to laugh about it. Today I crawled into bed for 5 minutes where the nicotine monster couldn't reach me. I find the first time you do something without cigs it is very hard, so brace yourself. After that each time gets easier. Take up some sort of craft? Knitting or needlework? I get on this site when it really gets bad.
I don't think sabbathblck6 is a knitting or needlework kinda guy, so I am going to suggest deep breathing and arm stretches when you want to step outside for a smoke. Hopefully, at work, you do not have others suggesting smoke breaks.
I wish I had quit at 24. Please don't be 54 (like me) saying, "I wish I had quit at 24". At 24 I had two little boys (my own) who I should have quit for. Didn't. Now I have 5 grandkids and am finally quitting.
I didn't have a t-shirt that said "Let's get wasted" when I was 24. But I did have a sign that said, "If it feels good, do it" and a poster that said "Keep on truckin'" with the big foot. I thought smoking fit in with all of that. What a jerk I was.
You aren't a jerk, I can tell. Anyone who cares about a 7 year old that isn't his blood and kin is a good guy. Stay here. Do the suggested reading. Stay quit and very soon it will feel natural.
Let's see, ways to occupy yourself during a craving: Sing. LOUDLY. Punch a pillow. HARD. Have a pillow fight with a friend. Stand on your head. Find animals in clouds. Brush your teeth. Dance wildly to some fast music. Take a magic marker and scrawl what your craving feels like on a piece of paper. Exercise in any way manner or form.
The object here is to change your focus. Experiment. Have fun with it. Try everything. Be off the wall. Use this time of incredible craving energy to discover new things. Try stuff you've always wanted to do but never have done. Do things that force your brain to focus on them and not on smoking. Use your imagination. This can be a wonderully inventive, imaginative time if you present it to your brain that way. You're in the process of a major change. Glory in it! And don't you DARE smoke. We will all jump out of our computers and beat you up if you do!!!! Humor is very important during this process. Employ it.
I have found new ways of occupying my time instead of smoking. For a while I pushed for Underwater Basking Weaving to be an Olympic sport. It is amazing when we really put our day into perspective how often we really smoked. Some of us go "It's only half a pack" well that is 10 smokes and at 5 minutes a smoke that is an hour.
My wife and I went through the clearance section of Target and found little scrunchy koosie balls to play with. I have been doing the Wii yoga and at work I have been taking up singing and whistling, it requires good breathing which is what you need to help you in your quit. Here is the thing, what ever you are doing that isn't smoking is an improvement! (Unless it is drugs......say no to drugs....... disclaimer)
Try driving a different way to work or the store. Make the bed backward, or even have a staring contest with the family pet. Even the craziest of ideas can lead to a great time that does not involve smoking. Good luck and stay strong
Deep breathing helps. Take 10 deep breathes. It will clear your mind and get oxygen to your body. If you need to keep taking 10 deep breathes, keep doing it. It will get your mind off the craving. I now deep breathe when I am not having a craving or urge. Also something like Tic Tac s can help with an urge or craving.
By reading and understanding, you will gain control...
The most IMPORTANT thing you can do for your quit now is to educate yourself about the addiction and the mind games it plays on us....READ,READ,READ for a successful quit...the more you read, the EASIER it is...
CHOOSE to quit smoking, not TRY. Educate yourself by reading these links to the materials that most of us have used to help us quit and STAY quit! This is about making a DECISION to never put another cigarette in your mouth, mean it, and be committed to follow through on that decision. Also allow NO excuses AND hang in there for as long as it takes, no matter how uncomfortable you become.... This is about re-learning your life WITHOUT cigarettes....start changing your "normal" routine....because a smoker's routine revolves around cigarettes. You will be a nonsmoker so change how you start your morning so it doesn't revolve around cigarette breaks, etc. You CAN do this! ....http://digg.com/newsbar/topnews/Allen_Carr_s_Easy_Way_To_Stop_Smoking_Download_free_PDF
Stay close to this site and remember NOPE=Not One Puff Ever...and as long as you stick to this ONE SIMPLE rule, you will win....it the meantime, drink plenty of fresh cold water to rid your body of the toxins,6 smaller, nutritious meals throughout the day to keep your blood-sugar levels steady, (don't diet!)......and it will keep your blood sugar level and the low blood sugar induced fogginess and craves away.
....take big arm STRETCHES as often as needed to relax tense muscles and most importantly, take big DEEP BREATHS TO RELAX AND RELIEVE anger... take a nap, take walks, stay buzy with something you LIKE and brush you teeth immediately after each meal...stick your head in the freezer and DEEP BREATHE....If you bite into a lemon, the smoking thought will be gone instantly...try it, it works, also suck on sugarfree hard candy or lollipops and one of my friends here says be sure to use the Halls mentholyptus cough drops......Be prepared in advance for it,not surprised by it...Smoking thoughts only have power when you have fear. Face it head on and do not try to run or hide. You have the strength and power to tell it NO...You have the CHOICE to tell it NO.
I would read Allen Carr for a few minutes when I got a craving. Just a few paragraphs. At first I thought it would take too much time but then I realized I had all that extra time that I used to spend smoking. with the money I saved i bought a tablet computer and love to play with it and read.
Have a bottle of water with you when you go outside and drink....take the money you would have spent on cigarettes and put it in a jar and watch how quickly it will grow, you will actually need to deposit it into a bank account after awhile and have it earn interest. Suck on hard sugarless candy and take deep breaths. Today is Day 3 for you so all the nicotine which is what we are all addicted to will be out of your body by tomorrow. Stay close to this blog....best place to be.
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