Today has been a struggle for a number of reasons. But I have not smoked. I did not go get a doughnut either. Making it through just this day until tomorrow when I will work on that day. Have a good evening.
I'm on day 4. I can't stop crying and I'm not sure if it's depression from not smoking or something else going on in my life. I know smoking releases dopamine (I believe). I know I need to quit. I know it's going to be tough. Didn't realize it would effect my emotional wellbeing besides being super irritable.
@dnsmith84 Welcome to the Ex and congrats on day 4. What you're experiencing is normal for many quitters. I had little if any physical withdrawal symptoms. Mine was mostly emotional and did last for good while. These are common mood changes that can occur:
Diminished capacity to experience rewarding feelings (anhedonia).
Many of us cried. It's ok, just let it out!
It will pass, so in the meantime try to do some activities to replace the diminished dopamine. Exercise is great, especially walking. Deep breathing, listening to music, getting adequate sleep, etc.
You are doing it exactly right - one day (sometimes even just an hour) at a time. These early days suck; they just do. Do whatever it takes to get through them. It DOES get easier!
@dnsmith84 I'm approaching 3 1/2 years. Many other's have described how you're feeling. If your interested, you can google it and find lots of material that addresses the emotional part of quitting.
But if you feel this isn't normal for you, you might want to check with your doctor. We shouldn't rush to attribute everything to quitting smoking .
Often if I had a challenging day @Turtleday1 … I would take a nice bath … put my pj’s on and watch something with hubs on tv and then go to bed early…usually, the next day I woke up and felt better…wishing this for you…~ Colleen 997 DOF
