( image from the files of Project Forgive)
Today I am three months and five days free of nicotine. And I am moving forward, one day at a time.
"One day at a time" --- frequently referred to as the best way to deal with and adjust to changing life events which seemingly upend our lives. After all, it takes time to heal, and to learn new skills to forge ahead in uncertain waters. And these just can't be accomplished overnight.
Some of these changes come our way without forewarning and rock our world. Other life revisions may be of our own choosing, but may still be difficult to cope with.
One challenging alteration in our daily lives is the process of quitting nicotine.
Keeping our eyes on the goal to remain smoke free takes persistence, dedication and grit. It also calls on us to keep our mental focus on the task at hand. That means not risking relapse by drifting off to the past and romancing cigarettes in the recalling of "good times" where our smoking played a large part in what we mistakenly perceive as times of pleasure.
It additionally requires that we not "skip ahead" to the future and imagine certain scenarios where it might by "ok" someday to smoke again. These visions can encompass a variety of scenarios to include moving far away where no one knows of our relapse . 🤣
To stay on track, we need to take caution, remain in the present and strongly resist those mental detours. Because, they can lead us back into the life we are working to escape.
NOPE! NOPE!! NOPE!!!
***
As a sideline, today was supposed to be when the Trivia game would start up again. After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to postpone it's 2022-2023 start-up date until November 8th due to current health issues. Choosing that later date will give me 6 weeks to recuperate from upcoming surgery on September 22nd and will lessen life stressors as I move forward to better health.
xox
