Just wanted to check in. I was on the patch for 12 days, ended up smoking, and then went cold turkey. I feel sooooooo much better not wearing the patch, even when I was in the throes of withdrawal and being a total bitch to everyone (cough sorry cough), it still felt better than when I was putting nicotine in. i feel different now, more clean, my body feels a little stronger, just in general in a much better mood overall. Definitely still having cravings but they aren't such a big deal this time around. Right now I feel like everything is as it should be and I'm moving in a positive direction and this time maybe it really will be permanent.
thanks to all the people that were supportive during my freakout sessions a couple days ago. Really very little of it was what any of you had said, it was more that I was angry at everything and just had to let it out somehow, and I'm sorry that I targeted you, the people who were trying to help me. But thanks for being so understanding and supportive.
One site I found that really is helping me this time around is www.cognitivequitting.com. It's a very simple idea, not complex or confusing at all and very easy to implement. the basic idea is that whenever our body signals to us that we need something, whether it's hunger, being tired, needing exercise or whatever, we responded to it with a smoke. So we need to practice figuring out what our body really needs and giving it. Really, eat when we get hungry? DUH sounds stupid but the truth is I've trained myself to use a cigarette instead of a good healthy measure, whenever my body needs something. So I have to train it back. and withdrawal is a lot easier when I'm not forcing myself to sit through being tired and hungry and bored and angry and all of that. Those are needs that can be taken care of.
so I'm working on taking care of myself and being compassionate to myself, and I hope that it will also allow me to be more compassionate to others.
Hope everyone is having a great smoke-free weekend 🙂
