Quitting tobacco is hard. If it were easy, you wouldn’t be reading this blog. But it’s not easy, so you are reading it! There are many things that are very difficult to control in the process of quitting including:
- Our body’s response to quitting tobacco
- Our spontaneous thoughts
- Unexpected triggers
- Life stressors
It can help to think and plan ahead for these types of things; but they will still come up. And when they do, they can be difficult to manage. One thing that we can control is our environment!
This idea of environmental arrangement occurred to me the other day as I was doing some fall cleaning. I noticed that many items were in locations that did not lend themselves to ease of use. Some were just put in a place that wasn’t helpful, while others had slowly accumulated over time and were getting in the way.
As I studied the garage and thought about the time I spend there, I could see many ways that re-arranging things would make the space easier to use and more productive. So, over the next several hours I made changes that made it more user-friendly.
Consider the areas where you spend your time—home, work, or even your garage. What changes can you make to support your tobacco-free efforts?
Will you consider replacing your favorite “smoking chair” with another piece in which thoughts of smoking are not part of your history with it?
Will you eliminate those other reminders in your home such as ashtrays and replace them with new behavioral substitutes you are finding helpful — such as a container of straws, toothpicks, or hard candies? Are there any other places, such as a spare room or shed, where you would often smoke?
How will you “repurpose” these spaces to signal that new smoke-free lifestyle to you? Perhaps turning a small corner into a workspace where you could delve into some craftwork that you have wanted to do, or a space to read or journal?
Planning will be important to find the time and energy to make such changes. It might be helpful to give yourself a deadline for making these changes.
While arranging your environment to support your tobacco-free life is only one part of the equation, it is one that we may often overlook, but indeed have control over. Let’s take control of the things that we can!
What thoughts do you have on how you might arrange your environment in a way that helps you to quit and stay quit?
