Day 2. Sad, teary episodes, but determined

[chriskkusa]

Day 2 and I'm spontaneously crying, don't feel like doing anything but can't snooze either. I keep coming back here to read others experience and to reaffirm that this too shall pass.

I even admitted to my adult non-smoking son that at this point I recognize that I'm not even craving cigarettes but rather something to relieve this sadness. A nice hot soak with lavender essential oil helped briefly.

It's funny how I made a huge list of things to do to distract myself but the sadness is so profound that I struggle to do the necessary things of the day.

I'm hoping tomorrow will be easier because I'm not giving up.

[Barbscloud]

@chriskkusa Welcome to the Ex and congrats on two day of success.   I'm glad you're reading material on the site and realize what you're experiencing is a normal physical withdrawal symptom.  Yes it will pass as your body adjusts to the loss of nicotine.  Are you doing activities to replace the lost dopamine highs from nicotine?

Of course any exercise is great, but one of the favorites is walking.  I would just take brief walks throughout the day.  It's a great way to refocus your thoughts and get an added boost of dopamine.

This link is a great place to learn about trigger, carvings and find new associations to replace smoking.

https://www.becomeanex.org/guides/?cid=footer_community_linktobex

Join many of us on the Daily Pledge to stay on track one day at a time.

Glad you found us.  Stay busy and stay close.

Barb

[Anonymous]

Crying is normal . At first I thought it was me just not able to handle quitting  but this is a normal part of the process . Uncomfortable yes, but worth it to be comfortable as an ex smoker . It will pass , I promise you . 
I understand the hard to concentrate part as well ,  even tho someone has made a list of to dos instead of smoking and was prepared and had a plan , that’s ok if it’s not working for you today , just don’t smoke .I think you will find your mind will go to doing something different on its own spontaneously .As I mentioned to another poster when things were like that I just up and went to the zoo , or put on funny movies, sometimes just slept or went to my website and played games. Btw we do have a game group here , perhaps post and others newcomers or some of the elders will join in . You  are doing great keep going . 

[taylorja5]

I am on steam looking to start starfield this week. Tomorrow will be my first day without nicotine. I do not have it now but assuming I will be standing in place becaus I can't do anything without it. This will give me some time before release to deal with the cravings. And now I feel like I want to feel that numb and taste it. Already having the I don't need to quit convos in my head. It's scary and like op I will be crying. But I have starfield to look forward to. Not sure I will make it though, it's scary and I do not even know why. Mainly it's like what will I do. I have not gamed with out vaping and to me idk how I will sit and focus and be relaxed. Just hope it's true this feeling will go away so I can be normal again and just game with no vape. 

[Barbscloud]

@taylorja5 Did you read the material suggested to prepare for tomorrow?  I really can make a difference in becoming an Ex.

I had to look up Starfield. That should keep you occupied.  Video games helped me with  my quit.  They keep your mind and hands occupied. 

Anxiety about quitting is normal. Many describe it as losing their best friend, We've smoked/vaped our way through every event and emotion, so it's only normal that we're apprehensive. Approaching your quit one day at a time can help to alleviate the fear. Don't think about forever right now. You'll see those one days will turn into multiple days.

Right now, you're working through the process of your desire to quit and the addiction wanting you to keep it up. You can win that internal battle by educating yourself about nicotine addiction and putting a plan in place with how you'll deal with cravings, identifying your triggers and creating the new associations you'll create instead of smoking.

We're here to support you. There will be ups and downs, but that is part of the journey. We're here for you, so just reach out anytime we can help or want to share your experience.

Look forward to celebrating with you tomorrow.   Please keep us updated.

Stay busy and stay close. 

Barb

[maryfreecig]

Welcome to Ex!!! One step at a time, one day at a time! You are right, this will pass. Congratulations on your quit. 

[CommunityAdmin]

Crying and other emotions are a very normal part of quitting. Just do a search for "crying" on the EX Community and look at all the posts that come up. It's normal to go through a period of what feels like grieving and it's all part of the process. The lavender soak is a great idea! 

~Margaret, EX Community Admin Team

[biscuit9 · Accepted solution]

You are on day 2, which is wonderful.  You are making it through hell week and I think it is wonderful that you have made plans to use your distractions, that is so important.  The first week for me, was about survival and just getting through it.  It seemed like no matter what I thought about, my mind kept returning to nicotine....over and over, like on a loop.  That should not surprise you and it was frustrating, because my brain wanted its nic fix, and I had to keep saying NO.  Hang in there and get good at saying NO.  You cannot feed the monster because you will never satisfy it, ever.  Like anything, it gets easier with practice.  Stay strong and committed.