Depression

[Thyme]

It was brutal when I quit cold turkey last fall and lasted for months and months. I’ve been mostly quit since then with some slips and feel like I’m always depressed when I’m not smoking/not feeling as social or as satisfied with my life in general. I do have a mood disorder I take medication for but how do I get over this fear—that life just won’t feel as good or pleasurable if I’m not smoking? I do try to exercise most days (lifting weights/walking/yoga) and have a spiritual life and volunteer (to be of service to others). I know this can be a symptom of withdrawal, but I can’t help feeling like the times when I’ve been quit in the past (including some time a few years ago) are always plagued by depression? What have you done that helps and how long did it take to truly feel good without cigarettes?

[excoach]

This is a very important topic -thank you for bringing it up!

Everyone is different and each quit is diffferent too. You may find you have a different experience when you try again. I'm glad you have professional help for the mood disorder and possibly you may want to bring up the idea of  medication to help with any feelings of depression that may arise with quitting. It's very normal to experience what feels like grief or a loss with quitting smoking which can be very confusing for some who experience it. Some people also write goodbye letters to cigarettes which can help provide some closure.  Another thought it to make a list of what you are gaining in life by quitting smoking.

Using nicotine replacement therapy may also help make it a little easier for you as you go through the process of quitting.

Your ideas exercise and being of service to others are fantastic ways to take care of yourself. I'll be curious to hear what helps others too! 

This Mayo NDC blog addresses quitting and depression: 

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/t5/Mayo-Clinic-Blog/Smoking-depression-anxiety-and-stress/ba-p/19...

~Margaret, EX Coach team

[biscuit9]

It took me 3 weeks to get to a decent place, where I was not alternating between sadness and anger.  At that point I wasn't jumping for joy about anything, BUT the cravings were subsiding.  Focus on what you can do and what you do have.  Focus on the smokefree life that is wonderful and freeing.  Focus on how wonderful life will be without an addiction or a crutch.  You won't be grabbing a cig, so replace that with a sip from a fruit drink that you like or a special tea blend that you have never had before, or run a bath with a special fragrance that you like and light candles.  Start a new craft and work on it everytime you think about nicotine.  You are retraining yourself on how to live without the addiction, and that takes some effort on your part.  Start enjoying the little things....when bad thoughts try to come up, STAND up and walk outside or go in the other room and look out a window. Sometimes I would write my feelings, it helped me to put it on paper.  Don't allow the doldrums to stick around, so get creative.  

Please realize that you are not losing anything by giving up the nic, that is the ADDICTION talking to you, tell it to shut up and go away and mean it.  Nic has lied to all of us, and the reality is you need to make healthy choices.  💥🌷🌈

[Barbscloud]

@Thyme Did you read the material suggested to help with identifying triggers, tools and new associations to help with your quit?

As you indicated, depression and mood changes can be a physical withdrawal symptom as your brain is reacting to a loss of the chemical it's used to receiving regularly.  Understanding that your brain will return to normal as it adjusts to no longer receiving nicotine is an important part of moving your quit forward.  The trigger to release dopamine making you feel good has stopped.  Give it some time for your dopamine levels to return to normal. You're doing the right things to produce more dopamine. In addition to those things, consider spending more time on the Ex.  Spending time on the site, reading, sharing, and support other quitters has a positive effect on your quit. 

I can associate with what you experiencing.   With my quit aids, the physical withdrawal symptoms were nil.  My quit was very emotional.   I learned  year into my quit that I developed hypothyroidism from quitting smoking.  Aside from the sadness from unexplained weight gain, a side effect can be depression.  So I really struggled for a year to keep my quit until I was diagnosed and received medication. 

Anxiety about quitting is normal. Many describe it as losing their best friend, We've smoked our way through every event and emotion, so it's only normal that were apprehensive. For me, I didn't say never again to myself when I first quit.  When I realized if chose to smoke again, I could.  I only had to do this for one day.  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. 

Have you thought about using a quit aid to get past these early symptoms of quitting?  

Don't lose sight of the fact that the changes you're making now by quitting smoking are associated with reduced depression, anxiety, stress and improved mood. 

Stay busy and stay close.

Barb

[maryfreecig]

How do you get over your fear that life will never be as good as when smoking? I quit in October 2013 at the age of 54. Although I'd decided to quit, and that decision meant give it all I had to give, I found myself in a profoundly difficult place to be. I didn't recognize myself. And I was scared. Nothing soothed these feelings, somethings helped though. My future as a nonsmoker seemed so uncertain. I truly believed that my smoking life was me. No amount of "goody-two-shoes" thinking could change that. Quitting so good for my health? Didn't care. Remember my reasons for quitting? Bug off. Hang in there, it will get better? I'm in pain today, how do I handle that? Those were my feelings and experiences then.

I muddled through and faced some very difficult days where finding a reason to stay on my journey seemed too much. I walked on the edge of my own sanity. Today almost a decade later, I get that I was destined to find the answers I was looking for so long as I took my quit journey. It may seem harsh to say that excuses have to be taken off the table in order to stay quit. I don't judge you, anyone else or myself for struggling to make sense of a quit. It happens to a lot of us. As smokers we smoked so much, that it and the addiction became a way of life.

Your fears will subside as you face and overcome the moments when it feels impossible to go on. Your brain is retrained by this. When you go back, you are not only triggering the receptors, but you are training yourself to believe that you can't.

Well, you can beat this addiction--it is a multi sided problem. All of your struggles to beat it are not in vain--this is what it takes to overcome it.

Ten years later, I have no regrets, but the fear and struggle just to get the hell away from a crushing notion that I had to smoke was very real. I believed I knew myself better as a smoker and that living without smoking wasn't me. 

Addiction like this sucks and no matter what other struggles we face in life, addiction doesn't deserve our faith and worship of it.

Stick with your quit goal, keep taking the actions you are taking. Keep it one day at a time. 

[McMoney]

@Thyme Your post hit home for me. I can relate. I hope you stay strong! You can get through this and get back to your happy place!  Talk about it, write it down, and make a list of things you are thankful for no matter how big or small. Smoking lets us hide and also take things for granted and not having that safety blanket feels crappy. Stay in the moment and recognize your emotions and then counter the negatives with positives. It's always easier said than done but I hope the sun shines on you and know you are not alone.