Congratulations on setting a quit date, that is the first step!
I think first you should decide if it is best for you to quit cold turkey, or if you would like to use nicotine patches or gum, or any of the other aids. Please read up on it, there are many products that can help you to get over the withdrawal symptoms. Get educated, read posts about it, then decide. I am using the nicotine patches and they are helping a lot. Since I miss my morning cigarettes the most I also take one piece of nicotine gum in the morning. Then I can go on with my day and don't think about smoking every minute. But you have to make the decision what is best for you!
Think about how you reward yourself. For example the cigarette was my reward for working hard in the garden or doing dishes or laundry. Yeah, it sounds pretty dumb, but when you quit you get easily depressed because you don't get your reward in form of a cigarette anymore. So you need to plan how to reward yourself for a job well done. You also need to reward yourself for not smoking. Now you can give yourself a sicker every day (or every hour) and when you have a certain number of stickers you get ice cream, or a new pair of shoes, or whatever you think is appropriate. Be creative!
Plan lots of activities that get you busy and out of the areas where you usually smoked. Meet with friends that support you, stay away from smokers!!!!!
What really helped me was reading all the posts and learning about how people get through their day without smoking. There is lots of good information on all the quit smoking websites, I surfed the net like crazy and read a lot.
Get rid of all your cigarettes (i mean all of them, don't leave any in the car or the purse or even old cigarette butts in ashtrays or on the ground in the driveway), throw away your ashtrays too. You won't need them anymore!! Wash all your clothes that smell like smoke and if you smoke in the house maybe have your carpets cleaned on the day you quit. No one wants to smoke in a house when you just paid to get the smell out!
Have plenty of healthy snacks around, I am eating more than before I quit. And it is normal. If you expect to gain a few pounds you will not be shocked if it happens. But maybe you are going to be one of the lucky ones and it doesn't happen to you. But once you are over the withdrawal you will feel so much better and get more exercise and you will certainly loose any unwanted pounds. Playing with a 2 year old grandson is great exercise!!
Be possitive, don't think it is the end of the world if you will say good-bye to the cigarettes. It is a new life and it is wonderful. You will have bad days but after every bad day a good day will follow. And later on instead of having a whole bad day you will have bad moments and they will go pretty quickly.
If you are determined and you want this badly you will do it, no question about it. So many have quit and stay quit, so can you!
I am very excited for you! If you need any help or someone to talk to, please let me know. I will be there for you!
Y O U C A N D O I T ! ! ! ! !
All the best,
Claudia
PS: As soon as you think you are ready, go ahead. You don't have to wait until the 14th of April! 🙂
