Hi Everyone... Tomorrow, August 6 is my quit date... I say that in sort of an Eeyore voice because I hate to admit the amount of times I have tried and failed. I know that mental attitude is a big part of the quit, but I feel angry, embarrassed and somewhat hopeless that I can do it... YET, I want it so badly. Every night I lay my head down I tell myself TODAY is that last day, yet the cycle continues.
I start a new job in 3 weeks. One I wont be able to do physically if I keep on smoking. Of course I know the other reasons I want to quit, its's just the stupid awful addiction that creeps in and keeps me hostage. I don't want to be a slave to anything anymore, especially something as downright dirty as smoking.
I need help though. Friends to stay accountable too, especially for the first WEEK. That's usually where I am failing.. It seems like when I quit, the anxiety sets in and derails me... I hope you'll take me in
I have been reading these posts for so long and am so inspired by how nice everyone is, and how understanding <3
Tomorrow it is on!
So here is what I would do:
Write down all of your Fears, Doubts, Anger, Anxiety, Hopelessness, Negativity! The whole ugly mess! Take your last Sickerette(s) and wrap them up in a bundle. Find a safe place like a fireplace or BBQ and burn them together or just put them in a jar and fill it with water and put a lid on. While you watch them self-destruct together let your New Quititude be born!
From that point on every time you feel any anxious feelings coming - stop - tell yourself, "I see I'm feeling some anxiety" and then Take a deep breath and exhale very sloooowly - release the emotion like letting go of a helium filled balloon! Watch it float away in your mind! At my job we say, "Bye, Felecia!" [I didn't know either...look it up!] On the next inhale you're only allowing yourself to breathe in a fresh new beginning!
Smoking Cessation is a Mental Exercise! Yes, you are physically addicted and depending on your method of quitting (NRTs, pharmaceuticals, smart turkey, etc...) Nicotine could be gone in just 3 loooong days (but still limited to @72 hours.) What makes people cave more often than not is their lack of engaging their Brain!
Nicotine literally hijacks the neuroreceptors of the Brain and thus, the way out also means using your Brain! It's imperative that you acquire an Attitude of Gratitude which I call Quititude!
Quititude means you don't look back at past anything! You don't let feelings of deprivation set in! You embrace the becoming of a New Smoke FREE YOU! Imagine, Fake-it-till-you-make-it, Become!
As my Friend Marilyn says, it is absolutely doable! Not easy, but doable and totally worth it!