Knowledge is power, but also going back in time to remind yourself how far you have come is important also. I'm the host of the Freedom train on the weekend. All of us celebration leaders use a spreadsheet to keep track of quit days and when to celebrate them. I always go back and check on people to make sure they're still quit. I'm always verifying facts. I never take anything for granted. Sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse, but anyhooo back to my point.
Every day when I visit the train, I go back to the member's page to see if they've blogged recently. I like to personally either send them a message or give them a badge for their milestone achieved. I'll notice that they've commented on certain things by their profile page in response to a member's blog or discussion that was posted. I'll think to myself, oh, I wonder how that person is coming along these days. Haven't heard from them in a while.
One I just visited this morning, I saw that she hadn't been on here in months and also noticed that she deleted quite a few of her blogs. She was very active on the site when she was quitting. So I knew there was more there than what was shown. I've seen this time and time again. People quit. They start riding that roller coaster. Instead of hanging on for dear life and let the ride run, they panic and let go. When that happens, they feel they failed, what's the point, delete, delete, delete. They've now erased what they perceive as a failure, but they also erased a learning tool for them and for the next that comes along. They can't see what was going on when they quit that last time and they went back to smoking.
In my case when I'm having a rough day, I have certain blogs bookmarked that I know will talk me out of my stinkin' thinkin'. Yes, I still have them, but I accept them. I know they will pop up from time to time, but it's okay. I lived that way for 43 years. I even visit my own blogs from the very beginning from time to time to either, A, help someone else that I think it will help, or, B, I just need reassurance sometimes of how far I've come. That's the reason why I feel blogging or keeping a diary is so important. It's a learning tool, a way to replay a snapshot in time. It's also a way to help others either with the content or the comments that follow.
I'm also a believer of behavior modification; creating a new normal instead of repeating the same self-defeating actions we are doing over and over again. One suggestion would be to visit https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/community/celebrations-events?sr=search&searchId=78583f4c-fa0c-48... and post on the Daily Pledge every morning and visit the Freedom Train every evening to announce your commitment to not smoke today and shout out those days of freedom every night. We've got some impressive numbers this weekend. Take a look. Now, to me, that's a positive new normal and heading in the right direction !!!!
