I Will Quit Smoking – With determination anyone could do it!

Archive for December, 2008

Now is the only time that is important. Many people get caught up in their day to day lives and focus on the future which can bring about anxiety or stress. Stress can cause many problems such as concentration issues, lack of good judgment, negativity and lack of productivity. The best way to combat these feelings of stress is through relaxation. Relaxation plays in a key roll in leading a healthy happy life. Relaxation takes as little as ten minutes a day and can be as simple as breathing exercises, or as challenging as a kick boxing class, the choice is yours.

Relaxation can happen anywhere, at work, at home or on a little deserted island off the coast of Mexico. Unfortunately not everyone can take a nice vacation to that dream island or a seven year sabbatical. Many need to learn to relax in the comfort of their own homes and lives. The key is to find something you enjoy and teach your mind to relax when you do it.

There are many ways in which you can relax. Finding your method is really your biggest obstacle, but it is easy, just think about what you enjoy most. Maybe you like listening to music, reading, meditating or walking. Any of these activities can be a relaxation method and can be scaled down to as little as ten minutes.

Something simple like watching TV, listening to music, surfing the web and reading offer a break from regular day to day situations. Books can create a world completely different from your own as can a good movie or song. Each of these activities help your mind escape into a visually exciting place.

Learning to control your breathing and meditation can be a little more complicated since you must learn these techniques in order for them to work properly. Meditation can help you learn to reflect on situations and to control your breathing to calm your mind. These techniques need to be mastered and exercised in order to achieve the maximum result. Once you have achieved your goal, you can relax at the drop of a hat and find inner control in as little as ten minutes.

The gym or fitness classes have an appeal to many as well. Some like to run, walk or lift weights in order to relax. Others might prefer a cycling, kick boxing or tai chi class. Running and walking burn off built up energy and are a great stress reliever, however not everyone wants to run a marathon. For them there are other classes and their purpose is relaxation, such as yoga. Many people choose to skip the classes and gym all together and simply walk their dogs in the park which offers equally as much stress relief.

Your body will tell you what it likes and what it doesn’t like, you just need to learn to listen. Take note of what worked and what didn’t while you were practicing different relaxing techniques. If one doesn’t work don’t be afraid to try a different approach. Make sure to keep yourself motivated by reminding yourself you will be healthier and happier in the end and think how nice it is to do something enjoyable.

Teaching your body something new is always a challenge, however once you get the hang of it, it is like riding a bike, your body won’t forget how. It is important to find an activity which you enjoy and know you will stick with, but you must make a conscious effort to remind and train your body to relax while performing this task. It may take time, but in the end the rewards will be fantastic for your mind, body and lifestyle.

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Pretend you or someone you know has a bad habit. A big bad monkey on your back. How did it get there? How did it start? Probably a combination of three things; emotions, authority figures, and repetition.

Let’s use an example.

Let’s just use a younger you for the example, 10-14 years old. And for this example, let’s use the habit of smoking. If you don’t smoke…. replace the word “smoking” with any craving you get, or just pretend you smoke? It is an article about smoking after all.

When you were in that age range we can assume you were learning about your life and how you fit into it. You may not have felt as sure about yourself.

You may have felt self-conscious, dependent on others, powerless, not good enough, or just not as capable as you would have liked to feel. Let’s call this feeling “bad”. Now, this doesn’t mean you felt miserable, but, did you feel as “good” as you wanted to feel? Did you feel as “good” as you believed other people felt?

Possibly, (probably) not. Which would mean you wanted to feel better, or at least as good as you thought other people feel. What would make you feel better? That depends on the influences in your life to that point.

Maybe you had authority figures in your young life that smoked, like parents, relatives, friends, advertisements, role models. At this point in your life, smoking would have been seen as tough, strong, independent, self-assured, unique, “good”. Repetitively exposed to the thing you felt your life lacked.

This would create a desire (craving) in you to do this thing. A belief that smoking is what your life is missing. And not just in a “knowing” way, but a “feeling” way as well, which is much more powerful.

Then at some point you tried your first cigarette, and DID feel better. But you were not very good at smoking yet and since it made you feel better, you practiced it until you were good at it.

As life continues you come across situations that make you feel “bad” again and do what you’ve been taught makes you feel “good”. That is repeated emotions and practice and you have a strong habit.

If you’ve tried to stop smoking before, you may have already thought of these things. And you’ve spent time thinking and analyzing your habit. But, you didn’t learn this habit by thinking and analyzing, so why would trying to quit smoking that way?

It is a lot easier to quit smoking with the same methods you started smoking with. A “hypnotized” state of mind combined with emotions, authority figures and repetition. Often called modern hypnosis.

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Surgery is complicated enough without all the side effects. Typically there are pages of consent forms to sign listing everything that could go wrong. Surgery, whether elective or required is something many will face at some point in their lives. Patients should understand many complications can not be foreseen. However there is one complication that can be avoided and it is in the patient’s control and that is smoking.

Surgery is something many patients will face at some point in their lives, whether elective or required. There are certain protocols in place for patients to follow before surgery such as no food twelve hours before surgery and nothing to drink. However, many physicians and anesthesiologists require their patients to quit smoking for at least two weeks before and after surgery.

Anesthesiologyinfo.com explains some of the serious side effects smoking can have on the body during surgery. The heart will not function properly because smoking increases carbon monoxide causing the blood to not properly circulate. Carbon monoxide will also attach itself to hemoglobin in the blood which will decrease the amount of oxygen flowing through the blood and body. Nicotine makes the body need more oxygen which will put more stress on the heart, lungs and body which is already under distress from the anesthesia.

With surgery, the body is under stress and therefore prone to infections, especially lung infections. However if you are a smoker, the lungs are even more susceptible to collapse. The small airways do not function as they should because of smoke and nicotine which makes them collapse. Mucus production increases because of smoking and the lungs are not able to clear it as quickly as they should because of anesthesia, making the patient more prone to serious lung infections such as pneumonia and chronic coughing. Bronchospsams and other infections in the lungs can be fatal and should be taken seriously. Smoking has been linked to dozens of other side effects, ranging from heart attacks to poor wound healing by as many as six times more in smokers versus non smokers.

Leading a healthier life and having a successful surgery is something all doctors wish for their patients. Doctors do not want their patient to have complications before, during or after surgery. This is why they ask for smokers to at least take a break before going under any anesthesia. Making smoking secession a top priority is something all patients should be doing, regardless if they are having surgery or not.

There are many ways for patients to quit smoking. Some of the more common treatments are over the counter, such as the nicotine patch and gum. There are other homeopathic treatments as well such as herbal remedies, acupuncture and hypnosis. While others choose to quit, by using prescriptions such as Zyban and Wellbutrin. Often treatments are combined so the patient is as successful as they can be.

The most important thing to do is talk with your physician and discuss your options and find out which plan will suit you best. Since there are many choices and options available to help you quit, there can be no more excuses. Do not wait until you need major surgery before trying to quit, quit before you get there.

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