Archive for the ‘Mindset’ Category
HALT To Quit Smoking
April 25th, 2012
To quit smoking is a process. This does not actually happen overnight. However, recent medical studies show that our emotions can definitely paved the way to smoke. That is why, it is important to know what are these urges and emotions that can trigger us to have that stick of cigarette.
When the Urge to Smoke Hits, Think H.A.L.T.
H.A.L.T. (Hungry,Angry,Lonely,Tired) is a powerful checklist to help you decode the urges to smoke that you experience. Nine times out of ten, a craving can be traced to one of these four things:
Hungry
Have a snack or a meal. If you are hungry, food is the answer, not a cigarette. If you're concerned about weight gain, try drinking water before you eat a snack to help control the amount you eat. Keep healthy snacks on hand. Celery sticks, raw baby carrots and frozen grapes make good low calorie snacks.
Normal weight gain due to quitting smoking is 5-8 pounds. Metabolism does slow a bit initially, so some daily exercise is a good idea. Things will balance out and that quit-related weight will drop off within a couple of months as long as you're eating the same as you were before you stopped smoking.
Don't be too hard on yourself. Try to eat in moderation, but until you get your quit program under solid control, don't fret if you gain a few pounds. Quitting tobacco must be in the top slot of your priority list for as long as it takes. Weight can always be lost later.
Angry
Anger is a big trigger for most of us. Find healthy outlets for your feelings of frustration. If at all possible, deal with the situation that is bothering you head on and be done with it.
Talk to friends and family about your feelings or write in your journal. The important thing is not to let anger simmer and get the upper hand. Reaching for a cigarette can seem like a quick fix, but it is a false fix.
We may not always be able to choose the events that happen around us, but we do have control over how we let external situations affect us emotionally.
Come up with a few ideas of things you can do to help you shift negative energy that bubbles up before it has the chance to do any damage. That way, when a situation arises, you're prepared. It will help you maintain control and get through it without smoking.
Remind yourself that no one has the power to affect your emotions without your approval. You control your inner environment, for better or worse. Take responsibility for how you feel and it will empower you to control difficult emotions smoke-free.
Lonely
For most ex-smokers, loneliness is more accurately described as boredom. Smoking was such a constant companion it was an activity in and of itself.
Early on in cessation, distraction is a useful tool that can help you manage feelings of boredom. Get out for a walk, watch a movie, or work on a hobby. Come up with a list of things you enjoy doing and do some of them. Make them fun and they will help you over the hump of this type of smoking trigger.
Depression also falls under this category. People quitting tobacco are especially susceptible to the blues, at least early on. Leaving cigarettes behind can feel like the loss of a friend, albeit a destructive, life-stealing friend. After years of smoking, most of us feel the loss of smoking in this way to some extent.
If you feel yourself slipping into a funk, take action. Change your environment(internal, external, or both) and it will help you change your attitude. It's ok to mourn the death of your smoking habit, but don't glorify it as something it was not. It was out to KILL you, remember that!
Tired
Fatigue can be a big trigger for the newly quit. Instead of lighting up when you're tired, give yourself permission to slow down and relax a little, take a nap, or go to bed early if you need to. Sounds so simple, yet people often push themselves too far with all of the demands of life these days.
Be aware and take care. Don't let yourself get run down. A tired you is going to be more susceptible to junkie thinking and the threat of relapse. Protect your quit by protecting your health, both physically and mentally.
It may feel like you'll never be free of cigarettes and thoughts of smoking will always plague you, but have some faith in yourself and the process, and please be patient. We taught ourselves to smoke, and we can teach ourselves to live comfortably without smokes too.
Soon enough, you'll get to a place where smoking cessation is no longer a daily effort. You may even wonder why you didn't quit sooner, because life without cigarettes has become natural and easy.
In the meantime, keep H.A.L.T. in your arsenal of quit tools and use it to decipher those urges as they come, one by one…
More at The Seasons of Quitting Tobacco
More Reading
- Craving Cigarettes Three Months After Quitting
- Secrets To Quit Smoking And Kick Your Habit
- Solid Advice When Trying To Quit Smoking
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Self Assessment – Do You Need Help In Quit Smoking?
January 15th, 2009
Ask yourself one question:
Do I need help to quit smoking?
Of course, there is no certain ways to know for sure but with a little quiz you get to understand your needs better in quit smoking.
The reason is because you need to understand your addiction and habit before you get the right treatment for quit smoking.
Where can you take such as test / assessment to know yourself?
At American Cancer Society, there is a quiz specially designed to help smokers understand their dependency on nicotine and their smoking habit.
There is no pressure in taking the test. However, if you are serious about quit smoking, you really need to take the first step and by answering the questions, you are one step closer to achieving your goal.
When you have learnt about yourself, you can proceed to finding the best treatment for your quit smoking program.
When you need to find the best treatment or support, you can check out the American Cancer Society support and quitline.
Other resources:
1. Tips to help you stop smoking
2. The Myth and Fact about quit smoking
Good luck in your quit smoking journey!
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A Letter To The Ladies
October 26th, 2008
Dear Ladies,
I am sure you know that smoking will increase the chances of getting breast cancer and cervix cancer. So, why are you smoking? These are deadly disease that will not just ruin your life but also affect your loved ones. Do you want to leave them earlier and let them struggle every day missing you and regret about how they cannot do anything to help you?
Well, it is time to make a statement and that is “no smoking”. Ladies, apart from cancers, smoking is also harmful especially when you are pregnant. You can either cause birth complications or even cause the baby’s death. Is this what you want? To see your baby struggle for life and die in your womb.
Yes, it is difficult to let go of smoking but you have to for yourself and your family and friends. They care for you so you should care for yourself as well. There is no reason why you should put yourself at the edge of death. If you are pregnant, you should think about your responsibility for bringing the baby to life.
Now, change your lifestyle by saying NO to cigarettes. You can make a difference and only you can change your life. No one else can do it for you unless you have the will to do it yourself. Difficult it may be, but it is worthy.
Regards,
People who care about you.
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