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I was the same way when I left the gym and I also take my time when I leave as you do.I find when I drive If I take a Tic Tac when I start to drive it gets rid of my crave
and then I am good for the trip.
You also mentioned Breathing.I find that I have to remind myself to take deeper breaths as I Can now.I had been so use to having a heavy chest when Im smoked
I smoked for 30 years and recently up to 2 packs per day so I know exactly what you mean. For me the hardest pasrt of the day is the morning until about noon. I find what really helps is keeping my mind occupied and excercise. If I'm at work I try to do the tasks that require my absolute focus in the morning and I leave the more straightforward things for after lunch. When I do excercise that doesn't require a great deal of concentration, like running, I always have music that I force myself to concentrate on. When I find my mind drifting to thoughts of smoking, I force myself to re-focus on the music and my cadence. I don't know if you like excercise, but yoga is wonderful becasue it helps you relax. It also makes you focus on your breathing which gets better and better as more time passes without smoking. This reinforces the gains of quitting too.
I also find changing the sequence or routine of how I do things helps. For example, believe it or not, I used to race from the gym straight to my car to have a smoke. To avoid the craving associated with that routine, I have changed the activity. I read some information bulletins at the gym or have something to drink before getting in my car to go home. By the time I get in the car the craving is gone or not so strong.
Congrats on your near month of freedom. That transition from thinking of one's self as a "smoker" to thinking of one's self as a 'non-smoker" is a great goal. It seems to happen in different ways and at different times for different people. I went at it like you in the sense that I began to consciously think of myself as a non-smoker. In fact, i began calling myself a "non-smoker' even before I had totally quit. I told myself that during the times when I didn't smoke, I was a non-smoker, so I already knew how to be a non-smoker; I just needed to learn to be a non-smoker more often.
As for my goal this month, yikes! I wish I had something constructive planned. I am trying to stay the course with my exercise program and social activities. ( I tend to withdraw if I don't make an active effort.) So maybe just maintaining on my current goals is good for this month.
The addiction is part habitual! Take the time to change habits and routines and see the difference it can make. Substitute different times and place and have extra coping mechanisms ready.
Don't forget to introduce relaxation techniques and times into your new routine and schedule!
Fall is well underway, there seems to be a change in the air – can you feel it?
Something about this time of year has a certain energy about it – or maybe it’s the increase in coffee(?)… Hmmm, well either way let’s harness this energy and achieve something new this month.
What goal would you like to set for yourself this month? If you haven’t quit smoking yet, make it happen this month. If you are already smoke free what goal can you set that will further assist you in the quit process? Perhaps you want to take up walking, a new exercise routine, eating more veggies, drinking more water, putting yourself out there more socially or something entirely different.
What is one thing you want to accomplish this month?
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