When we consciously make a decision to quit smoking there are several things that must happen before the quit process can be a true success. Number one is to have a plan and then work your plan. The thought of quitting can be monumental at best. We truly have to have a motive for saying goodbye to nicotine addiction. Fear, anxiety and not knowing what will really happen when we quit can be a real monster yet here are some things to think about.
Our capacity to cope successfully with life's challenges far outstrips our capacity to feel anxiety. Yet in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to an event that we believe will test our limits, we can become anxious. While we may have previously regarded ourselves as equal to the trials that lie ahead, we reach a point at which they near and our anxiety begins to mount. We then become increasingly worked up, until the moment of truth arrives and we discover that our worry was all for nothing. We are almost always stronger and more capable than we believe ourselves to be. But anxiety is not rational in nature, which means that in most cases we cannot work through it using logic as our only tool. Reason can help us recognize the relative futility of unwarranted worry but, more often than not, we will find more comfort in patterns of thought and activity that redirect our attention to practical or engaging matters.
Most of us find it remarkably difficult to focus on two distinct thoughts or emotions at once, and we can use this natural human limitation to our advantage when trying to stay centered in the period leading up to a potentially tricky experience. When we concentrate on something unrelated to our worry�such as deep breathing, visualizations of success, pleasurable pursuits, or exercise�anxiety dissipates naturally. Meditation is also a useful coping mechanism as it provides us with a means to ground ourselves in the moment. Our guides can aid us by providing us with a focal point wholly outside of our own sphere.
So in closing I encourage you to quit and stay quit. Start using all the tools available to you here at the SSC. The support here is outstanding. Read, educate yourself on the quit process. By reading the success stories of older quitters you will come to realize that this quit is very possible. To quit nicotine, alcohol, or drug addiction is not an easy task yet it really can be and has been done by so many here at the SSC.
Good tidings and cheer to all
Duffis.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]2/13/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1028
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 30,840
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,598.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 222 [B]Hrs:[/B] 18 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 34
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Quit Meter
$285,137.50
Amount Saved
-
Quit Meter
Days: 6843
Hours: 7
Minutes: 44
Seconds: 50
Life Gained
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Quit Meter
45622
Smoke Free Days
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Quit Meter
1,140,550
Cigarettes Not Smoked
