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| What To Expect When You Quit Smoking |
Question:
Been smoking for 12 years and about to make my first attempt to quit smoking. What can I expect?
Answer:
Don't be impatient. The natural tendency is to quit smoking and expect
to be done with it within a month. Cessation just doesn't work like
that. When you quit smoking, you are letting go of a habit that you've
had for many years, if not all of your adult life. It's only fair to
expect that breaking all of the old associations down will take some
time. Sit back, relax, and put some time between you and that last
smoke. Have patience with yourself, and with the process.
Don't worry about forever. It can be overwhelming to think you'll never
smoke another cigarette. Don't do that to yourself. Train your mind to
stay in the here and now of today. This is where your power is, and
always will be.
Don't be negative. It's been said that the average person has
approximately 66,000 thoughts in a given day, and two-thirds of them are
negative. We can be so hard on ourselves! Don't beat yourself up for
things you can't change, such as the years you spent smoking. Don't look
at past quit attempts as failures. Learn from the experiences you've had
and move on. Think about all of the positive changes you're creating in
your life.
Don't take yourself too seriously. You will have bad days. Expect and
accept that. Such is cessation, and such is life.
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