This week is a time to ask yourself some questions like: Why do I smoke, When do I smoke, and what situations make me want a cigarette. Basically if you understand what contributes to your smoking then quitting becomes a doable project. The answers to these questions are different for everyone but a lot of the preparations you do this week will pay off in January 2010, when you quit. I have a homework assignment for you today.
The first is a Diary of When you smoke, how you feel or your emotions at the time of your cigarette and how important is the cigarette. Some people put a 3X5 note card in their pocket and every time they smoke they record the time, a word like stressed, or frustrated or happy and a plus or minus sign to show the importance of the cigarette. Others have wanted to explore their addiction more deeply and will want to carry a spiral notebook around and write about what was happening right before each cigarette and how you felt at that time and why. They also want to explain if it was done just to pass the time or if they really craved it and felt they needed to smoke badly. Which ever method you choose the diary will tell you a lot about what motivates each cigarette and will help you develop alternative strategies for not smoking in a similar situation after you have quit. When you have completed the diary for a day or two then the real work of using the information you have learned about yourself and about your smoking routines will help you develop strategies to get you through the difficult times of quitting.
There are often a few cigarettes that are very important to you; one often is the first cigarette upon waking. Those times are identified by the Smoking Diary and then an alternative can be planned. Often changing a morning routine is necessary to drop that morning cigarette. Drinking tea instead of coffee, and if you always sit at the kitchen table you might want to consider sitting at the breakfast bar instead. After you have a day or two of writing in your smoking diary and you have identified when the cigarettes that have the most ritual and routine associated with them or seem the most important to your day you can work up a different ritual and routine to supplant the old. You will want to find an enjoyable or workable alternative. Exercise works for a lot of people and can get those endorphens working for you; it might mean you take a walk around the block, or head to the gym but take the time to enjoy being able to breath deeply and experience the beauty of the time and place you are in. Enjoy a friends company or take the time for some solitary moments before the demands of the day are upon you. A strategy might be the 4-4-4-4 Breathing exercise that is described in an earlier blog.
A Diary is beneficial in another way. If you can identify the feelings that trigger a cigarette then when you experience that feeling you will already have a strategy in place to deal with that emotion. It is often stress that seems to demand a cigarette. Remember that cigarettes and smoking is in itself a contributor to stress in your life; whether because of the cost or because smoking is often not socially acceptable it is stressful to smoke. There are healthier and better ways of dealing with stress than smoking. There are breathing exercises that help, relaxation exercises, and even aromatherapy can help. Sometimes it isn't the cigarettes that are helping with a stressful situation but the act of a moment of solitude that is beneficial. Mothering is stressful and a bathroom break, a bath, just a moment outside in the back yard taking some deep breaths gives you a moment away from the children. Some moms feel guilty taking a moment but we all need these little times away; the important thing is that you are close by and the children are safe.
Other situations that might be recorded in your diary are when you smoke as part of social situations. This might be your daily cigarette break at work, or when a friend drops by for a visit. Do co-workers and friends gather outside for a cigarette at ten. Does quitting mean you don't get a break from work? It is hard to miss time with friends, but I know you can find other alternatives; hey, maybe they want to quit with you? Don't miss your break, instead find another place to meet and chat, or, take a few minutes to walk around the block together, or have a cup of coffee together. Talk to your friends and ask them to support your efforts to quit, I bet they understand your reasons and have some ideas about how they can support your effort.
There are places that trigger a desire for cigarettes too. You might find, after studying your diary, that you always smoke in the car, or on the front porch. It might be you always smoke when you are on the phone. The brain's nicotine receptors each carry a memory of where the cigarette was smoked when that receptor became a part of the brain. If you are in that same place the brain will send a signal that this is where you smoke and will remind you to smoke. When you can't avoid places that remind you to smoke then have an oral alternative and other strategies planned. In the car you might want to have some thing like a straw in your mouth helps or a cinnamon tooth pick.
Enjoy writing in the Smoking Diary and consider turning it into a Quitting Diary. In this way it can continue to give you insight into what works and what is helpful as you deal with the cravings and stress of Quitting. Good Luck and if you need help with strategies and alternatives to smoking routines and rituals then email me at alicemcovey@gmail.com.
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