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1. Exercise
We’re not going to ask you to get some exercise every day:
we’re going to insist (unless your doctor says you mustn’t.)
Exercise is so important that it’s hard to know what to tell
your first:
* Walking (and other exercise) has a calming effect; it can reduce
stress and depression.
* It will help you pass the time, and give shape to your day.
* Moderate exercise can help control your appetite, which may be
very strong for a while
* Exercise burns up calories.
Make exercise part of your plans – every day.
2. Water
Drinking adequate amounts of water is essential to overall health
and wellbeing. Water flushes the body allowing better transportation
of nutrients and of waste to and from the cells. This property can
help rid the body of the 4000+ toxins from tobacco that have affected
the body’s cells.
Drinking a glass of water, hot or cold, can be an effective part
of your plan of action when you feel the "urge" to smoke.
3. When you feel bored or depressed
* Don’t feel guilty for feeling a bet depressed. It’s
normal! You’ve been through a lot, and you probably miss your
cigarettes. But remind yourself that these feelings
will pass – and you can speed their passing.
* If you start feeling depressed, move around. A quick walk around
the block, or even to another room, can change your mood.
* Talk to someone. Even if you are not feeling sociable, force yourself.
Telephone a friend, or find someone in your workplace or neighborhood
to chat with.
* Make plans for a vacation, or for your favorite hobby.
* Get some books out of the library, or a stack of magazines. Look
for reading materials you’ll enjoy, and that aren’t
too demanding.
* Treat yourself to a video.
* Don’t leave too many empty stretches in your day. Do some
work you’ve been putting off (you’ll feel great afterwards).
Fill some time with pleasant activities.
* Make a deliberate effort to change what you say to yourself. Instead
of "I’m so depressed!" tell yourself "What
I’m feeling is normal, and it will pass."
* Ask yourself if it would really cheer you up to put a stick of
poison in your mouth and set fire to it.
* Other ideas:
4. When you see others smoking
* For the first few weeks, try to keep away from all smokers. They
might give you a cigarette if you seem to want one.
* If you know the person who is smoking, mention that you’ve
quit because of your heart condition.
* Allow yourself to feel smug. You’ve managed to stop.
* If you know you will be meeting friends who still smoke, practice
ahead of time saying "No thanks. I’ve quit!"
* In restaurants, always pick the nonsmoking section.
* Other ideas:
5. When you want to relax or rest
* Lie back in a comfortable chair (with an alarm clock, if you are
afraid of falling asleep) and relax for 10-15 minutes. If you want
to be serious about it, use a relaxation tape.
* If you don’t have time for a full relaxation session, use
mini-relaxation: breathe in deeply and slowly while you silently
count to five, then breathe out slowly, counting to
five again.
* Take a short walk.
* Set aside some time each day just for you, and use it to relax.
* Take up some soothing hobbies; jigsaw puzzles, needlework, model-making.
* Find something that would relax you, and do it!
* Other ideas:
6. When you just want to sit back and
enjoy a cigarette
* If cigarettes served as a reward for you, find something else
– such as a 5 or 10 minutes of complete relaxation.
* Spoil yourself by doing the things you like to do. For a few weeks,
arrange with your family to watch your favorite shows, or let you
pick the music.
* Save your favorite food for a special time of day. Eat it slowly,
relishing the taste.
* Prepare for the times when you know your body automatically wants
a cigarette to relax. For instance, if you always used to smoke
after a meal, plan to get up from the table as soon as you’ve
finished eating.
* If you were in the habit of relaxing with a cigarette in a special
place in your house, sit somewhere else at those times.
* Other ideas:
7. When you are watching TV
* Find something you can do with your hands while you watch TV,
such as building a model, sewing, knitting, doing jigsaw puzzles,
putting photos in albums, looking through the paper or catalogs.
* Get up and stretch during commercials, or walk around the house.
* Sip water with some lemon juice added. Eat plain popcorn (made
without oil).
* If TV gives you serious urges, watch less of it for a while. Substitute
music, or board games, or books, or going to movies.
* Practice relaxing while you watch TV. (If you fall asleep, you
probably won’t miss much!)
* Other ideas:
8. When you are driving, or riding in
a car
* In your own car, remove the ashtray. Leave it out, or wash it
and put it back with a photo of someone you love in it.
* Roll down the window (if the weather is warm.) Breathe deeply.
* Change the radio channel, or put in a new tape. Turn up the volume.
Sing along!
* Keep gum or low-calorie snacks in the car.
* If you are riding with others, ask them not to smoke.
* Look at smokers in other cars, and pity them. Imagine what their
cars will smell like for the rest of the day.
* Other ideas:
9. When you have finished a meal or snack
* Don’t linger at the table. Get up and do something else.
* Nibble on a low-calorie food (carrots, bread-sticks, and fruit)
so you can keep on eating after you’ve finished the main meal.
* Chew gum or a strong mint right after eating.
* Brush your teeth.
* Use a mouthwash, or spray the back of your mouth with a breath
freshener.
* In restaurants, always sit in the nonsmoking section.
* Try new restaurants, especially those with spicy foods from India,
Mexico, Thailand, or parts of China.
* If you are in a restaurant, get up and take a two-minute stroll
outside after you’ve eaten.
* If you are alone, telephone a friend as soon as you have finished
eating.
* Other ideas:
10. When you feel frustrated, worried,
upset, tense, nervous, angry, anxious or annoyed.
* You may have used cigarettes to deflect many of your emotions.
Now that you don’t have that shield, they are hitting you
with full force. Be patient! It may be rough for a few
weeks, but you will adjust.
* Let your feelings wash over you. Don’t fight them, but be
careful how you express them. See the Stress section for suggestions
on how to communicate feelings without getting everyone mad at you.
* Warn your family and friends that you may be more irritable for
a few weeks. Ask them not to take it personally.
* If you feel very irritable, count to 10 to calm yourself down.
* Take time to relax deeply every day (see Stress section). When
you feel tense or anxious, try instant relaxation: breathe in slowly
while you count silently to five. Then breathe out, counting to
five again.
* Move! Walk down the hall, around the block, around the yard.
* Make an effort to keep your life stocked with good times; use
the list on page 93, and make specific plans to entertain yourself.
* Other ideas:
11. When you want to snack, but don’t
want to gain weight.
* Plan ahead for foods that you can eat without guilt, such as vegetables,
fruits, popcorn, breads, sugar-free candies.
* Carry some low-calorie food with you at all times. Stash some
in places where you spend a lot of time (such as your car, or your
workplace).
* Carry sugarless gum with you. Keep a selection of different flavors.
* If your lips miss the feel of a cigarette, experiment with objects
such as drinking straws cut into cigarette-sized lengths.
* Choose low-fat foods and read labels. More and more foods now
come in low-calorie versions.
* Other ideas:
12. When you need more energy, or can’t
concentrate
* Tell yourself that just because you feel stupid doesn’t
mean you are stupid. You’re missing the artificial stimulation
of cigarettes. For a few months, your brain may feel
in low gear. You may even suspect that you have lost some brain
cells. You haven’t. When you really need them,
they’ll snap to attention.
* If you have an important job to do, leave plenty of time for it.
To maintain your concentration, you may need to work in short bursts.
* Appreciate your new (and temporary) dopiness. Sit back with some
really dumb movies or sit-coms. Take naps. Hibernate.
* Remind yourself that your skills and judgment are just as good
as they ever were. If you really need energy, you’ll get it.
* Wake yourself up with a brief walk.
* Other ideas:
13. When someone offers you a cigarette
* Hey, this is your big moment! Some ex-smokers pray for someone
to offer them a cigarette, especially if there is a big audience.
Prepare your speech about having quit, so that you can
relish your moment of stardom.
* On the other hand, you may prefer to avoid this situation. Even
if you think your will power is in good shape, it’s best not
to test it for the first months. That’s why you
should mention that you’ve quit as soon as you see that pack
come out.
* If people persist in offering your cigarettes, you’ll know
who your secret enemies are! Stop seeing those people.
* You know where the smokers are likely to gather in your neighborhood
or at work. Avoid those places for a while.
* Other ideas:
14. When you are drinking coffee or tea
* Use the taste of the coffee or tea to make your mouth happy; roll
it around, and enjoy it.
* Change your coffee or tea routine. For instance, sit in a different
chair; drink from a different cup; drink standing up.
* Try new flavors of coffee or tea, and imagine trying to describe
the taste.
* Hold each sip in your mouth while you count silently to three.
* Nibble on toast, crackers or other low-calorie food.
* Drink your coffee faster than usual; then get up and do something
else.
* Other ideas:
15. When you are in a situation where
alcohol is involved
* Alcohol can wreck your will power, so be on your guard whenever
it is around. Try not to drink in situations where cigarettes are
easy to borrow, steal or buy.
* Ideally, don’t drink alcohol. If you do continue to drink,
limit yourself to one drink a day. Drink fruit juices or carbonated
water instead.
* If you feel you have a drinking problem, and find it’s really
hard to cut down to one drink a day, get help. Call your local AA
and ask if they have nonsmoking meetings in your area.
* If you have to be in situations where alcohol and cigarettes are
present, plan ahead. Stay close to nonsmokers, ask for a
non-alcoholic drink, find low-fat snacks to chew, and
keep your hands and mouth busy.
* Other ideas:
16. When you feel smoking is part of
your self-image
* Maybe it was bad luck that you grew up at a time when smoking
made you look sophisticated. But wake up and smell the fresh air:
smoking is "out".
* Think of those really sophisticated role models that made you
want to smoke to look cool – people like Humphrey Bogart and
Yul Brynner. They gave up their lives – to lung
cancer.
* You feel it’s macho to smoke? Maybe, but it’s more
macho to quit. Remind yourself of this every time you’re tempted
to light up.
* Do something better for your image; shop carefully for some clothes
that make a statement about the new self.
* Other ideas:
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