How to Give up Smoking
One perfect way to give up smoking by everybody does not exist. To stop smoking, you have to be ready both emotionally and mentally. You also need to be willing to stop smoking for yourself, and not to satisfy your friends or relatives. It is helpful to plan it ahead. This guide may help get your started.
What Ought I To Do First?
Choose a date to quit smoking and then stick to it.
Write down all the reasons for giving up the habit. Read through the list every day, both before and after you stop smoking. Here are several tips to consider:
* Write down when you have a cigarette, why you do it and what you are doing while smoking. You will learn what makes you smoke.
* Give up smoking in certain situations (such as during your work break or just after dinner) before really quitting.
* Make a list of all the activities that you can do instead of having a cigarette. Be prepared to do something else when you are willing to smoke.
* Ask your healthcare provider about using nicotine gum or patches. For some people these aids are really helpful.
* Join a smoking cessation support group or this kind of program. Call your local chapter of the American Lung Association.
How Can I Avoid Relapsing?
* Never have a lighter, matches or cigarettes with you when you go out. Keep all of these smoking reminders apart.
* If you share a room or flat with a smoking person, ask him or her not to smoke when you are present.
* Don’t concentrate on things which you are missing. Always keep in mind the healthier way of life you are obtaining.
* When you feel the necessity to smoke, take a deep breath. Hold it for several seconds and release it very slowly. Repeat this a few times until the desire to smoke disappears.
* Always keep your hands busy. Draw, play with a pencil or straw, or work on a computer.
* Alter activities that you associated with smoking. Have a walk or read a book instead of taking a cigarette break.
* When it is possible, avoid places, people and situations connected with smoking. Spend time with non-smokers or visit places that do not allow smoking, such as the movies, museums, shops or libraries.
* You should not substitute food or sugar-based products for cigarettes. Consume low-calorie, healthful meals (such as carrot or celery sticks, sugar-free hard candies) or chew gum when the necessity to smoke appears so you can avoid weight gain.
* Drink plenty of fluids, however restrict alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. They may activate the necessity to smoke.
* Take up some sports. Being active will help you achieve relaxation.
* Get support for giving up smoking. Inform your friends and relatives about your milestones with pride.
* Work with your physician in order to prepare a plan using over-the-counter or prescription nicotine-replacement aids.
How Will I Feel When I Stop Smoking?
You may need cigarettes, experience irritability, feel very hungry, cough frequently, suffer from headaches or have difficulty concentrating. Such symptoms of withdrawal happen due to the fact that your body is used to intaking nicotine, the active addicting agent within cigarettes.
When withdrawal symptoms take place within the first two weeks after you stop smoking, keep control. Consider your reasons for giving up the habit. Repeat yourself constantly that these are the symptoms that your body is healing and getting accustomed to staying without cigarettes.
The withdrawal symptoms are merely impermanent. They are the strongest when you first give up smoking and in the most cases they will begin to decrease or even go away within ten to fourteen days. Keep in mind that withdrawal symptoms are much easier to treat than the main illnesses that smoking may lead to.
You may still feel the urge to smoke, due to the fact that there are a lot of strong connections with smoking. People may link smoking to particular situations, with a diversity of emotions or with certain people in their lives. The perfect way to defeat these associations is to experience them without cigarettes. If you lapse do not lose hope. Seventy-five per cent of people who give up smoking do it again. The majority of smokers give up the habit three times before they achieve success. If you do lapse, don’t give up! Plan everything ahead and consider what you will do next time you feel the necessity to have a cigarette.
Alleviating Stress
Stress is omnipresent and inescapable in our lives. However, if it is not managed, it may result in emotional, psychological and even physical problems, such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, chest pains or sometimes irregular heart beats. To manage stress properly, you have to first identify what is the cause of your stress.
What Causes Your Stress
Stress can result from both a physical and emotional change, and sometimes a change in your environment that requiring you to adjust or react. Things or events that increase your level of stress are known as "stressors."
Below you can find a list of several common stressors that can negatively influence people at all stages of life.
* Disease, either personal or of a relative or friend
* Death of a friend or beloved person
* Troubles in a personal relationship
* Workload
* Starting a new job
* Unemployment
* Retirement
* Pregnancy
* Crowds
* Relocation
* Daily hassles
* Problems with law
* Financial difficulties
* Perfectionism
How You Can Cope With Stress Effectively
Once you have recognized the causes of stress in your life, the next step should be to discover techniques that are helpful in coping with stress. There are a lot of useful techniques that can be used in order to deal with stress. You are able to learn some of them on your own, but the others require the guidance of a qualified specialist.
Several common coping techniques are:
* Eat and drink wisely. It may seem for you that alcohol abuse and eating a lot lower the level of stress, however in fact it is quite opposite.
* Assert yourself. There is no need for you to satisfy the expectations or demands of other people. It’s okay to say "no." And remember that being assertive makes it possible for you to stand up for your rights and beliefs whilst respecting the rights of other persons.
* Quit smoking. Apart from the evident health risks connected with smoking, nicotine works as a stimulant and leads to more stress symptoms.
* Have a regular exercise. Choose exercises that are non-competitive and set sensible objectives. Aerobic has been proven to release endorphins (natural chemicals that make you feel much better and maintain a positive attitude.)
* Relax every day. Use a variety of techniques that are effective (see below).
* Be responsible. Control what you can and leave behind everything that cannot be controlled.
* Decrease the number of causes of stress. A lot of people are of the opinion that life is full of too many demands and too little time. For the majority of people, these demands are ones we have chosen. Good time-management skills include asking for help when suitable, setting priorities, pacing and taking time out for yourself.
* Evaluate your values and live according to them. The more your activities reflect your beliefs, the better you will feel, no matter how busy you are on a daily basis.
* Set realistic objectives and expectations. It’s okay, and healthy, to understand that you are unable to be 100 per cent successful at everything at once.
* Sell yourself to yourself. When you experience the feeling of being overwhelmed, remind yourself of what you do well. Adopt a healthy sense of self-esteem.
* Have enough rest. Even with appropriate diet and physical activity, you cannot combat stress effectively without rest. You need some time to recover from exercise and all stressful events. The time you spend relaxing ought to be long enough to relax both your mind and your body. Some people are convinced that taking a nap in the middle of the day helps them lower the level of stress.
How Can I Keep a Positive Attitude?
A positive approach and self-esteem are excellent defenses against stress due to the fact that they help you perceive stress as a challenge rather than a problem. A positive approach keeps you in control when there are unavoidable changes in your life. A positive approach means constant telling yourself that there are things you can do in order to improve some situations and admitting that sometimes you can’t do anything.
To preserve a positive approach in the course of a stressful situation (or to prepare yourself for a potentially stressful situation), bear the following tips in mind:
* Stay calm. Stop what you’re doing. Breathe deeply. Think over on your choices.
* Always convince yourself you can go through the situation.
* Try to be objective, sensible and flexible.
* Try to keep the situation in perspective. Consider all possible solutions. Pick the one that is the most acceptable and reasonable.
* Think about the outcome: Ask yourself, what is the worst possibility that may take place? (Chances are that will not happen)
* Convince yourself that you can learn something from each particular situation.
How Can I Decrease My Stressors?
While it is not possible to live your life entirely stress-free, it is achievable to decrease the harmful effects of certain stressors. Here are several suggestions:
* First you should recognize the stressor. What is the main cause of your stress?
* If it is possible, avoid hassles and annoyances. For instance, if one of the causes of your stress are traffic jams, take a different route, go to work by the train or bus or car-pooling.
* If you experience any significant change in your life, try to carry on doing the things that you have always liked, before this alteration happened.
* Find out how to manage your time successfully, however remain sensible and flexible while planning your schedule.
* Do one thing only at a time; focus on each task as it comes.
* Have a break when your stressors accumulate to an unmanageable level.
* Ask somebody for help if you have the feeling that you are not able to cope with stress by yourself.
How Can I Learn Relaxation Techniques?
In order to cope with stress, you need to learn how to relax. Ability to relax is an acquired skill - it needs a great deal of dedication and practice. Relaxation is something more than sitting back and not saying anything. Instead, it is rather active process that involves precise techniques that help calm both your body and mind. Real and effective relaxation requires being sensitive to your fundamental needs for peace, self-awareness and attentive reflection. And it is challenging to be willing to satisfy these needs rather than dismissing them.
There are several different methods that can be used in order to relax, such as:
* Deep breath: Imagine a spot just below your navel. Breathe into that spot, filling your whole abdomen with air. Allow the air to fill you from the abdomen up, then let it out, like deflating a colorful balloon. Whenever you exhale- slowly and long, you ought to feel more relaxed.
* Progressive relaxation of your muscles: Concentrate your thoughts on yourself and your breathing. Take several deep breaths, exhaling very slowly. Scan your whole body mentally. Notice all the areas that feel uptight or cramped. Try to loosen up these areas as fast as you can. Let go of as much tension as possible. Rotate your head in a smooth, circular motion once or twice. (Do not perform any movements causing serious pain!) Roll your shoulders forward and backward for a few times. Allow all your muscles to relax entirely. Bring to mind some pleasant thoughts for several moments. Take one more deep breath and exhale the air slowly. You should feel tranquil.
* Mental imagery relaxation: Mental imagery relaxation, also known as guided imagery, is a proven form of attentive relaxation helpful in creating harmony between the mind and body. Guided imagery coaches you in drawing calm, peaceful pictures in your mind – some kind of a "mental escape." Try to identify your self-talk, which means, what you keep telling yourself about what is going on with your sickness or situation. It is essential to recognize negative self-talk and build up strong, positive self-talk. By making confirmations, you can effectively counteract negative ideas and emotions.
* Relax while listening to music: Combine various relaxation exercises with listening to your favorite music. Choose the kind of music that improves your mood or that you find soothing or calming. For some people it is much easier to relax whilst listening to individually designed relaxation audio tapes, which offer both music and instructions concerning relaxation.
* Biofeedback: Biofeedback is helpful for people in acquiring stress-reduction skills by means of using different tool to measure temperature, heart rate, muscle tension and other very important signs when a person tries to achieve relaxation. The objective of biofeedback is to educate you to keep an eye on your own body when you relax. It is used in order to increase control over particular bodily functions that lead to tension and strong physical pain. If a headache such as a migraine, for example, begins rather slowly, a lot of people may use biofeedback to prevent the attack before it becomes full-scale.
After you have found really effective relaxation method, practice it for at least thirty minutes every day. Finding some time to practice uncomplicated techniques of relaxation gives you the possibility to chill out and get ready for the next challenges that life brings about.
Can What I Eat Help Fight Stress?
Your body is capable of combating stress more effectively when you take the time to eat well-balanced foods. You should eat a wide variety of foods each day, such as lean meats, fish or poultry, enriched or whole grain breads and cereals, fruits and veggies and low-fat dairy products.
Approximately 55 per cent – 60 per cent of your daily consumption of calories should come from carbohydrates, maximum 25 per cent – 30 per cent from of your caloric consumption should come from fat and 10 per cent - 15 per cent should come from protein.
