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Quit Smoking – Easier Said Than Done
Smoking has countless health effects that take years off a person’s life and people who smoke understand that quitting is the best thing they could do for their health and add back on those years. However, quitting is easier said than done and there are many challenges that need to be addressed if you want to successfully quit and stay quit.
Statistics from the CDC show that over 68 percent of adult smokers in the US want to quit and over half have tried. They also claim that there are more people who have quit smoking than there is smoking; however, there are still far too many people addicted to cigarettes.
Everyone that has been smoking for any length of time is eventually going to ask themselves if it is worth it. They are going to begin to question how to quit and they are going to want answers. Unfortunately there isn’t any one way or easy way to stop. If you ask any non-smoker they will tell you to simply not smoke. They don’t understand what it feels like to crave, obsess and stress out because of not smoking.
If you talk to people who have successfully quit in the past you are likely to get several different answers. Each person has their preferred method of quitting the only way to find out if it will work for you is to give it a try but choosing the right method isn’t all that matters. Your success is going to hinge on how you deal with three common stumbling blocks; stress, weight gain and withdrawal symptoms.
Stress is probably the number one reason why people relapse after quitting. They have been smoking for several years to manage the stress in their lives and without it they are lost. Stress seems worse than it actually is when quitting but if you take the time to develop coping skills before you actually quit you can improve your chances of success. Common stress relievers are exercise, walking, hiking, biking, yoga, meditation, screaming into a pillow, breathing exercises, stretching exercises and listening to calming music.
Weight gain is often a concern for people, especially woman but on average a person only gains a few pounds after quitting and the weight can be taken off easier than recovering from a smoking related illness. When you quit smoking think of it as a lifestyle change; understand by eating healthy, getting regular exercise and avoiding junk food you can improve the quality of your life and manage your weight gain after quitting. Don’t waste time sitting around when you can get out and go for a nice walk.
Nicotine withdrawals affect people differently, come at different times and differ in severity. You may encounter anxiety, problems sleeping, find it hard to concentrate or have increased appetite (just to name a few) but they will pass in a few weeks.
Develop a solid plan to deal with the obstacles coming your way. Know what stresses you out and plan accordingly. Put together a meal plan for the first two weeks to help you get off on the right tract by eating healthy. Drink plenty of water and get physically active, it will help manage your stress, weight and even help with withdrawals and lastly, understand your motivation to quit smoking. Make it the most important thing in your life such as seeing your children grow up. If you fail the first time try and try again being persistent and never giving up.
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