Im trying to quit smoking 4 days in and im a ball of anxiety, and cant calm down.What can i do? -
Go outside slowly inhale and exhale 8 times then drink a glass of water. Water is good it flushes the nicotine from the body. Congratulations on getting this far you-re doing good.
Nicotine leaves your system in 3 days, so if you have not had a cigarette in over 72 hours then your anxiety is more than likely from mentally wanting to continue the physical habit of smoking-which is good, because the hardest part is over.
Reminding yourself that your mind is messing with you and finding interesting things to keep busy should get your through
I smoked for 25 years before quitting and can tell you that you will continue to get fleeting urges to light up for well over a year or so-although the urges will get farther and farther apart-sometimes months will go without it happening.
1. Grab your walkman/ipod and go for a walk with some upbeat music and relish the deep clean breaths that you can take
2. Go take pictures of something funny to email to a friend
3. Go give your self a makeover/pedicure/manicure while thinking
about how special that you are and how good you smell now that your perfume is not fighting with the smell of cigarettes
4. Think of that gorgeous guy that you are going to meet soon-who absolutely cannot stand the smell of cigarettes
5. Add up the money that you will save each week by not smoking and see what you could buy in 1 year if you had all of that money
The bottom line is think of some activity that you like-and go do it. Do it over and over each time you think of a cig
Best of Luck and Hang in there
It-s worth it in so many ways
I am on day one here and it isn-t too bad because I am using the nicotine patch. I have already dealt with some anxiety but I just started doing some of my coursework for the week and it subsided. I have quit before but last time went about 2 1/2 months before returning due to a night of heavy drinking and being around a friend who smokes. The temptation became too much and I gave in. However, this time I am aimed at staying away from drinking for a long, long, time since I know that it is a trigger.
That would be the first thing that I would recommend is staying away and avoiding triggers that may cause you to want to smoke more.
Being around those who smoke (ask them not to smoke around you at all if you go around and if they don-t say away from them).
Avoid caffeine and alcohol
Chew gum
Try nicotine replacement therapy like the patch or gum (some argue that they are expensive but when you think about it is most likely cheaper then your cigarette habit)
Talk to your doctor about your options - they may put you on Chantix, which I have heard good things from.
Exercise - This gets the anxiety out (the last time I quit I did almost two hours a day...yeah I overdid but it helped me get out the anxiety and gave me something to do then worry about not smoking) I actually lost weight whereas most people gain because they replace their habit with food.
Drink lots of water because it will help keep you healthy and going and will help flush out all of the nasty toxins.
Before bed drink some calming tea like chamomile or sleepytime. Or if you experience problems sleeping take a herbal supplement like valerian root or melatonin to help you get your z-s
Research quitting and join a support group. I remember the last time that I quit (and even today since I found this question) I researched people-s experiences, found forums and talked about my exp and read others which helped me keep hope and know there were others out there taking on this life-changing challenge
Do any activity that you like (so long as it-s not a trigger) to keep your mind off of smoking
Talk to friends and family for support
and most importantly remember it might seem like hell now, but it WILL get better...
Good luck to you and I hope you find some peace of mind and keep going with your choice to quit smoking...Take care :)
Nicotine is a useful drug, it helps concentrate our attention, so allows us to focus in times of stress, and is very useful for people trying to work hard. It is common for people with mental illness or people in stressful situations to desire a smoke.
Sooo....you need to find other ways to deal with this.
Try exercising, it is a great way to calm down....for example go for a long walk, or if you are more fit, try running.
Distract yourself, play computer games, watch exciting movies and so on.
Try getting nicotine from other sources such as patches or gum.
Also, remember that in the end this will pass.
Congratulations! What a great decision!
This is the last really, really, really hard day for most. From here on out, it will slowly get easier and easier.
Some hints:
Get something to chew on and gesture with, like toothpicks or
cinnamon sticks.
Excercise to let off steam, or just take long walks.
Don-t drink for the next month or two
When you are really antsy, mad or crave-y, make a little O with your
lips and breath deeeply in and slowly way out. Do this 5-10 times.
If you know someone who still smokes, get a wide-mouth jar with a
lid, put in about an inch or two of water, and have them put their
butts in it. Keep it around and take a few deep whiffs several times
a day.
Start thinking of yourself as -someone who doesn-t smoke-
Every day you don-t smoke is a bit longer (and more comfortable) life for you! I-m pulling for ya.
Best wishes for your good health.
3-5 days in means you-re at the worst point, it should start getting better soon. Try sucking on some sugarless candy, or chewing on something -- exercise can help -- they also say deep breaths, though I-ve never noticed any difference. And try to avoid anything that might upset you.
Kudos to you for trying to quit.
Try chewing gum, nicotine or regular.
You can also try using a nicotine patch.
Talk to your doctor for other advice.
Good luck!
It-s all in your head, don-t let your body control you, breathing is also good.
It-s all in your head.
Sleep as much as you can. Helped me.