The Best Steps to Manage your Quit Day

Congratulations on deciding to quit smoking!

The first day without a cigarette is difficult. Here are the best psychology steps to help gain confidence with your quit day.

1.Stick to Your Quit Plan

Reexamining your plan to quit makes a huge difference to make your quit day more comfortable. It helps you to stay focused, motivated, and confident. But if you have not set up a quit plan, you can still build a customized one now. It is never too late to quit. An important note is there is no single plan that works for everyone when you quit smoking. Always be honest with yourself about your needs. If you decide to use nicotine replacement therapy and part of your plan, make sure to use it first thing in the morning on the day you plan to quit.

2.Do Not Rely on Your Own Willpower

Get the support you need to be smoke-free. Lean on others from family to friends asking them for help for the first couple of days or weeks. Alternatively, you can sign up for a text message program online or download a phone app to track your cravings and learn about your smoking patterns. Moreover, you can join a social media group for added support. Alternatively, talk to an expert available with the National Cancer Institute Quitline. There are even quit smoking counselors available at LiveHelp to get you through your day.

3.Keep Yourself Busy

Keeping busy keeps the mind active distracting you from your cravings and smoking. Try different activities from exercising, chewing a hard candy/gum, drinking a lot of water, going to a movie, or take a walk outside. Try to spend time with non-smoking family and friends and go to a smoke-free restaurant for dinner.

4.Avoid Your Smoking Triggers

Smoking triggers can be places, people, situations, or things reminding you of smoking. The best is to avoid your smoking triggers on your quit day. The critical thing is to throw away anything that reminds you of smoking, from cigarettes to lighter. Try drinking water instead of coffee, as it can leave you feeling jittery. Spend most of your time with non-smokers and visit places where you cannot smoke. Lastly, get a lot of rest and change your routine, avoiding things associated with smoking.

5.Take It One Day At a Time

Stay positive as quitting is not easy, and the best is to take it one step at a time. Do not think about quitting forever but now. Pay attention to only today and not tomorrow. Staying positive help even if your quit day is not going perfect. The important thing that matters is that you’re not smoking. When you reach your 24-hour goal, reward yourself for being smokefree. Yet, if you feel you’re not ready to quit, set a new date that fits in with you and prepare to quit smoking.

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