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Share your quitting journey

OMG - 207 days?!

sarai
Member
0 4 56

Hey everyone!

I've been busy focusing on so many other things in life that I've completely neglected this blog, but I logged on to find that I've been smoke-free for 207 days! True, true, this wasn't a cigarette quit, but I was just as addicted, I can assure you and coming back from a relapse is just as much of a triumph as quitting the first time - in my opinion, even more so.

So, I was seeing a psychologist for a while and I have been working really hard, so there hasn't been much time for most things. On the other hand, I've learnt a whole lot of new coping mechanisms, which made me thinks that was a good topic to raise in a post.

Quitting smoking is an opportunity for all of us to learn new coping mechanisms to deal with frustration, disappointment, sadness and lonliness, but also a chance for us to examine how we enjoy ourselves - I mean, we also used to enjoy a smoke when we were happy, excited or having a good time (especially when we were having a good time, in some cases). We did this for so long that we thought it was something that was a given - something we could not change. Well, we were wrong.

You really have to try hard to figure out what works for yourself - I tend to crave sweet and creamy things when I am stressed now, and to be honest, when I was lonely late last year, I would buy a litre of ice cream and eat it in one sitting. A nice way to add on 1500 Calories. Although I made a concerted effort to stay away from alcohol, I would have a drink on a Friday night at a restaurant with supper, but found out that a drink at a restaurant was the price of two bottles in the store, so I started buying a bottle and bringing it home on a Friday night and getting take-out. Well, there were many nights when that bottle was finished in a couple of hours, so I had to nip that habit right in the bud. Now, if I want something creamy, I buy flavoured milk or yoghurt, and if I want a drink, I buy these things called "Radlers", which are a mixture of beer and lemonade and are between 1% and 3% alcohol, and I limit myself to a maximum of 2 (250 ml bottles). 

I now try to go for a long walk at least once a week to clear my head, and ideally I'd like to aim for twice a week, but I am not managing my time very well and I get exhausted from work (despite sitting in front of a computer all day). I also haven't managed to get into a good exercise routine at home either, but working on that is really helping. One thing I have done that makes a huge difference is I have started scheduling meetups on meetup.com in the Bonn and Cologne area - I get together with people and we go to museums and talk, and then have a meal together afterwards. 

I'm still very much single (as has been the case for most of my life) and while I tried online dating, it simply didn't work, so I still struggle with feeling lonely. Yes, I made 3 good friends, but they have their own lives and most of them are in relationships (one had a small baby), so these friendships really mostly exist on social media and don't help that much. However, I have learned to cope with this and manage the situation better than I did before, and I'm really proud of myself for that. 

Well, not really sure what I was trying to say, but basically - develop and explore your coping mechanisms, that's what gets you through the tough times. Reach out to the people around you, explore new ways of dealing with this, break stuff if you have to when you're frustrated, but remember NOPE: Not One Puff Ever. Repeat your mantra 🙂

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