When we quit smoking we lose something. A lot of people never really talk about this aspect of stopping smoking, but it's true nonetheless. Everybody keeps talking about the dangers of smoking and the need to quit, but they almost never talk about what we lose when we stop. When we do quit smoking, we lose one of our most comfortable, reliable, and familiar ways of relating to ourselves and to the world around us.
We may have been smoking for many years and over time it becomes part of our identity. It's an easy way for us to say, "Hey, this is me. I know it's bad for me and all that stuff, but it's still me and I can handle this." And whenever we needed to give ourselves a break or to cope with something difficult or for whatever reason, we knew we could always light up and we'd feel more ourselves again.
So, yes, in a way we do lose some pretty personal things when we stop smoking.
However, we also gain when we quit. We gain opportunity to redefine ourselves to ourselves and others around us. When we stop smoking, we begin the process of learning how to live each day on our own terms without being chained to or defined by cigarettes. This change in thinking, in viewing ourselves, becomes the new foundation from which we can build a healthier, smoke-free life.
Moving past something that has demanded our attention for years and that will eventually put us into a premature grave is a good thing, not a bad thing. It's an opportunity. Use the tools here at Ex and join this excellent community. Make 2016 the year that you discover and build toward being the person you want to become.
