28 Days Quit

[christine_s]

Still not smoking which is amazing, I do find that I am looking for different ways to relax, I have felt more tense than before, but the benefit of breathing better is worth it all. I also have more energy to do things and I am gaining my focus back. I may be more tense because we are in the middle of remodel and my husbands timeline is much longer that expected on the project. I plan to stay Smoke Free as there is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

: )

[TerrieQuit]

You are doing great Christine, Congratulations on 28 days free! Keep moving forward!

I Won't Quit on my Quit!

[Giulia]

Christine, you can be assured that your stress level increase after 28 days of being smoke-free is not due to your having quit.  But having more energy might be influencing it?  More energy to be tense.  lol 

Trying to relax in this fast paced world of our is definitely a challenge.  An actor in a Lort rehearsal gets 5 minutes break for every hour or 10 out of 80 minutes.  We should take those breaks ourselves in life as a matter of course.  To step back, look around, take a deep breath or two and and just BE instead of DO.  Simply stopping all activity and examining our surroundings for five minutes can help reduce tension.  We all need to learn how to step back and be a fly on the wall.  Not easy, I know.

You're making wonderful progress.  Keep it up!

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Congratulations on 28 ndays smokefree.  You are doing great.  Here is a link about stress managment that was helpful to me early in my quit. 

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm.

[Giulia]

Just get somebody to comb you!  Very soothing.  And you'll look good too!  lol

[YoungAtHeart]

or...................................

breathe slowly, paying attention to each breath as it goes in and follow it all the way to your tummy (inflate your "tummy" with it), then follow its path all the way back to your nostrils, deflating your "tummy"  to squeeze all the air out.  Continue doing this, going slower and deeper with each breath.  If you can, raise your arms straight out in front of you as you inhale, then let them drop to your lap as you exhale.

Or - go for a brisk walk.

Either should reduce your level of stress!

Nancy

[johio]

Great Job....you are awesome

[elvan]

Congratulations, Christine, I can certainly relate to the increased stress of a remodel, our house burned down when it was my ten month anniversary and we finished building a house in December...13 months after the house burned.  There was one problem after another and I got so tired of the excuses (which were really valid but annoying) that I thought I might lose my mind.  I knew that smoking was not going to change anything and there was no way I was going to give up my quit.  It's been over two years for me now and I am probably as proud of my quit as I am of anything I have ever accomplished in my life.  I am still protecting it as if it is a newborn...it is, after all, just a toddler.

Hang in there, it gets easier and easier and smoking craves become "memories" and they have NO POWER!