Hi all,
Sorry I've been away for awhile. I've been busy enjoying life, hanging out with friends and most importantly, not thinking about smoking! I can't remember the last time I had a craving.
When I see my neighbours and I stop by to chat while they're outside having a smoke, it doesn't bother me and I don't feel tempted (mostly, I think it smells pretty gross and watching them makes me so glad I quit!) It's so funny how at one point all you can do is try not to think about smoking or your next craving. Then one day you just get to a point where you simply don't think about it.
In a lot of ways, it's like a bad breakup. You spend all of your time trying not to think about the person and then one day, you don't have to try because they simply aren't on your mind anymore, or not as much. I think the trick is to replace old memories with new ones. Keep busy, meet new people, change your habits and once you get a new life, you stop clinging to the old one. Slowly but surely, you start to feel better, happier and in control. I always thought being a quitter was a bad thing, but I guess it all depends on what you're quitting! When you think about it, getting rid of something that's bad for you doesn't really make you a quitter, it makes you someone who loves yourself enough to move on and live a positive and healthy life without putting up with things that are harmful and destructive to your wellbeing.
These days, I don't think of myself as a quitter, I think of myself as someone who has empowered herself to the point that she no longer needs or wants cigarettes in her life. Thinking of it in terms of a choice or a decision is much more powerful than telling myself I had to quit and I had no choice. No one likes to feel as though they don't have a choice or they are forced to do something. I've fully come to realize, you always have a choice, and I choose to be an ex-smoker.
I hope you're all doing well!!!
