HELP thinking of going to get cigarettes to relieve this stress...

[kelly9]

And yes I know that smoking will make stress worse. I actually have no coping skills for stressful situations... I am overloaded at work (I work for myself and have too much on) I am getting angry at my clients... All I want to do is go swimming and chill but that seems weeks away at the moment. Its all on top of me today 😞

[Thomas3.20.2010]

First, give yourself a moment to breathe! Nothing will happen in their next 5 minutes that needs your attention so pay attention to you! Scan your body identifying specifically how you feel in your feet, ankles, calves, knees, etc... Breathe into their muscle stress and rest there a few seconds. Now, anchor yourself into the room. Find 5 things blue, 4 things you hear, 3 things you touch/feel, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. Right now this minute you are just fine! Don't take on the whole day at once. Break it into doable parts. And no, you don't need a Sickerette! It really doesn't help in any way!

[Thomas3.20.2010]

Long run, meditation and yoga are ways to become more productive and successful in business, your quit, Life!

[MarilynH]

I hope you are still with us and took the advice above me , take a deep breath several deep breaths if you need to and give your head a couple of shakes and tell yourself that you don't smoke anymore and remind yourself why you are quitting smoking in the first place ,drink lots of water and in the first few weeks of my quit I kept a bag of sugar free mints around in case of a bad crave , plus I liked keeping carrots and celery sticks close by , it may sound weird but the chomping noise while I was chewing seemed to relax me strange but true for me , stay close because you can do this ! 

[RachelMB]

Kelly-

You can do this!  Take Thomas's and Marilyn's advice.  Breathe slowly and take the day in increments.  Sometimes the big picture is too overwhelming.  You did the right thing by coming here first. 

[Dotgirl_1-28-16]

I'm sorry you're feeling overwhelmed.  Can you do some deep breathing, meditation, get away and go for a walk or a quick swim? The urge will end, you know smoking won't change anything and you've learned that YOU CAN DO THI!!!

[YoungAtHeart]

Follow Thomas' advice!   Then - break down what absolutely MUST get done today and concentrte JUST on that.  It ALL can't be Priority One!  Don't think about the rest on your plate until you are ready to tackle Priority Two work.  Don't let yourself get overwhelmed....it IS in your hands.

Can we get a progress report?

Nancy

[MePlus3]

Wash your hands you can't smoke with wet hands oh and let them air dry until the crave subside. I remember reading a blog where you sit back, close your eyes and think through the whole thing. Think you went to the store, got some, lit it, even finished it how did you feel afterwards when you've thrown all of your hard work away and your stressors are still there? Terrible. Arrange things in order of importance and work from there remember you're only one person so don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed breath relax and handle things accordingly.

[KJay]

That's your addiction talking to you, lying about stress reduction through a cigarette. The Big Lie. Do you really want to do the past several days all over again once you realize, again, that The Big Lie is just that ? Not One Puff Ever Not One Puff Ever Smoking Is Not An Option Kjay

[Mike.n.Atlanta]

What they^ said.

One second, minute or hour at a time. Whatever it takes Kelly.

Keep on keepin on,

[PennyLynn7407]

I've been right where you are too many times to count. Now play the tape all the way through... you would get the cigarettes, smoke one, and that's it? NO! You would go back to smoking full time and wish you never started again! You would be struggling to get to day 1 much less being where you are now. Say to yourself- Not One Puff Ever and Smoking Is Not An Option! Say it out loud if you need to! Don't give in to the lies your addiction is feeding you! Smoking will not and never did help anything- it just covers up your feelings in a cloud of death and makes it harder to straighten out your problems! Not worth it!!!

[c2q]

You have tons of coping skills. They're just new. Pick one. If you choose to smoke now, you will be just as stressed afterwards, but without that nice quit you have going.

[RachelMB]

Hi Kelly-

How are you feeling now?  Hopefully better-you can do this! 🙂

[cpsono]

You DON'T want to go back to day one!!!!!

[Giulia]

You might put the word "stress," or "stress busters" or "anxiety"  in the Search Community Box at the top of the page.  Here are some things I found that might be helpful 52 Stress Reducers.  Also Dr. Hays' blog:  Reduce Stress by stopping smoking.  And The Stress Trap.

[bonniebee]

The cigarwtte woildrelieve the withdrawal but there you wold be back to day 1 and a ruined quit because then you would nedd another and another every time the stress level rises because of the addiction !

Hang in there take  the advice above .What do you have in your tool box .....your emergency quit kit ??? Do you use straws they helped me so much in the beginning of my quit also take 3 deep breaths when a crave hits breathe throgh them and thank God for your lungs for clean fresh air and so on .

Are you usinf NRT's ?

You can do this !

[Silverstar]

Kelly, we care about you and your Quit!  Please take care of yourself right now, protect your Quit because it is true that you are at a point where you have the resolve and commitment to take this step - you did it! - and smoking even one can send you back to that place of only wishing to be quit. 

These are things I did:  I had nicotine gum for the first few weeks, think it's ok in the short term, but whatever works is what I say; I sucked on hard candy; I drank water ice and lemon to intrigue my taste buds; I came here and blogged and read blogs and did the reading on nicotine addiction and Allen Carr's book; I changed my morning routine, washed all my smoke tainted clothes, tried to stay clear of my smoker-husband (just temporary, we're OK); and I kept telling myself, I don't Do That Anymore, Just Don't Smoke, and I knew that no matter what, I would not smoke.  So, I wrote whiny, embarrassing blogs, but thank God none of them started with words of relapse.  I am still working on dealing with emotions, but at 59 days of freedom, I know that smoking won't help.

You can do this, let us know how you are doing.

Jacqueline

[Junior7]

Glad you asked for help.  We are here for you!

[maryfreecig]

I did not know how to get on with life without the smokes...therefore everything was stressful when I quit. I've since come to see that stressing was a part of me/addiction. Life can be relearned without the smokes...you need not be whole to stake your claim as a quitter.