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Share your quitting journey

NML ennui

KJay
Member
0 18 3
Good afternoon all. I am waiting for a PT appointment so have a few minutes to spare here. As odd as this may sound, I find myself feeling somewhat bored and restless within this quit. That is not to say I take it for granted, or want to jeopardize it at all. And my complacency was replaced by renewed vigilance a couple days ago. Still, I am feeling a mild touch of the blahs. Maybe a ' meh ' in there too. Aside from protecting my quit , what do you suggest I do with my time in NML ( 77/130-ish days) to strengthen my quit other than continue to remain vigilant and maintain the status quo of NOPE and SINAO ? I find myself thinking there must be something or somethings I could be doing to productively make use of this time frame, so am asking for help in the forme of suggestions or guidance. And on a perhaps polarizing note, I have noticed - in a very Swiss - neutral kind of way - that EX seems to be a cat-centric kind of place with respect to animal face time in blogs, bios, comments, and general background 4-legged eye candy. I love cats, dogs, and birds too, so the subtle addition of a dog in my avatar is just my way of balancing the scales. Presumptuous of me, I realize. Like I said, I am somewhat bored today. I will bet though that few members here will identify the breed in the picture I posted. Please prove me wrong 🙂 A hint though to help. The dog ( belongs to a friend ) is still a puppy, and will likely add another 70 lbs. in the next year. Kjay
18 Comments
maryfreecig
Member

Thanks for blogging about the hum drums. Though this state of mind is natural without smoking and passes in its own time, the blues/boredom can feel especially weird in regards to quitting cigarette smoking. Nicotine as a stimulant, and the craziness of smoking carbon monoxide, amonia, and a whole lot of other crap loaded in cigarettes...and doing so over years and years really does create an over the top state of mind. In quitting, it seems to me, that I missed that state of mind...even though I no longer wanted to smoke. 

Treating the void...time/effort--just as you are doing one day at a time...that's the best medicine.

Keep challenging yourself to venture out of your comfort zone...mix it up a little...

Dotgirl_1-28-16
What are some things you'd like to do with your free time?
KJay
Member
@Mary free cig Hi Mary Thank you for your comments. And the refresher flashback on the gaseous cocktail I rewired my brain with by smoking. I had almost forgotten about that, or more accurately, didn't really want to scrutinize it too carefully. I have learned that it does indeed take time to adjust to the non-barrage of nicotine stimulation, and the many additives in cigarette smoke. Lots of neural connections based on nicotine receptor sites still quietly dying off, literally, within my head. If I could only hear their plaintive moans or squeaks of anguish as they died, I would not be bored. At least not at first. Thank you for sharing your perspective earned through experience. And congratulations on your long term quit. Kjay
KJay
Member
@Dotgirl Good answer 🙂 Lemme guess...connect the dots ( sorry ) and fill in the blank with _______ ( of the things I would like to do ) with my free time. That might work for me, as there are many things to do yet which have not had a cigarette either precede or follow their occurence. And it dovetails nicely with Maryfree's suggestion to push my boundaries a bit. Thank you Maureen, hope you didn't pick up an RI accent today. Tough to shake if you did. Kjay
JonesCarpeDiem

live.

this isn't about waiting around for something to happen.

All you have to do is be awae of your thoughts and be prepared to get up and move if if you are in an awkward or risky situation.

elvan
Member

You've got some great suggestions here.  I am not sure about the dog's breed. I thought maybe Belgian Shepherd but I am not sure about those little ears...Rottweiler?  I love dogs and all animals.  I have cats because I can't walk dogs any more, too hard on my shoulders, not to mention the fact that I can't breathe well enough to walk any animal...I have enough issues with myself.

I like Freecell on the computer, I also really don't get bored, there is too much to do, between EX and a couple of other sites and family and non-cyber life.  

Have an amazing evening...you could be like Dale and take photographs, he really takes some great ones.

tjanddj
Member

I know the picture of the dog is not a pomeranian.

Lot of us ended up having one heck of a clean house including inside the cabinets and drawers. How is your cleaning coming along?

KJay
Member
@Dale Thank you Dale. Seems evident to me by your suggestion that I didn't express myself clearly enough. I am not waiting around for something to happen ; I chose to quit, to join this site, to read, write and comment on blogs. And much of that is proactive, not passive. Good advice though to just live, and to apply mindfulness to any threat to my quit. Thank you. @Jackie Hello Jackie, thank you for the link. Many of my "old" hobbies and interests have a new component to them simply because a cigarette doesn't factor into it anymore. It seems I can as busy as I care to be with my own interests without cracking the list in your link. I will certainly take a look at it though. @Elvann Hello and thank you Ellen for your suggestions. Thanks too for a guess at the dog breed, a first. Apparently the ears on this breed are cropped, but for utility, not aesthetics. The dog in the picture was 7 months old when I took it ; he weighed as much then as a large Rotweillor - 115lbs. That puppy will eventually grow to 185 lbs or more. And I am not bored, or bored with my quit, but bored within my quit as I have ignorantly, apparently, thought there was something more I could be doing to strengthen it. I'm glad for the feedback and the responses I've gotten on this posting. My thanks for your contribution 🙂 Kjay
KJay
Member
@tjanddj Yes, you have a correct wrong answer Tjanddj, the dog is not a Pomeranian. Cleaning ? Yes, thank you, glad you asked. Thank you for the reminder. I need to do some. Laundry too. Kjay
YoungAtHeart
Member

You might also spend some time thinking about all the benefits of quitting you may have noticed...like no huffing and puffing at the top of stairs, your skin may be aglow (I had someone actually TELL me that!), your sense of smell and taste may be improving, you don't end every good laugh with a coughing fit? 

Be greteful for the good things happening as you adjust.  Life IS grand when we don;s smoke!

Nancy

RachelMB
Member

Kjay-

I am only 15 days smoke-free but I feel like I have SOOOO much time on my hands.  I work from home and am quite busy.  It's after work that I find myself needing things to do.  I have started cooking up a storm.  Lol.  I am making things that take a bit of time like lasagna, creme brulee, etc.  I'm bringing things to my neighbors because my poor husband can't eat it fast enough.  It's filling a time void that used to be taken up by smoking.  I'm noticing that food actually tastes better!   

Love the picture of your dog!  Very cute indeed!  I have a big yellow lab that's 100 pounds and likes to try and be a lap dog. 🙂

It's all a process and it's exciting!  Very proud of you fellow ex-smoker.  Hope you have a nice evening-:)

crazymama_Lori

that's an akita

Daniela2016
Member

And many of us here own dogs too: I have 2 dogs and 2 cats.

I picked up 2 new hobbies since I quit smoking.  But I am pretty much a home body, never went out much, so that isn't something I miss.  On top of that for the last 2 years I watch over my 85 years old mom, and that is another full time job.

And it has been such a longtime since I stayed home like I have been for the last 2 months, I started playing puzzle games on computer, reminding me of the first 2 months in USA when we had only one car, and in AZ you still can't work and use exclusively public transportation.  It is getting better, but it is nowhere near the East Coast Big Cities,  with their well oiled public machine 🙂

Meet Nucka and Nello last Christmas

image

bonniebee
Member

Ok now I must shange my avatar back to one of my little Jonah to help you balance the scales !!!

I know one thing tha thelped me in the beginning and still does  is taking walks in the woods and I know on the beautiful vineyard there are so many choices !!!! The beach is one of my favorites of coarse I used to love to walk the beches at dusk with my dog ( at the time i had a golden /Lab named Chantilly I also loved walking on the sheriff Meadow and land bank properties nice time to take photo's to if you like doing that .

I really suggest some form of excercise it helps with the Blahs and weight gain !

crazymama_Lori

these are my kids

image

joyeuxencore
Member

I would love to post a picture of my dog Lucy but don't know how!! 

I get bored & restless even quit for years! Has nothing to do with smoking per say...some days are just better than others. 

Anything you are interested in? Making things craft wise? Learning a new language? Volunteering at at animal shelter? I find that going out and being of service in the community always works for me. xo

MePlus3
Member
So I'm still lurking to see what type of dog that is? Lol I'm always interested in learning something new. Is it an akita? Like Lori mentioned.