Quit Smoking Tips for the First Two Weeks

Eat a well-balanced diet.
Treats are fine, but be careful not to go overboard with the wrong kinds of food right now. Your body is working hard to expel toxins during the withdrawal process, and that takes energy. Choose foods that will provide you with the high quality fuel you need. Avoid the empty calories of junk food.

Take a multi-vitamin.
Smoking depletes our bodies of nutrients. Give yourself a boost with the help of a multi-vitamin. This, combined with good diet will help you minimize the fatigue that can often occur during nicotine withdrawal.

Stock the fridge with healthy snacks.
Have small bags of bite size fresh veggies within easy reach. Celery and carrots sticks with low fat ranch dressing for dipping makes a good snack. Fresh fruit, such as pineapple chunks, berries, melon or other fruits in season will satisfy your sweet tooth if they're clean and ready to eat when you're looking for a snack. Good freezer treats include low fat fudgesicles and frozen grapes.

Get out for a walk.
A short walk every day – as little as 15 minutes even, can work wonders for you as you withdraw from nicotine. Walking reduces edginess and improves circulation. It also releases endorphins, the "feel good" hormone. So, when the urge to smoke strikes, head out for a walk around the block. You’ll come back refreshed and relaxed.

Get more sleep.
Early cessation is tiring. Your body is stressed and so is your mind. Allow more time to sleep if you need it. Don’t worry, the weariness won't last. Your energy will return soon.

Drink water!
Water helps you flush residual toxins from smoking out of your body more quickly. It also works well as a craving buster. Drink water before you snack and you'll eat less. Water is an important part of your diet! Keep yourself well-hydrated, and you'll feel better in general. That will in turn help you manage withdrawal symptoms more easily.

Keep some supplies in your car.
If you spend a lot of time driving, have some items handy to help you pass the time more comfortably. Drink some of that water we just talked about while you're driving. Keep a bottle or two in the car at all times. Also store a bag of hard candies and lollipops in your glovebox and have some straws or cinnamon sticks availabe to chew on.

Do some deep breathing.
Cravings usually hit fast and with force. They're strongest at the start, and fade in intensity within 3 - 5 minutes. Don't panic when you get a craving to smoke. Take a few moments to concentrate on your breathing. Close your eyes if possible and breathe in and out slowly. Let the craving wash over you like a wave while you focus on your breathing. The urge will pass and you’ll be left feeling stronger.

Turn your bathroom into a day spa.
Light some candles, and take a long hot bubble bath. Treat yourself to a manicure and pedicure and follow with a facial. Pamper yourself!

Have a cup of tea.
Allow yourself a few minutes to relax with a cup of tea and honey. Choose herbal teas rather than those with caffiene. It's an quick and easy way to rejuvenate yourself.

Reward yourself.
Come up with a list of small gifts that you can give yourself every day. Take a hot bath. Buy a new candle. Read a fun magazine. Enlist someone else in the family to cook dinner. Small daily rewards will boost your spirits and fortify your resolve to keep the quit.

Be patient and kind to yourself during the early days of smoking cessation. The rewards will outweigh the discomforts you're going through. Nicotine withdrawal is a temporary phase. Better days are ahead!

20 Quick Tips to Help You Quit Smoking

1. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can quit. Think about
some of the most difficult things you have done in your life and
realize that you have the guts and determination to quit
smoking. It's up to you.

2. After reading this list, sit down and write your own list,
customized to your personality and way of doing things. Create
you own plan for quitting.

3. Write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting):
live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell
better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad about
smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it on
paper and read it daily.

4. Ask your family and friends to support your decision to quit.
Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental. Let
them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable and
even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.

5. Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish your
cigarettes forever. Write it down. Plan for it. Prepare your
mind for the "first day of the rest of your life". You might
even hold a small ceremony when you smoke you last cigarette, or
on the morning of the quit date.

6. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance
from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit.

7. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible
with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body
recover from years of damage from cigarettes. If necessary,
start slow, with a short walk once or twice per day. Build up to
30 to 40 minutes of rigorous activity, 3 or 4 times per week.
Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

8. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe
in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few
seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth. Try doing
your breathing with your eyes closed and go to step 9.

9. Visualize your way to becoming a non-smoker. While doing your
deep breathing in step 8, you can close your eyes and begin to
imagine yourself as a non-smoker. See yourself enjoying your
exercise in step 7. See yourself turning down a cigarette that
someone offers you. See yourself throwing all your cigarettes
away, and winning a gold medal for doing so. Develop your own
creative visualizations. Visualization works.

10. Cut back on cigarettes gradually (if you cut back gradually,
be sure to set a quit date on which you WILL quit). Ways to cut
back gradually include: plan how many cigarettes you will smoke
each day until your quit date, making the number you smoke
smaller each day; buy only one pack at a time; change brands so
you don't enjoy smoking as much; give your cigarettes to someone
else, so that you have to ask for them each time you want to
smoke.

11. Quit smoking "cold turkey". Many smokers find that the only
way they can truly quit once and for all is to just quit
abruptly without trying to slowly taper off. Find the method
that works best for you: gradually quitting or cold turkey. If
one way doesn't work do the other.

12. Find another smoker who is trying to quit, and help each
other with positive words and by lending an ear when quitting
becomes difficult. Visit this Bulletin Board and this Chat Room
to find a "quit buddy."

13. Have your teeth cleaned. Enjoy the way your teeth look and
feel and plan to keep them that way.

14. After you quit, plan to celebrate the milestones in your
journey to becoming a non-smoker. After two weeks of being
smoke-free, see a movie. After a month, go to a fancy restaurant
(be sure to sit in the non-smoking section). After three months,
go for a long weekend to a favorite get-away. After six months,
buy yourself something frivolous. After a year, have a party for
yourself. Invite your family and friends to your "birthday"
party and celebrate your new chance at a long, healthy life.

15. Drink lots of water. Water is good for you anyway, and most
people don't get enough. It will help flush the nicotine and
other chemicals out of your body, plus it can help reduce
cravings by fulfilling the "oral desires" that you may have.

16. Learn what triggers your desire for a cigarette, such as
stress, the end of a meal, arrival at work, entering a bar, etc.
Avoid these triggers or if that's impossible, plan alternative
ways to deal with the triggers.

17. Find something to hold in your hand and mouth, to replace
cigarettes. Consider drinking straws or you might try an artificial cigarette.

18. Write yourself an inspirational song or poem about quitting,
cigarettes, and what it means to you to quit. Read it daily.

19. Keep a picture of your family or someone very important to
you with you at all times. On a piece of paper, write the words
"I'm quitting for myself and for you (or "them")". Tape your
written message to the picture. Whenever you have the urge to
smoke, look at the picture and read the message.

20. Whenever you have a craving for a cigarette, instead of
lighting up, write down your feelings or whatever is on your
mind. Keep this "journal" with you at all times.

Good luck in your efforts to quit smoking.

06-05-2011 om 02:49 geschreven door nicotine