Cigarettes are often associated with the cause of cancer, and when you realize smoking is detrimental to your health in the future. You have decided to quit smoking. Your first day without a cigarette can be tough. Here are five steps you can take to tackle your quitting day and gain the confidence to keep quitting.
1. Follow and be disciplined with your Plan
Review and confirm your intention or plan to quit smoking. You can make your quitting smoking day easier. So that it will help you stay focused, confident, and motivated to quit and keep not smoking. If you haven’t made plans to quit, it’s not too late. Create a quit plan that makes sense and is comfortable for you.
Remember: No smoking cessation plan will work and is the same for everyone. Be honest about your needs. If you are using nicotine replacement therapy is right for you and is part of your plan, be sure to start using it in the morning.
2. Get Support
You don’t have to rely on willpower alone to stop being a smoker. There are things you can do that will help you get through the day to quit smoking.
Lean on positive people. Tell your family and friends about your plans to quit smoking. Ask them for support, especially in the first few days and weeks you are smoke-free. So they can help you get past the hard spots and not be tempted to smoke.
3. Stay Active and busy
Keeping yourself busy is a great way to keep yourself from smoking. Being busy will help you take your mind off smoking and distract you from thinking about cigarettes and the urge to smoke. You may want to try some of these activities to divert yourself from smoking:
a. Sports.
b. Go out of the house for a walk.
c. Chew gum or hard candy.
d. Keep your hands busy so that you don’t feel the habit of holding cigarettes
e. Drink lots of water.
f. Relax with deep breaths.
g. Go to the cinema.
h. Spend time with friends and family who don’t smoke.
i. Go to dinner at your favorite smoke-free restaurant.
4. Avoid Triggers the desire to smoke
The triggers are the people, places, objects, and situations that trigger your urge to smoke. On the day you quit smoking, try to avoid your smoking triggers. Here are some tips to help you bypass some common smoking triggers:
a. Throw away cigarettes, matches, and ashtrays if you haven’t already.
b. Avoid caffeine, which can make you nervous. Try drinking water instead.
c. Spend time with nonsmokers.
d. Go to places where smoking is prohibited.
e. Get plenty of rest and eat healthily. Fatigue can trigger you to smoke.
f. Change up your routine to avoid things you might associate with smoking.
5. Stay positive on your goals
Quitting smoking is difficult. Time passed one minute, one hour, one day at a time seemed so long. Try not to think about quitting smoking. Remember this day and time will pass. It helps to stay positive.
The day you started to quit smoking may not be perfect, but the important thing is that you still don’t smoke not even a single puff. Give rewards and reward yourself for not smoking for 24 hours straight. you deserve it. And if you don’t feel ready to quit today, set a quit date for yourself and do it because if not now when you will quit smoking. It doesn’t matter if you need a few more days to quit smoking and stick to your commitments. And remember that smoking can harm the health of you and those around you, don’t be the cause of people you know or care about suffering from the cigarettes you smoke.