HealthyLife Articles

Category: Healthylife® QuitWell™

  • Address Anxiety 2

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 2

    Zen garden with massage stones and waterlily.

    Anxiety is a feeling of dread, fear, or distress over a real or imagined threat to your mental or physical well-being. Smoking, chewing, or vaping may be a way that you have coped in the past with these feelings. At all stages of change, you can learn to address anxiety in healthy ways.

    First, try to calm your body physically. Calming the physical body can make working through what is in your mind easier.

    *  Breathe deeply and evenly.

    *  Take a walk or get some other form of exercise.

    *  Take a long, warm bath or shower. Or, go for a swim.

    *  Listen to soothing music. Or, go somewhere quiet.

    *  Connect with people. Visit or call someone who will listen to you and support you.

    *  Drink a warm cup of decaf coffee or tea-avoid caffeine, which can make anxiety worse.

    As you take a step back, use these tips to manage the thoughts that are causing your anxiety:

    *  Ask: is your thought based on facts?

    *  Identify what you are trying to do. Know your purpose.

    *  Consider many different outcomes and their effects.

    *  View the situation from many perspectives.

    *  Don’t assume a situation will have the same outcome as it did in the past.

    *  Have good evidence for a generalization before you make it.

    *  Avoid assuming one event caused another just because they happened at the same time.

    You will likely feel calmer after you quit. Nicotine only makes you more nervous. Nicotine is a stimulant. After you get over the initial stress of quitting, you’ll find that without all that nicotine in your body, you feel calmer and more relaxed.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Day 13

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 6

    Man with arms up.

    You can be very proud of your success so far. But, don’t be so secure that you drop your guard. It can set you up for “just that one.” In the next few days and weeks, resisting “just that one” will make the difference between long-term quitting and a cycle of relapse. Keep in mind, one smoke, one smoker. Or, one chew, one chewer. Or, insert whatever your habit was before quitting.

    The first month of quitting is the “crawling” stage. Most people who return to tobacco do it during the first few weeks after stopping.

    Cautious Optimism

    You should be hopeful, yet careful, about the fact you have quit. Feel proud of yourself for having quit, but don’t let your guard down.

    Continue to use the urge tamers and other strategies in this guide. You may find that what will help you now is different than what helped you get started.

    The program works when you make it work for you!

    Today’s Affirmation:

    I choose to be on this path to quitting for good.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • How To Help Me Quit

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 3

    Friends sitting talking and drinking tea.

    1.Be patient.I am trying to free myself from tobacco/nicotine. Quitting may make me tense, anxious, and prone to sudden mood swings. This is because I am doing without something I was used to having. Soon I will be secure in my ability to manage and I will be better than ever. Please bear with me a little longer.

    2.Be curious.For years I have been using tobacco/nicotine to pass the time, to reward myself, to calm myself, to wake up, to help me think, and to get through stressful events. Now I am coping all on my own. Ask me how I am managing; ask me what my life is like without nicotine. It’s all very new to me and I may want to talk about it.

    3.Be sensitive.All day long I must deal with the urge to use tobacco/nicotine. Sometimes it seems as if just about everything makes me think about it: getting ready for work, talking on the phone, ending a meal… I could really use your help to distract myself from these thoughts. Unless I mention it first, please don’t bring up the subject of my quitting.

    4.Be supportive.I really need someone to root for me right now, someone to be on my side. I enjoy the special attention (like rewarding my first week without tobacco/nicotine with a special treat) that you give me while I am in the “crawling” stage of quitting.

    5.Be positive. Sometimes I feel it is hard to remember all the good things that come with quitting. I like it when you notice the positive changes that you see in me. It means a lot to know that you are proud of me.

    6.Be confident.I want to make it, but sometimes I am not sure that I have what it takes to quit. I need the people around me to believe that I can do it… and to say so.

    What else will be helpful to you? Share this with those who want to support you.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Mindfulness 2

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 2

    Image of man walking his dog.

    Mindfulness means you are fully aware of what you are sensing in the current moment. Mindfulness can help you get through a stressful or uncomfortable time without your usual tobacco/nicotine use. It can also:

    *  Give your mind a chance to think creatively and come up with the answers to tough questions.

    *  Help you gently pull yourself back to the present when your mind wants to go somewhere else.

    *  Exercise greater control over your actions and your energy.

    *  Understand yourself more.

    *  Lower inflammation in the body.

    *  Activate areas in the brain that give you feelings of calmness.

    Mindfulness Exercise

    Practice mindfulness while you listen to music, walk, run, eat, or sit in traffic. You can also try this the next time you feel the desire to have a cigarette, dip, or puff from your vape:

    *  Try to physically pause your body. Sit or stand still. Maybe you can lean against the back of a chair or a wall. Get comfortable.

    *  Focus on your breathing or anything in the present, such as the sounds you hear or an object in your sight.

    *  As thoughts pop up in your mind, notice them without judging them. Picture your thoughts like clouds floating by-let them go by. Return your focus to what you see, hear, and feel.

    *  Notice the feelings you have about smoking/your habit and what may be making you feel that way. Be aware of what is helping you do what you want and what is not helping.

    *  When your mind starts to drift, imagine gently guiding it back to the present, as if you’re helping a child that has strayed off the path.

    The craving may have gone away or is now much less. If this is the case, try to do something else while the craving continues to fade.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Review And Prepare 7

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 4

    Image of hand crushing a bunch of cigarettes.

    This section provided strategies to manage urges that you have for tobacco/nicotine. You also learned tools to manage yourself in a demanding, often stressful world.

    *  Which urge tamers and other strategies have you practiced already?

    *  Which tools have worked well for you? Add these to your quit plan.

    *  What gaps do you have in your quit plan? What is still a big challenge?

    Review this section often. What may have helped you get started may not be what takes you all the way to quitting completely. You may need to use new strategies as your life changes, new stressors arise, or new people enter your life. As you feel more and more ready to take action, strengthen your action plan by assigning urge tamers to triggers.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Secondhand Smoke

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 1

    Image of cigarette and smoke.

    Secondhand smoke is the smoke that occurs when a cigarette, pipe, or cigar is lit. The secondhand smoke going into the room from the end of a burning cigarette is not filtered. People breathing in secondhand smoke are breathing in this smoke, as well as what the smoker blows into the room. Secondhand smoke puts non-smoking bystanders (maybe your loved ones) at risk for the same health problems as the smoker.

    Some of the toxins found in secondhand smoke are tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen dioxide, cadmium, benzpyrene, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, acetone, pyridine, and formaldehyde. Although secondhand smoke becomes mixed with the air, there are safety risks for both the smoker and non-smokers, as well as pets who breathe these vapors in.

    Infants & Children

    Children of smokers are at a higher risk for respiratory infections, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, and middle ear infections. Asthma can become more severe. Children of smokers are also much more likely to start smoking.

    Pets

    Your beloved fur ball can develop serious health problems, including nose and lung cancers, from secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke can also cause respiratory illness in cats and dogs and make skin conditions worse. Thirdhand smoke, or the smoke residue that settles on surfaces, can be especially damaging to cats. When cats lick their fur to clean themselves, they lick the toxins from smoke. This makes cats more than twice as likely to develop malignant lymphoma, a type of cancer.

    Protect Your Loved Ones

    To protect others from secondhand smoke, avoid smoking in enclosed spaces that you share with others, like your house or car. If you are going to smoke, go outside and make sure windows are closed to the house near the area you are smoking. Avoid using a “smoking room” in the house or smoking in an attached garage-smoke will still get into the rest of the house.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • What Holds You Back?

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 2

    Image of man thinking.

    Many people want to quit, but don’t. When people are asked why they don’t quit, the main reasons tend to be:

    *  Fear of gaining weight

    *  Worry about feeling more anxious

    *  Thinking that it’s too difficult to quit

    *  The thought that “it’s too late to quit”

    Star any of the above that are holding you back. Write your own reasons for why you have not quit yet. What are your biggest worries or fears about quitting? Avoid judging yourself for these reasons. It is important to understand your own barriers. If you do not want to quit, list those reasons.

    QuitWell™ can help you work through these issues. The more honest you are with yourself, the better this program will work for you.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Altering Triggers

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 4

    A morning cup of coffee.

    Actions, especially habits, are linked. For example, you may light up a cigarette without thinking when you start your car, end a meal, drink coffee, or hear your alarm clock. If you dip or use other forms of tobacco/nicotine, you may have similar triggers.

    Altering triggers can help you break your automatic habits.

    Scrambling

    Scramble your routine to stop the triggers before they happen.

    1. Change your morning routine.

    2. Change your work area and the times of the day you do things.

    3. Change the route you take to work.

    4. Change the way you talk on the phone.

    5. Take a walk with a water bottle instead of a coffee break.

    6. Sit in a new place at the dining room or kitchen table.

    7. What other ways can you change your routines?

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Day 14

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 6

    Two friends high-fiving while sitting at a cafe.

    A Day to Remember

    Recall the day you quit as a special day. Treat it like you would a birthday or anniversary. Celebrate this day every month for the first 6 months and once a year after that. In a way, it is a re-birth for your body-or a personal “Independence Day!”

    As you probably have seen already, getting to this point does not mean you are “done” with quitting. The maintenance phase of quitting means you are working to maintain the change. A really big step has been completed-getting to your first tobacco/nicotine-free day. However, you will need to stay alert for relapse triggers and continue to improve how you respond to stress if you want to stay quit for good.

    The maintenance phase of quitting is usually at least 6 months long, but it can take 5 years or longer to truly feel no temptation to go back. You may never feel like you are at 0% temptation, but it will get easier over time. Remember, the time will pass anyway-you choose how you want to spend it.

    Today’s Affirmation:

    Quitting is freedom. I choose how I want to live my life.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • I Am Quitting!

    Healthylife® QuitWell™

    Part 1

    Women putting on a patch on arm.

    Maybe you have started this program in the action phase-you are already quitting or have just quit. While you may have a quit date in mind, this phase is more than just one day. This phase usually lasts about six months for any behavior change. It starts when you start putting your plan into place and continues as you go through challenges and practice your new way of living.

    In a few words, describe your current quit plan.

    Who is supporting you?

    Remember, you may be moving back and forth between stages during your quitting process. Some days may be easier than others. It is important to stay very alert during the active phase, as slip-ups are very common. You will probably face many new challenges, from new stressors to different times of the year and holidays.

    Even if you have started this program in the action phase, work through the guide in order. Building a strong foundation will help you get through the first few months of quitting-and beyond.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine