Tag: Tobacco Cessation

Many people use tobacco to manage stress-and return to old habits in times of stress. If you currently use tobacco/nicotine products to manage stress, it is very likely your mind will go there in times of stress in the future. If you have quit, having a plan for when stress increases will help you from returning to tobacco/nicotine.

What is stress?

Stress is normal and can be a healthy, productive force in your life. Stress can have a good or bad effect on you depending on:

*  The type of stress

*  The amount of stress

*  How well you deal with stress

“Good” stress can help you pay attention, stay focused, feel challenged, stay interested, and complete tasks.

“Bad” stress or chronic stress is intense stress over a long period of time. You may not be able to manage this stress as you would like. You tend to stay tense and don’t or can’t relax after things are once again under control. In our modern world, there are many things that can “push your buttons” and stress can become a way of life.

When we have too much stress to manage, our bodies can be more prone to illness-heart disease, cancer, ulcers, asthma, and colitis.

The stress response is the way your body and mind react to change. Our bodies have an inborn “fight or flight” response to a stressor:

*  Heart rate and breathing speed up

*  Blood pressure rises

*  Blood moves away from the internal organs to the muscles

*  Muscles tense

*  Sweating occurs

*  Blood sugar (glucose) increase which gives the muscles and brain a lift

Create Your Stress Strategy

1. Explore what causes you stress and how you react to these stressors.

2. Identify stressors that can be reduced.

3. Learn tools to reduce the feeling of stress, even with the same trigger.

4. Learn ways to manage the stress that remains.

Know Your Stressors

Everyone reacts differently to stress. In order to manage stress, you need to find out the source of your stress and how you react to it.

1. Look at the list that follows and think about stressors in your life. Check off any that apply to you right now or that are common stressors for you. Knowing your stressors will help you better prepare for triggers.

2. In the space next to each, write how you react to these stressors. What do you do? How do you feel?

What you eat or drink and how you eat or drink can influence your urges for tobacco products. By working on quitting, you are taking an important step to manage what goes into your body.

*  Drink at least 8 glasses of low-sugar, natural liquids per day: water, herbal tea, sparkling water. This will make you feel less hungry and give your body the water it needs to function. Water is important for clearing toxins from the body.

*  Eat small, nutrient-dense meals and snacks throughout the day. This will help your blood sugar and energy stay steady and avoid feeling too tired during the day. You will also get the fuel your body needs.

*  Eat protein as part of all meals and most snacks: lean meats, fish, poultry, low-fat cheese, nut butters, nuts, and seeds. These foods are full of nutrients and help give you even energy throughout the day. They are also filling, so you will find you don’t reach for as many snacks.

*  Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and salads. These foods are filling, vitamin-rich, and low in calories.

*  Eat foods high in calcium, such as dairy or calcium-fortified juice. Smoking can add to your chances of having brittle bones, so extra calcium may be needed.

*  Avoid high sugar foods. Look at food labels to spot added sugars. “Sweets” are not the only culprit! Cutting out added sugar helps prevent your blood sugar from going too high or too low. Low blood sugar can trigger an urge.

*  Cut down on coffee, tea, colas, and other caffeinated drinks. These drinks are often tied to a smoking habit. Cutting out caffeine, even temporarily, while you are quitting, can help reduce urges.

*  Avoid alcohol. Alcohol causes blood sugar to rise. Your habit may also be linked to drinking habits. Alcohol can lessen your desire to quit in the moment.

*  After eating, brush your teeth and rinse with mouthwash. The minty fresh taste in your mouth won’t go well with tobacco. It also helps scramble your old routine, if you smoked after a meal.

All physical activity has benefits for the body and mind. View exercise as a break from your day. Use this time to focus on the present, instead of past or future problems and worries. What are your favorite ways to be physically active?

Physical activity can help you quit and stay quit. It can also improve your energy level, ability to learn, and focus.

Emotional Health

Exercise releases endorphins and increases levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These brain chemicals help create feelings of happiness and euphoria. You may start to feel these benefits after just a few minutes of moderate exercise. This leads to a happiness buzz and overall mood boost!

Stress Management

Norepinephrine is a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. Exercise helps to increase that chemical. Exercise can decrease worry and tension. These may be triggers for you to smoke, dip, or vape. Exercise also enhances the mind’s ability to deal with daily stressors. Managing stressors can reduce urges to reach for your old habit. The calming effect of exercise can last at least four hours after the exercise is over.

Physical Health

Exercise helps strengthen your muscles and bones. This helps you have good posture and keeps your joints and body more aligned. Exercise strengthens your heart muscle so your heart is more efficient. This also helps reduce your risk of having a heart attack or blood clot. Exercise can also help lower your blood pressure. Your ability to breathe also improves, especially as you reduce and eliminate smoking. Exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood that fight off viruses and bacteria. Exercise also helps combat damage done to cells, tissues, and organs.

Recommendation: Be physically active for at least 2 ½ hours (150 minutes) per week. You can do this for 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes at a time. Consult your doctor before beginning an exercise routine if you:

*  Have a chronic health problem, such as heart disease or diabetes.

*  Have high blood pressure.

*  Feel faint or dizzy when you try to exercise.

*  Have an injury or bone or joint problems, such as arthritis, that have been or could become aggravated by exercise.

Reduce Sit-Time

Find ways to move more throughout the day.

*  Set an alarm on your watch or phone to get up every hour, if sitting.

*  Stretch and walk for a few minutes to get more oxygen flowing through your body.

*  Drink water regularly so you need to use the bathroom every few hours.

*  Get up during commercial breaks on TV to tidy up a room or dust.

*  Walk outside for a few minutes. Take a deep breath of fresh air.

*  Walk to get lunch.

Move in Different Ways

All exercise and movement help give you the benefits. Finding activities you like doing and that you will keep doing is important for long-term success.

Cardiovascular (cardio) training uses large movements that involve multiple muscle groups, such as your legs, buttocks, and abdominals, all at once. Popular aerobic activities are brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, and dancing.

Resistance training uses body weight or weights to build muscle. Move slowly through exercises, breathing regularly. Squats, lunges, push-ups, calf raises, and bicep curls are basic resistance movements.

Stretching helps your body be more flexible. This helps you prevent injury during exercise and everyday activities. Stretching can also help you relax.

Choose three events from that could cause you to return to your old habit. Choose situations that you are almost sure you will come across after you have quit. Think about your plan for these times. These plans can include thoughts and actions. They may include someone else’s help. Use the tools learned in this program to write a short plan.

Event:

Response Plan:

Event:

Response Plan:

Event:

Response Plan:

You may need to update your plan or improve it over time, after you have gone through the situation.

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.

Over the next few weeks, as you move through the QuitWell™ program, you might notice yourself moving back and forth between the stages as different factors affect your thinking. For example, a stressful day at work can make you feel like you’ve taken a step backward. Don’t let that stop you! This guide will give you tools to work through challenges and be better prepared for future ones.

You can try out nearly all the activities in this guide, though pay special attention to the activities highlighted for your stage of change. Look for the tips throughout the guide that help you fit an activity to your stage of change. This will help you feel good about where you are at and help you feel more confident about the future. When you feel yourself moving forward in the stages of change, you can go back to these activities and do them again, using the tips for your new stage of change.

In a few words, describe how you are feeling right now about quitting. What brought you here? What stage of change do you feel fits you best right now?

We will teach you four skills to relax:

*Relaxation Reflex:Getting rid of muscle tension.

*Mental Imagery:Thinking of calm, restful places.

*Deep Natural Breathing:Feeling relaxed by breathing in more oxygen.

*Spend Time with Animals:Feeling relaxed, happy and secure.

These relaxation strategies are not designed to take your stress away. Done correctly, they will help you calm your body and mind so that you can think more logically, see major problems as manageable challenges, and get through a tough day.

If something helps you-even a little-add it to your quitting tool kit. Remember, you will probably need a lot of strategies to be successful in the long run. One strategy may work on Monday morning, but you’ll need another tool on Friday afternoon!

You’ve probably heard a lot of reasons why you should quit, but the best reasons are your own. Making lifestyle changes to fit with your own values and reasons makes your successes more meaningful. It can also be easier to overcome challenges along the way.

You can do this activity at all stages of change, even if you aren’t planning to quit right now or have already quit. If you don’t feel like anything is motivating you right now, that is OK. You can return to this activity in the future. If you have already quit, think about why you want to stay quit.

Here are some common reasons for quitting. Start a ‘Why Quit’ list. If any of these ring true for you, add them to your list.

*  Avoid major health problems in the future

*  Be able to breathe more easily

*  Better circulation, especially to fingers and toes

*  Easier, deeper sleep

*  Good feeling when waking up

*  A younger, brighter, more lively look

*  In order to have surgery (many surgeons require you to quit first)

*  Pregnancy/new baby (as a mother, partner, or grandparent)

*  Keep new home or car clean

*  Be healthier for loved ones

*  Save money

*  Smoking/chewing/vaping no longer fits a current or desired lifestyle

*  Worried about known and unknown long term risks

*  More healthy years with family & friends

*  Pride in accomplishing something you set out to do

*  Freedom from being “owned” by an addiction and a tobacco company

*  Better sense of taste & smell

*  More energy