Timer exercise
Okay, I have continued to do the timer exercise. Sometimes when the timer
goes off, I feel like a complete idiot because I can’t identify anything
until I really think about it for a while. Hopefully by doing it regularly
it will get more apparant, and quicker. Am I supposed to post my day?
One thing that I have been trying to identify is the
event/emotion:condition/physical sensations that occur right before I
typically have a cigarette. I have been really trying to focus on it, and
it is harder than it seems. During my week when I am at work, my smoking
usually revolves around a timed schedule rather that just my desire to
smoke. I smoke on my drive in, and then work for about 2 1/2 hours, sneak
outside quick, have a cigarette, go back to work for 2 hours, eat,
(sometimes have a cig before eating, sometimes not) definitely smoke after
eating, work for 2 more hours, run out and smoke, and then leave 2 hours
later and smoke on my way home. What I am trying to explain here, is that
lots of times I want a cigarette after only 1 hour, but I think to myself “I
can’t do that because then I will have to go way too long before I can have
the next”, so I try to “plan” my smoking around my schedule. One of the
physical sensations that I can’t quite put my finger on is something with my
mouth. There is a sensation toward the back of my throat when I am thinking
of going and having a cigarette, that is like an anticipation of that smoke
hitting the back of the throat, and my throat feels empty now, but as soon
as I light up that sensation goes away. Hard to explain, but it is there
each and every time before I have a cig.
As I look forward to starting to think about ABC’s, I’ve realized that I
have modified my smoking behavior in the past. For instance, one of my
triggers used to be getting ready to go somwhere, when I was putting on the
makeup and doing my hair, and getting dressed. I always had a cig going.
Well, one thing I changed when my kids were born, was that I no longer
allowed myself to smoke in the house. At first it was very weird getting
ready without the cig, but now when I am getting ready, I don’t even think
about it. Never crosses my mind. This realization gives me hope that I can
change the current “smoking reasons” to also become not related to smoking.
Meantime, I am carrying on with the timer exercise.
One more question, anybody else using Zyban? I have continued to take it,
and it is not affecting me too badly, but I have been having a hard time
sleeping. Is this related? My mind just seems to keep racing.
Thanks,
Amy
October 20th, 2006 at 3:17 pm
Hi folks,
If you’re new to cognitivequitting, take a few moments and try
this….. write down 10 - 12 reasons why/when you smoked. Some of you
may want to start with the HALT reasons (hungry, angry, lonely/bored,
tired) as those are almost universal. Here’s a partial list… getting up
in the morning, first cup of coffee, driving, breaks, on the phone, on the
computer, and after meals. Use these, add yours, and be sure to include
‘nicotine addiction’ or ‘nicotine withdrawal’ as one of the reasons since a
smoker is certainly addicted to nicotine.
Once you’ve got that list, take a look at your ‘reasons to smoke’. How many
really had/have a direct connection to nicotine addiction? With the
exception of nicotine withdrawal (if we smoked, we were addicted) and maybe
getting up/first thing in the morning, all the rest of your ‘reasons’ to
smoke were about routine events in life. The problem, or one of them, is
that our connection between those routine life events and a smoking
response was almost always on an automatic level. The way to become aware
in order to change
February 6th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Hi All,
Well I’ve been keeping up with my timer exercise and have noticed
that I mostly have upper back, neck and shoulder tension, shallow
breathing and today I have a bit of “numbness and slight pain” on
the left side of my face and jaw (Probably from clenching my jaw).
- I’m working on year-end at work - That’ll do it!
For the most part I recognize these symptoms even before the timer
goes off any sometimes within 15 minutes of doing the exercises last
so I just keep breathing and stretching whenever I do and it is
really helping me become more aware of my body cues/needs.
I went out and bought a little notepad that I keep in my purse
because I’m not at home most of the time so wherever I am, I can jot
down the time, life situation, body cues and rational responses as
they happen. Otherwise, I would be trying to go from memory which I
don’t think is the proper way for me to do it. (Besides, it wouldn’t
be accurate as to what I am feeling in that particular moment).
Maybe I’ll catch some of you in the chat room this weekend. Tonight
my daughter and I are going to a play at our newly built
entertainment theatre here in town and tomorrow I have committed
myself to the grandkids all day and evening (Sleep over with Grandma
and Grandpa) so I’ll see if I can go online Sunday to “catch up”.
Thanks, Steve, for your support(And Mrs. Steve for the “what I need”
verse/mantra)- I truly appreciate it!
Chow for now
Joynoel
February 6th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Nicely done so far Joy.
The transition from smoker to cognitively quit has two stages. The first
stage is to become aware of all the body cues that have always been below
our radar, particularly the tension in muscles and the condition of our
breathing. Relief of discomfort in those areas was always associated with
smoking. After several days with your timer you’re acutely aware of what
your body needs AND how to provide for those needs.
You mentioned that you’re already beginning to recognize body cues, even
before the timer goes off. That means that within the context of certain
routines, you’ve begun to retrain your associations.
But in situations that are outside your routine, there’s a good chance that
you’ll encounter this scenario… you’ll get an urge to smoke, stop and
think “what’s this about? what does my body need?”, recognize that there
are some body cues that need attention, and then deal with them. Compared
to how most quitters will attempt to deal with an urge, that scenario looks
pretty reasonable.
The problem is that it starts with an ‘urge to smoke’. That urge was the
initial automatic association of a response to some body cues that you
weren’t yet aware of. The second stage of a cognitive quit deals with
eliminating ‘urges to smoke’.
The way we’ll do that is to prepare for some expected situations that are
outside your ‘routine’. You’ve committed to grand kids tomorrow. Bless
their hearts but those munchkins usually have waaay too much energy. That’s
going to cost you at least in terms of fatigue. I’d like you to think ahead
to how you’ll navigate the day with the body cues you can expect.
When we’re not being aware, our initial association to subtle body cues is
a ’smoking’ association. That’s the smoking habit. However, if we can
anticipate a particular event at a particular time and ‘plan’ how we’ll
respond based on what we can expect our body cues to be, then when that
event occurs our ‘urge for response’ will be to stretch and breath, or eat
or rest or whatever we had determined would be most appropriate. In this
way, we begin to create new patterns, patterns that don’t include a
cigarette. Eventually, these patterns will become as ‘default’ as smoking
was. I said ‘eventually’, but you’ve been at this for 4 days and already
you’re seeing changes in how you respond to your body’s needs.
ABCs have a format just as did the timer notes. And the info you will plug
into you’re ABC comes right from the timer notes you’ve already made.
All ABCs start with a statement…
(for example)
“By mid afternoon the grand kids will have been going nonstop for several
hours. I know from experience that my body will feel…”
A- (this is almost certainly going to be) muscle fatigue/tension in certain
areas. Along with that comes the shallow breathing.
B- “In the past I would have slipped out for a smoke. Tomorrow I’ll be
ready to stretch and breath. (Depending on the grand kids ages, sometimes
they’ll stretch and breathe along with you. They very likely don’t have any
of the tension or breathing issues that we do, but a bit of stretching and
deep breathing is always good.) If some sort of nutritional snack is
necessary, I’ll make sure that it’s ready to go.”
C- “Tomorrow at mid afternoon I’ll be ready to (whatever you decide).
Give this a try Joy.
Steve
ps- Mairead says ‘you’re welcome’ for the mantra. Interestingly, that
mantra came from an ABC that she was editing within some of the cog
material. Here it is…
Heres another example of an ABC using driving as the situation.
Im will be driving for several hrs tomorrow and from my timer list I know
that .
A (body cues)
My body will be uncomfortable from sitting in one place for an extended
period of time. My breathing will probably be shallow from sitting hunched
behind the wheel. The road Ill be traveling is boring and the drive will
be tedious. Ill feel tired.
B (beliefs/self statements)
In the past Id have smoked non stop for the entire trip.
My muscles need stretching not cigarettes. My lungs need air not
smoke. My stomach needs nourishment not nicotine. My mind needs
stimulation not stimulants.
C (consequent response)
Instead I will plan on stopping at the rest areas or pull off at an exit
once an hour. Ill get out and stretch, take a deep breath, walk around a
bit and unkink my body. I can bring some fruit juice with me as a quick
energy pick me up. Ill bring some music or a recorded book that I can
listen to while driving. Ill stay aware of how my body feels and take care
of its needs.