A quit smoking curmudgeon’s view…
… on ’staying busy’
“Stay busy” is a commonly dispensed bit of quit advice.
Get a hobby, join a club, find some sort of activity that will occupy
your mind and hands and you’ll be too busy to smoke. On the surface
that appears to make sense because most of you can remember a time or
two when you were so immersed in some activity that you either smoked
much less than usual or not at all. However, that period of busy-ness
didn’t exist all by itself like some smoke free oasis in a sea of
cigarettes. Being busy was usually part of a package that included at
least two cigarettes,
- one that you smoked so you could get started being busy
- and another that you smoked just as soon as you were done
being busy.
So is staying busy an effective and reliable tool to avoid urges? I
wouldn’t put too many eggs in that basket. But you should check it
out for yourself. The preceding is just one curmudgeon’s
view.
July 22nd, 2007 at 11:24 am
Hi Kim,
How long have you been quit?
There are lots of things that do get better or to which we adjust
with time. Our enthusiasm and emotional balance can be part of that
time related adjustment.
Agree with you on coffee and cigarette kick start to the day.
Sometimes it was pretty rocky, but it sure did get things moving.
Good to have you with us,
Steve
July 22nd, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the email. I’m on Day 10 today. It’s going fairly well
this time around. I have successfully quit more than once for 2+,
3+ years. So I know I can do it, but this time I’d like it to be
permanent!
On this quit, I am really recognizing how nicotene was certainly a
stimulant. I have a very demanding job, and the prevailing culture
there is people who thrive on stress. It’s a fine line between
stress that exhilirates and stress that burns you out.
I’m finding that I am taking things more methodically. Not
necessarily as fun, but less stressful. But at times I do miss
the “kick-start” as you call it.
How long have you been smoke free? I really like the topics
discussed on this forum.
Sincerely,
Kim
July 23rd, 2007 at 2:35 am
Kim. I am on my day 10. Like you I have quit in the past. Once for 3 years and
once for 1 year. I Knew I could quit again thing is I want to stay quit this
time. . As long as I was quit before I never seemed to forget how lighting a
cigarette was so relaxing. When there became a lot of stress in my life I
started back. This time I want to stay quit . I have my granddaughter, she is 20
months old and she does not need the smoke in the house. I need to focus on that
plus, I have some health related issues that smoking does not help. So lets you
and I make it permanent this time.
Irma