Deciding to quit smoking is only the first step in actually stopping. However, it is a very important step and anyone who takes it should be commended. The problem with quitting is that things suck before you see the benefits of a smoke-free life.
Challenges
During this down period, you have to prepare for headaches, anxiety and feelings of serious anger. There will also be the unpleasant phlegm coming up from your lungs that a lot of quitters have stated feels like flu symptoms. Many people suffer from a lack of focus and the biggest problem for entrepreneurs is the loss of productivity.
When you look at advice for people who are quitting, you will find that most of it centers on dealing with cravings. The fact is that quitting smoking is about more than cutting cigarettes from your life, it is also about what you do with their absence. If you were an active smoker, you would have developed an attachment to your cigarettes which leaves you with holes in certain part of your life such as your job.
Many smokers use cigarettes to keep time for them. These little sticks are the excuse for a break and they are the reward for getting tasks done. They can also be part of your meals and part of your reflection routine. For many smokers, cigarettes are a core part of their work routine and when they are taken away, the person feels a sudden loss as their daily structure is deeply affected.
An example of this would be someone who smokes a pack-a-day and decides to stop smoking. During their workday, they might find it impossible to get through anything because their breaks are removed. This becomes worse when they have to deal with the withdrawal from nicotine.
Things you can do
Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can continue to stay on top of everything at work while you quit smoking. There are some tips that can help fill the hole that is left by cigarettes in your workday. It is important to remember that you will adjust and be able to find a rhythm to work that does not rely on cigarettes and will be just as productive as your previous one.
Shake Up Your Work Commute
The first tip you should know about is to remove all of the cigarette reminders that you have from your morning route. If you drive, you need to clean out your car. If you walk take a different road to get the metro or the bus. You should also consider cycling instead of walking. Carrying a coffee while you walk instead of drinking it before you leave can also help you.
Starting your day with something different is important. When you arrive at work, you are going to have a hard time avoiding all of the reminders of what used to be.
Chew On Something
You need to bring something with you to the office to satisfy your oral fixation and cravings because they are going to pop up. The most obvious choice will be chewing gum, but there are alternatives if this is not your favorite option. Stocking up on tea in the office and having a cup on hand will be very helpful. Taking a sip of the warm beverage each time you would have been taking a drag is a good substitution. You should also look at packing celery and carrot sticks as snacks.
Take Your Breaks
There are going to be times when you stand up from your desk and head to some unknown destination. This will generally be your muscle memory from all the times you got up to go smoke. When this happens, you should step outside or do a few laps of the office before returning to your desk. You can easily turn those smoke breaks into walking breaks which are much better for you or into bathroom breaks. Any kind of break that does not involve smoking will be good because it will not remind you of what you have lost.
Go Out For Lunch
You should not only take your breaks, you also need to maintain the structure with lunch that your smoking possibly provided. Meetings are one of the best ways to maintain a schedule and distract yourself from the lack of cigarettes. However, if you do not have any meetings, you should look at leaving the office for lunch or dinner. Whatever you do, you need to break your day up and get a change of scenery.
Plan Your Day
If you have a job that allows you to plan ahead, you need to do this. You should not look at overloading yourself with tasks to distract yourself and always be reasonable with what you plan. You should make a list of all the tasks you need to do each night and make sure that you have prioritized your work correctly. When you quit smoking, you are going to have trouble focusing and this will make you less productive for the first week at least. Having a list of tasks will take some of the thinking out of the work that you need to do when your mind is running slower than normal.
Have A Box Of Tissues
In the first few weeks, you could be coughing up phlegm. Of course, you should explain to your coworkers that you have quit smoking because they will understand that you are not ill and they are not at risk of catching something. You should try and use your bathroom breaks to clear your lungs when you can so that you do not make anyone uncomfortable. While this is less about helping you focus and more about being courteous to the people you work with, it is still something you need to consider.
Look At E-Cigarettes
There are former smokers who switch to e-cigarettes when they are quitting. E-cigarettes can make some people crave the real deal, but they also help you change your habits. Take a look at smok tfv8 coils for example, a lot of people really enjoy using them. If you are going to be using e-cigarettes to get nicotine, then most of these tips will not apply.
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