New Year’s Resolution Tips For How To Quit Smoking

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On the JJ Barnes Blog, I look ahead to our upcoming new year’s resolutions, and get tips on how to quit smoking from experts.

New Year’s Resolution

As the new year approaches, you may have resolved to quit smoking. I completely applaud that decision, but I know it can be hard to work out where you begin, and actually quitting can cause side effects, which it harder to stick to your goal. These side effects may include mood swings, a chesty cough, difficulty sleeping and unhealthy food cravings. Understanding and preparing for these side effects can contribute to a more successful and sustainable journey toward a healthier, smoke-free lifestyle.

We all know quitting smoking isn’t a walk in the park; it’s a battle against cravings, a mental marathon, and a journey of self-discovery. But fear not, this year, let’s turn the tide with a toolbox of tips and tricks to extinguish that cigarette for good.

Stop Smoking Anxiety Necklace

While traditional methods like nicotine patches and therapy remain pillars of success, innovative tools like stop smoking anxiety necklaces have emerged, promising relief through touch and breathing techniques. Deep, controlled breaths activate the parasympathetic nervous system, triggering relaxation and counteracting the fight-or-flight response associated with cravings.

These necklaces often feature beads, smooth stones, or textured surfaces designed to be manipulated with your fingers. The act of fiddling with them distracts your mind from cravings, offering a tactile outlet for nervous energy. Additionally, some necklaces incorporate breathing exercises, prompting you to inhale deeply through the device or focus on controlled breaths triggered by its design.

How To Quit Smoking

To help you with your new year’s resolution to quit smoking, an expert from gosmokefree.co.uk has revealed the best way to help manage potential side effects – as well as five foods to avoid, and exercises that can help strengthen the lungs over the winter months – to give you the best chance of success.  

Taking care of your body is crucial when quitting smoking as it helps mitigate withdrawal symptoms, promotes overall well-being, and accelerates the recovery of damaged organs.  Prioritising self-care – including healthy nutrition, regular exercise, and sufficient rest – eases the challenges of quitting but also sets the foundation for a sustainable smoke-free lifestyle.

For those who are finding it difficult to manage side effects, practice breathing exercises and meditation, build up your exercise routine so you have a healthy outlet for your frustrations, and contact a counselling service if you need to talk.  

One of the most common side effects when stopping smoking is developing a chesty cough. The best way to manage a chesty cough is to stay hydrated, take hot showers to loosen mucus in the respiratory passages, and use honey to reduce irritation in the throat.” 

For those having trouble sleeping, cut out caffeine, create a relaxing atmosphere before bed with a bath or calming book, and stick to a strict bedtime so that winding down becomes second nature. Try to be especially wary of late-night tobacco cravings! 

-expert from gosmokefree.co.uk

Foods To Avoid To Help You Quit Smoking

1. Spicy food 
2. Sugary snacks 
3. Coffee 
4. Fried foods 
5. Excessive salt 

Spicy And Sugary Food

Be aware of your diet, as spicy and sugary foods can trigger nicotine. Furthermore, if you opt for excessively sugary foods when quitting smoking, you run the risk of forming a sugar addiction as a replacement for nicotine.

Coffee

Another strong trigger when quitting smoking is coffee which acts as a trigger for smoking nicotine because the caffeine in coffee enhances the stimulating effects of cigarettes, creating a synergistic buzz.  The pairing of coffee and cigarettes often becomes a habitual and reinforcing routine, strengthening the association between the two, making it challenging for those trying to quit smoking. 

Fried Food

Fried foods should also be avoided, as they can contribute to excess torso fat and add pressure to the diaphragm. For anyone in the process of quitting smoking, this increased pressure can exacerbate breathing difficulties and make the journey more challenging.

Salt

An overconsumption of salt can result in water retention in the body, creating additional weight around the diaphragm. This also causes extra pressure that can restrict breathing and make sticking to your goals harder.

Exercises To Help You Quit Smoking

For those who are looking to strengthen their lungs and reduce the risk of increased pressure on the diaphagm, the experts at gosmokefree.co.uk have revealed accessible exercises that can help combat respiratory challenges and boost healing lungs.  

Exercises that includes weights or resistance bands can build stronger muscles that are more efficient at using oxygen. This means that the blood flow increases throughout the body as the lungs don’t need to work as hard. Pilates is also great if you’re wanting to boost lung capacity, as it helps to tone up the lungs which can help reduce shortness of breath.  

Aerobic exercises such as a brisk walk or swimming can be good for those struggling with breathing, as it’s so low impact. They can help to increase blood circulation and increase your heart rate. And while yoga may not seem like an obvious choice when quitting smoking, it helps you to practice deep breathing and mindfulness, which can help with low moods.

Conclusion

So, there you have it, smoke-free warriors! Remember, quitting isn’t just about willpower; it’s about a holistic approach, about nurturing your body, mind, and spirit to overcome the grip of nicotine.

Choose your support system, celebrate your victories (big and small!), and don’t be afraid to reach out for help if cravings rear their ugly heads. Remember, even the strongest flame flickers sometimes, but with a little stoking and perseverance, it can roar back to life.

Let 2024 be the year you extinguish the smoke for good, the year you claim your true, vibrant, smoke-free life.

Goodbye, cigarettes, hello, life! Let the smoke-free revolution begin! And remember, you are not alone. This is your journey, but we’re all cheering you on!