Quote:
Originally Posted by Revu2
You have a quite a lot going on, like most of us.
We deliberately named this thread to emphasized doing something minimal, a few lousy steps, AND also doing them every day.
Or, per your great success leaving cigs Cold Turkey! Not doing something AND not doing it everyday.
What are you doing to replace the time you spent smoking? And, are you tracking all the money and time you've reclaimed?
Disclosure: I've been a tobacco control activist and keep a keen interest in how people celebrate reclaiming their health, money, & time.
Any advice or suggestions I might accidentally slip in please know that I'm the biggest violator of said advice. Keep a box of salt handy.
Revu2
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Shoot - sorry, I suppose mine wasn't a few measly steps. Mine was literally SURVIVAL! I saw smoking as a death sentence when I saw the stats on how smoking can contribute to medical traumas like severe Covid-19. I knew then that I didn't want to die a traumatic death of being on ventilators. I can't even handle a CPAP machine for my mild sleep apnea. I felt really panicked. I was also sick for about 3 months with an undetectable respiratory illness (blood work was slightly abnormal, lungs fine in xrays, negative for Covid back in March 2020, negative for all other respiratory illnesses, but still positive with the symptoms I was experiencing). So illness, the advent of the pandemic, and my PTSD altogether scared me straight. There were no small steps; it was mere survival and an ongoing isolation from everyone - I've been isolated for 19 months and counting since that time. I also wear masks and get vaccines. I do what I need to do to stay healthy.
I have chronic fatigue syndrome, and I have PTSD. I've not been able to concentrate on many things, and my ability to concentrate has deteriorated. So, I cannot deal with "steps." I cannot deal with memorizing stuff right now. I have difficulty learning new stuff. My sole focus right now is survival. It's a PTSD response - and a very narrowed yet simplistic one.
So my simple step is this: I don't want to die a traumatic death.
I seek help to survive and stay safe.
I try to be healthy, and I still battle with suicidal ideation.
I don't get into the whys about my smoking habit (that's a long story in and of itself).
I just want to survive. I would like to live and thrive, too, but right now, it's trauma-versus-no-trauma for me.
The real test, however, will be when I finally go outside again and start feeling safe enough to walk past the areas where I used to smoke. It's still a habit that's hard to break, even in your mind when you were once addicted. It still takes something.
Some people need small steps, like 12 steps or otherwise. Some people just chalk it up to living a healthy life, which doesn't include cigarettes or premature death or cancer caused by cigs. And others, like me, chalk it up to pure survival mode and not wanting to die a traumatic death.
None of the scare tactics or videos on cancer scared me straight, but the immediacy of this pandemic did.
It was just that simple. At least for me.