In 2022, it is widely and thoroughly understood that the decision to quit smoking is a healthy one. The CDC’s lists of benefits that people enjoy upon quitting include boosted life expectancy; lowered risk of numerous health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and cancer; and even generally enhanced quality of life. Taking these benefits into account, it’s clear why quitting is so often framed as something of a “no-brainer” decision.
As clear as the health and quality of life benefits are, we don’t often talk about the potential wellness issues that are involved in the quitting process. It is known that the effort to quit smoking can lead to withdrawal symptoms, stress, and anxiety, as well as lowered self-esteem if a relapse occurs. These ill effects tend to be temporary for those who stick with the effort and quit successfully. But it’s important to consider how smokers can address wellness while quitting to make the process more tolerable.
Here, we’ll touch on a few ways in which this might be possible.
Use A Support System
A few years ago, Everyday Health wrote about stress management for those quitting smoking. The article made a few suggestions, but chief among them was to recruit help from a support system. Citing Dr. Douglas Jorenby of the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, the article asserted that seeking help in counseling, a smoking cessation program, or a “quitline” text program can help to reduce anxious feelings. Simply put, when you have professional help or you can speak to others going through what you’re experiencing, the sense of anxiety can be less overwhelming.
Use Alternatives When In Public
Because smoking is so widely prohibited, a lot of smokers have gotten in the habit of stepping outside (of a bar, restaurant, place of business, etc.) for regular breaks. This provides an additional hurdle when quitting; even when someone doesn’t necessarily have a nicotine craving, their internal clock might tell them it’s time for a smoking break. This, in turn, can lead to anxiety in public places, such that people attempting to quit feel stressed out or anxious when they should be socializing, or perhaps focusing on work.
One solution here is to embrace modern nicotine alternatives designed in part to assist in quitting. Vaping –– perhaps the alternative that has generated the most attention –– won’t suffice, as it is also widely banned. Nicotine pouches and gum, however, can give people attempting to quit the occasional nicotine fix that should calm that itchiness to take a smoking break by addressing its root cause. According to a Prilla blog post on nicotine pouches, these products are permitted in public places (restaurants, tobacco-free zones, etc.) on the grounds that they aren’t combustible and don’t contain tobacco. They simply don’t intrude on other people’s space (or health). Nicotine gum is a solution for the same reasons, though it should be noted that it’s more difficult to dispose of, and some users may prefer to avoid conspicuously chewing while out at a bar or sitting at work.
Find an alternative that works for you, and you can break urges with an occasional, light hit of nicotine. This can stop you from becoming anxious when you’re in public.
Practice Self-Compassion
Finally, it’s important to be compassionate with yourself throughout the effort as well. As we defined it in our post “Give Yourself The Gift Of Self-Compassion”, the practice of self-compassion is simply being warm and kind to yourself in times of difficulty, failure, or feeling inadequate. Quitting smoking or not, we all experience feelings of disappointment or doubt in ourselves; the suggestion here is merely to overcome those feelings with a more understanding and compassionate approach toward ourselves.
Regarding the effort to quit smoking, this will be most important if and when you have any setbacks. We mentioned previously that relapse during the effort can lead to lowered self-esteem. When you become skilled at practicing self-compassion, however, you can accept and move past this kind of shortcoming and toward a more successful attempt to quit.
Conclusion
Over the long term, quitting smoking is a good decision for both physical health and general wellness. You’ll be healthier across the board if you can quit the habit. As much as this may be the ultimate goal it’s also important to address the stressful side of quitting. Maintaining your wellness during the process will make a positive result more likely.