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10 Things to Avoid When You Quit Smoking

By , About.com Guide

Updated April 07, 2008

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Worrying About the Future

Nicotine withdrawal plays mind games with us early on in smoking cessation. We think about smoking all of the time, and we worry that we'll always miss our cigarettes. It's called "junkie thinking," and we all go through a certain amount of it as we recover from nicotine addiction. For the new quitter, it can be paralyzing to think about never lighting another cigarette. Thoughts like this, if left unchecked, can easily lead to a smoking relapse.

If you find yourself feeling panicked about your smoke-free future, pull out of it by focusing your attention only on the day you have in front of you. It takes practice and patience to stay in the here and now, but it can be done, and it is a great way to maintain control over your quit program. It is the truth that today is where your power to affect change in your life is, and always will be. You can't do a thing about what happened yesterday, or about what is yet to come tomorrow, but you sure can control today.

It wasn't until I quit smoking that I learned how to truly be present in my life. It was a valuable tool for my journey through smoking cessation, and I consider it to be a lasting benefit I've carried forward with me out of the recovery process.

We all spend so much time living in the past or the future, while the present moments of today go by unnoticed. The next time your mind wanders ahead or back, consciously pull yourself out of it by narrowing your attention to the moments you're living right now.

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