I quit smoking maybe a decade ago, and I was having a really hard time. A friend asked, “I wonder what’s underneath that?” And being the little emotional explorer I am that really drove me to give it a fair shot. For me, smoking was a way to suppress all of my emotions. When you think about it, when you are smoking, you are taking nice deep breaths. Very regulating!
When I first quit, I was an emotional mess. It was new to me, and I felt ridiculous, but it passed quickly. I had to learn new ways of emotionally regulating. I also chewed a piece of gum every time I wanted a cigarette. I became sort of addicted to gum for a while, but that also faded.
A big part of smoking for me was that it was an intentional way to cause harm to myself. I knew that it was bad and I liked the way that it felt. I had to do a lot of psychological and emotional work to unlearn that self harming drive. So, mentally I was also telling myself that this was a loving thing for me to do and that I deserved to take care of my body and be healthy.
There’s lots of logical ways to help you quit, but like all addictions there’s an emotional component to it. Discover what that is for you and treat the root issue! Good luck!
