Many relaxation techniques may help you stop smoking.
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Many relaxation
techniques may help you stop smoking.
Charlie Kondek started smoking at about 17 or 18, "trying to
be James Dean," he says. Shortly after graduating from college, he knew he
wanted to quit. Now 37, he's a married father of two and a media relations
executive in Ypsilanti, Mich. Here's how he quit smoking with stress- reduction
techniques, and how you can, too.
Smoking was one of the dumbest things I ever did. I started in
high school and five years later I was trying to quit, going, 'Boy, that was
dumb.' It wasn't any one thing -- just too many days of waking up with that
yucky taste in my mouth, going out into the bitter cold to have a cigarette
break, or trying to go up a flight of stairs and do something mildly athletic
and having that horrible wheeze. It wore me down.
I tried to quit three or four times before it finally stuck. I had
wanted to take up martial arts for a long time, but it's a pretty big
commitment. But then I realized that what the experts tell you is true: you
can't just accommodate the physical craving, you have to accommodate the psychological
behavior. So I said, I'm not the guy who smokes anymore. I'm the guy who goes
to kickboxing practice and worries about his health.
I started going to mixed martial arts two days a week. It was very
physical, and it also involved the whole holistic Eastern philosophy of health.
We did breathing and meditation at the beginning and the end of practice, and
it really helped me to focus. Doing all that punching and kicking also worked
out a lot of the nervous energy that I had after quitting.
Why Stress-Reduction
Techniques May Help You Stop Smoking
So far, there is not much research on the effectiveness of
techniques based on mindfulness, focus, and stress reduction -- such as martial
arts, yoga, and meditation -- in quitting smoking, although some studies are
now being done. But it makes sense that these approaches might help, says
Michael Thun, MD, vice president for epidemiology and surveillance research at
the American Cancer Society.
Part of the difficulty when you quit smoking is simply that you don't
feel very good at first. "You can't think well, your thoughts are fuzzy,
you're grumpy and out of sorts," says Thune. "You're just not feeling
well. So anything that provides pleasure and is calming and focusing, that
helps you pull your thoughts together, is going to be a plus."
Also, deep breathing and relaxation techniques are commonly used
to help new smokers quit. If you're used to inhaling deeply on a cigarette, you
may forget to continue that deep breathing and increase your tension levels.
Since deep and controlled breathing are key components of things like yoga,
meditation and martial arts, they can help with relaxation and relieving the
stress that comes from quitting.
Tips for
Stress-Reduction Activities While You Stop Smoking
The American Cancer Society's Quitline counselors and other
smoking-cessation experts recommend a variety of techniques to help you quit
smoking.
·
Deep breathing. Breathe
in deeply, letting your stomach expand until your lungs are filled. Pause a
minute. Then exhale fully. Pause a minute. Then take another deep breath in,
hold a minute, then exhale. Continue with your eyes closed until you feel
calm.
·
Guided imagery.
"Imagine yourself in the situation that causes you the most difficulty,
and picture all the strategies you're going to use to address the situation
without smoking," says Trina Ita, the counseling supervisor for the
American Cancer Society's Quitline. "We call it a mental
rehearsal."
·
T'ai chi. This mind-body
exercise combines deep breathing with postures that flow from one to the next
through a series of slow, continuous movements. Researchers at the University
of Miami are now studying its effectiveness as part of a smoking-cessation
program.
There are other relaxation techniques, including yoga and
meditation. The trick is to find a relaxation technique that you enjoy, and
that fits into your life.
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