Sufferer Jack In The Box

[Spiorad]

34 y/o in the States.

I often feel that my PTSD is the jack in the box and I don't know what will push him up. I use smoking to handle my anxiety and triggers. Unfortunately my doctor says I must quit. I am trying to figure out how...

 

[EveHarrington]

Welcome! :-)

Do you have other coping skills for handling anxiety? I think that having other coping skills will be crucial to successfully quitting smoking.

:hug:

 

[Freedomfighter]

34 y/o in the States.

I often feel that my PTSD is the jack in the box and I don't know what will pus...

It is very tough to quit smoking, had to try several times before I kicked that habit for good. But I remember of smoking that first cigarette in the morning and it made me feel awful, so then it got pretty easy after, wondering why the heck I was still smoking.

 

[brae]

im trying to quit cigarettes right now and i feel you so much. it is so hard. im having surgery soon and my surgeon said its crucial i stop before the operation, it feels like so much pressure when our doctors are the ones telling us wht to do. iv thought about how much harder that makes it because its like we dont have a choice and feels so powerless. a method im learning to engage with right now is every time i go to smoke a cigarette i dont shame myself, i say 'i am making the choice to have this cigarette'. im trying to rewire my neural pathways to know that i have the ability to make choices and that i have the power to not smoke, the idea is eventually i will want to say 'i choose not to have this cigarette' and it will feel authentic. it hasnt given me the will power just yet to always say no to cigs, but i can see that it is helping me cut back and become much more intentional with smoking. also looking at smoking as this very intentional ritual is helping, like when im having a cigarette im just having a cigarette, im not also reading or performing a task at the same time, i put all of my focus on the cigarette. sometimes i cant even finish one when i do this.
its just such a process and i feel like its unkind to ourselves to just stop cold turkey when smoking is still serving us in some way that makes it harder to want the benefits of quitting
i also would like to hear other peoples methods!! and i wish u wellness and success to stop smoking if thats what u want @Spiorad !