Quit To Fit Week 8: Smoke & mirrors – a time for reflection

Brought to you by NiQuitin. 

Take a minute.

Life can get pretty hectic. Every day is non-stop activity with seemingly constant pressures hanging over your head all the time. With everything going at super speed, it's no wonder you felt like you needed something to take away the stress. But there are plenty of ways to relieve stress that don't involve smoking. Take a moment for yourself every now and then. Relax. Notice what's going on around you and how you feel personally. You are making a huge change in your life and that is bound to affect you in some ways. Allow yourself to notice and accept the change. If you feel like you don't have a moment to spare in the day, remember that you used to take time every day to have a cigarette. Use that same time but spend it focusing on you. Quit To Fit addiction expert and life coach, Raul Aparici, stresses how important a bit of self-reflection is in life and how this is the perfect time for it. "Quitting smoking allows us an opportunity for some proper self-reflection; it is a great time to get to know ourselves, our motivations and what we are capable of. There are many ways in which we can engage in self-reflection and we need to find one that works for us. "I always suggest a journal as a good starting point: don't worry I'm not talking about an online blog or lengthy entries into a diary, but rather keeping some notes of stuff you think you will want to remember or that has made you curious. You can use a notes app in your phone, or perhaps a normal paper diary in which you keep all your other appointments. "The trick here is not so much to take extensive notes but to be able to notice and document little changes in the way you are as they happen. From this info, you can start to move into every day with more awareness and you will become better at identifying triggers which may lead you astray." Raul says that once you begin to notice the little changes in yourself in everyday life, you can start moving on to a deeper reflection. Take a look at how quitting has affected you and where you see yourself going from here. "The next step would be a more conscious, detailed exploration of your journey by using open questions. Maybe talk through these with a friend or two, or write them down on a piece of paper. Try handwriting here versus typing as it will slow your thinking down and you may access some thoughts that may have otherwise eluded you. "Here's some of these questions to get you started: - What has worked for you? What hasn't? - How have you surprised yourself?  - What are you most looking forward to? - Who has supported you through this process? - Who can you let go of?  - What feelings does thinking about smoking evoke?" Give yourself time to answer each question. Once you've made your way through those, feel free to come up with your own. Don't forget to go back to your answers if you're ever feeling stuck or feeling the urge to light up a cigarette. Remind yourself what you went through, why you went through it, and the new future you're looking forward to. This journey is about you. So don't forget to remember yourself. Keep up to date with how our teams are doing on Instagram. Follow along with the campaign on Facebook and Instagram and let us know how you're getting on with the #QuitToFit hashtag. Brought to you by NiQuitin. Combining nicotine patches and nicotine lozenges is clinically proven to be an unbeatable way of quitting.* Try the NiQuitin 14mg patch for 24-hour craving control and NiQuitin 1.5mg mini lozenges for craving relief.  NiQuitin Clear 21mg, 14mg & 7mg 24 hrs transdermal patches and NiQuitin 1.5mg & 4mg Mini Lozenges are stop smoking aids that contain nicotine but you still require willpower. Always read the label.

*Provides significant improvements in quit rates compared to the patch alone.

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