Progress Update

Photo by Saudi...


Just before writing this post, I reviewed where I am supposed to be at in my baby steps toward my quit date. I realized that last week I was supposed to start my exercise routine. Geez. Well, onward and forward... How did I do with the other steps this past week? Not bad. Lets review what I was supposed to do this past week (other than the exercise):

1. Not smoke while chatting on the phone: I did better this week, but still need improvement here. I found myself grabbing the phone a few times on my way outside to smoke.
   
2. Write out my reasons for quitting: Still haven't done this yet (I'll be posting here shortly my list of reasons.)
   
3. Keep track of the times I light up and how I feel at that moment: I did better this week. For a few days I managed to write down the times and feelings when I lit up. My biggest discovery is that I smoke to relax. All other times I smoked where from intense craving, and when I felt I had to smoke because I wasn't going to be able to for some time.
   
4. Not smoke after meals: Made good progress here. I found this the easiest. The only time I had a problem was during work breaks because it's the only time I can smoke.
   

So this week I need to:

1. Write up my list of reasons for quitting
2. Start my exercise routine
3. Start cutting back on caffeine

I also picked up a couple of audio books:

Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn

You: Breathing Easy by Roizen and Oz

These audio books will help me to practice healthy breathing techniques that will help with relaxation (my biggest reason for smoking) and mindfulness, which will help me to get through the cigarette cravings.

Two weeks to go!