Our Stop Smoking Practitioner Joe Musham explores how to survive the stages of Christmas as a new non-smoker;

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The different stages of Christmas –

Stressed/Anxious

So the family is round, an amazing Christmas dinner has been devoured and you’ve had enough roast potatoes to almost turn you into one and then the conversation turns to politics. Everything was going so smoothly, but things are about to kick off and you’re stressed out. Do you a) keep feeding them by hand to hopefully keep the family quiet or b) go for a smoke to escape the argument?

There are other ways!

An easy fix here is to find a different activity to keep your mind distracted. Activities such as-

• board games  
• card games
• reading
• arts and crafts
• puzzles

These are all perfect ways of making sure your mind doesn’t wander to having that crafty smoke as often when our minds are kept busy, we tend to not think of the smokes as much.

Relaxed/Merry

So the Turkey has been seen off, the Christmas pudding has been munched and you’re on your third glass of wine. Do you a) keep on eating – its Christmas after all! Or b) stick to your usual routine of having a relaxing smoke after a meal?

There are other options!

A brilliant way of dealing with this sort of craving is to make sure you have planned ahead and have a healthy alternative to the smokes. These come in the forms of various forms of Nicotine Replacements such as Patches, Gums, Lozenges, Mouth sprays, and Inhalators.

All of these are available from the free to access One You Lincolnshire Stop Smoking Service. By contacting us and planning ahead, you’ll be able to bring in 2021 in style – New year, new you!

Irritated/Angry

So you’ve just lost the 3rd game of monopoly in a row to your annoying nephew. You’re pretty annoyed and want to either a) sell the relative on ebay so that you don’t have to lose another game again or b) go out for a smoke to escape the humiliation.

Again, there are other ways!

There are various ways of relieving stress/frustration and you probably already know many of them. Everyone works differently so you need to find the right ones that work for you but by avoiding that usual routine of smoking when stressed. This will help your physical and mental health massively. You may feel that smoking relieves the stress but in reality it’s making you worse.  

Activities such as-

• Going for a walk/exercise
• Listening to music
• Reading/writing
• Colouring
• Lots of deep breaths
• Sipping cold water

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Depression/Loneliness

The festive period can be a very difficult time for anyone when they’re on their own or going through a difficult time. Often a first response for when a smoker is depressed is to light up and have a smoke. It’s felt that it offers a little bit of escapism from whatever is happening. It can be a difficult routine to get out of but the best thing a smoker can do to try and break this routine is to simply talk. Find someone - a relative, friend, professional counsellor, nurse or doctor – as this will aid their own mental health, as well as their own physical health.  

To find out more about quitting smoking with One You Lincolnshire visit https://www.oneyoulincolnshire.org.uk/lincolnshire-residents