Part 2: Preparing for Change

Anxiety is a feeling of dread, fear, or distress over a real or imagined threat to your mental or physical well-being. Smoking, chewing, or vaping may be a way that you have coped in the past with these feelings. At all stages of change, you can learn to address anxiety in healthy ways.

First, try to calm your body physically. Calming the physical body can make working through what is in your mind easier.

•  Breathe deeply and evenly.

•  Take a walk or get some other form of exercise.

•  Take a long, warm bath or shower. Or, go for a swim.

•  Listen to soothing music. Or, go somewhere quiet.

•  Connect with people. Visit or call someone who will listen to you and support you.

•  Drink a warm cup of decaf coffee or tea—avoid caffeine, which can make anxiety worse.

As you take a step back, use these tips to manage the thoughts that are causing your anxiety:

•  Ask: is your thought based on facts?

•  Identify what you are trying to do. Know your purpose.

•  Consider many different outcomes and their effects.

•  View the situation from many perspectives.

•  Don’t assume a situation will have the same outcome as it did in the past.

•  Have good evidence for a generalization before you make it.

•  Avoid assuming one event caused another just because they happened at the same time.

You will likely feel calmer after you quit. Nicotine only makes you more nervous. Nicotine is a stimulant. After you get over the initial stress of quitting, you’ll find that without all that nicotine in your body, you feel calmer and more relaxed.