Day 6: Smokeless & Going Strong

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

13 Nov 2006 07:15 AM

Yesterday, my daughter I went to the grocery store to get bread and she looked at me and said Mommy, don't you need to buy cigarettes? I said, nope - I haven't smoked in five days. She grinned at me and announced "Your heart is going to be happier now, Mommy and so is mine."

Yes, that was my aw shucks moment. Apparently, my five year old saw a video in her physical education class about the need for great cardiovascular health and what can hurt your heart health. After watching it and knowing I smoked, it upset her to think I could be hurting my heart. So it's a pretty neat payoff for me to know that she's enjoying the fact that I'm not smoking.

Today is Day 6

My throat still hurts and the drainage is driving me crazy, but I'm better. Saturday, I was really miserable. I had the shakes, I was getting dizzy - I really felt well and truly awful. It's a real kick to say that I don't' feel anywhere near that bad today. I've seen others smoke and not wanted one, though I have to admit that I am still entertaining thoughts about having a cigarette.

When those thoughts come into my head, I recite to myself my affirmation that I am not a smoker. I remind myself that I just got to day 6, I don't want to start back over at day 1. I breathe deeply and the craving passes. The restlessness of the first couple of days is getting better too.

I am still not sure what to do with myself, but my energy levels are coming back up. For those who do not realize it, cigarettes are actually a stimulant so it takes a while between the detoxifying and the additional oxygen to get that energy boost back again. My kitchen and my dining room are pretty clean and my bathrooms are too. Today, I'll be doing a thorough dusting and vacuuming in between working.

My Area of Concern

Right now, my writing is getting hurt. This will sound strange, but I have always been able to write boatloads in a day, but it's a struggle, like I have a stutter and the words aren't all coming out with the ease that they did before. As a writer for a living, hampering how I make my living is not going to sit well with me.

While I refuse to use this as a crutch at the moment, I vaguely recall a few years ago when I tried to quit struggling with the same thing - but the part I don't remember is if it passed or did I go back to smoking without giving it enough time to pass - we'll have to see.

Today marks day 1 of ramping the cardio program back up to 90 minutes a day to take advantage of being smoke free! How's your Monday going?

Related Articles:

I Have a Confession to Make

Stop Smoking: Exercise Can Help

10 Reasons to Be Thankful About Stopping Smoking

Day 3: I'm Still Not Smoking

Day 5: My Throat Hurts & My Sinuses Hate Me

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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