Chrysalis

mass

fin

tails

Hey, Day 40 is just about done. Say good bye to 40. When you wake up tomorrow, it will only be 39!! BYE BYE

penguin

tsar

Aine, I understand exactly how you are feeling. The phenomenon of "night eating" is the bane of existence for many, many people. We seem to do OK during the day when we're busy. But in the evening, when we're supposed to be "relaxing" we get this overpowering urge to snack on something even though we know that we are not physically hungry. Smoking helped to ease those urges somewhat but not entirely. And then when I quit smoking-- UGH!! The "night eating" got really bad! What I eventually realized is that I was suffering from both low-level chronic anxiety and boredom. Watching TV is not relaxing for me, it is boring. I had to stop watching TV in the evenings and do something more fun and creative. Going for a walk after dinner is great. Then retire to my sewing room and sew, or do some charcoal sketching, or use my computer to make photo montages. A friend of mine joined the bell choir at her church and another one started scrap booking for her grandchildren. Most nights I would lay on my bed and listen to a relaxation self-hypnosis tape (I like Emmett Miller best, but there are many others). All these things really helped to relieve both my boredom and my anxiety and I stopped compulsive night eating. Try to carve out at least an hour or two every evening to do something fun, vigorous, relaxing and/or creative. If you are really on the verge of relapsing, go to your doctor and get a prescription for antidepressants. You don't have to stay on them forever, but they are better than smoking! I know that you do NOT want to go back to smoking-- you are very clear about that. But you really do need to take some serious, consistent steps to relieve your anxiety and your boredom. That will make a big difference in your life. I promise.

Oops! I'm late today! Day 41 is almost gone. Actually, in England it's probably day 40 already. Imagine that!

Here we are, more than half way through November already. You're gettin' there! Keep the faith, Baby.

loofah

I worked from home for the last several years so I didn't have to go outside to smoke. However, I do remember how much I hated being half-asleep at bedtime and dragging myself out of my nice warm house because I knew that I would run out of cigarettes in the morning. I always asked myself, "Which would you rather do, go out and get some cigarettes now or wait until you run out of cigarettes in the morning and have to get dressed to go buy some more?" Rock and a hard place.

Wendy, congratulations on pulling yourself back together and getting right back to your quit. I think that you may have pulled the fat out of the fire on this one. (But don't do it again!) Thank you so much for your sharing and your honesty describing your relapse. I have had exactly the same experience. In the past I have quit anywhere from 3 months to 1 year and then relapsed. And while I can't speak about anyone else's experience, for me I ALWAYS felt relief when I started back to smoking. Yes, the first cigarette or two made me feel a little dizzy, but I felt no other bad effects. I just felt good being "able" to smoke again. This time I'm pretty sure my quit is permanent. There are 2 major reasons for this difference. First, I have read a lot here and watched a bunch of Joel Spitzer's videos so I am much better educated about the nature of a nicotine addiction and how to overcome it. That knowledge is priceless. Second (and this may be very relevant to your story) is that this time I formed very specific and detailed pictures of how my life will be better when I don't smoke. I didn't tell myself a wishy-washy "I don't want to smoke because it is bad for my health." Instead I told myself, "I don't want to smoke because I don't want to be in a wheel chair and on oxygen by the time I'm 60." and then I would picture myself in a wheelchair and on an oxygen tank. Instead of telling myself a generic, "I don't want to smoke because I want to have more energy." I told myself, "I want to be fit enough to go mountain biking along country roads next autumn." So when I got to the point of choosing (like you say you did) instead of asking myself, "Do I want to quit more than I want to smoke?" I would say to myself, "Which do I want more-- to have a cigarette now or to be able to go mountain biking next autumn?" Or I would say, "If I go back to smoking I will probably end up in a wheel chair and on oxygen within a few years. Do I want that or can I hold off on a cigarette for just 10 more minutes?" I found that having clear, detailed mental pictures of how my life will be better (or worse) with smoking vs not smoking really helped me stay on track. That plus telling myself that I only had to keep the quit for 10 more minutes (and then 10 more and then 10 more). So I suggest that you take the time now to think of 3 really BIG reasons why you want to quit smoking. Develop those thoughts until they are very clear in your mind (what color will your wheelchair be? Mine was green.) Then write them down. Make several copies and put them in various places. And the next time you wake up just wanting a cigarette, force yourself to find and read that list and CLEARLY picture how your life will be better if you do NOT succumb to temptation and how it will be worse if you DO succumb. Good luck to you!

Hi, Beth- I know how scarey it is to "volunteer" for surgery, especially on the eyes. But I know so many people who say that the surgery and recovery are not difficult and their quality of life after is so much better. Try to be calm and optimistic. By the way, because of your post I just made an appointment for my annual retina checkup. Thanks for the reminder!

Floridians

Rez and Tracey Sittin' in a tree K-i-s-s-i-n-g. Counting down From Number 43!!

cockle shells

Number 44 carries the doubled vibrations of the number 4, making its energies and influences magnified. Number 4 resonates with the attributes of support and stability, establishing solid foundations for the self and others, willpower and effort, ability and worthiness, hard work and achieving success, wholeness and inner-wisdom. Number 4 is associated with our passions and drive.

Oh, jeeze, Nancy! I've been scratching my head over this one. I just "got" it! Very clever. LOL! :) [if you're over 60, you know what this is. Anyone under the age of 60 who wants to know what this means, PM me. ]

feathers

sequins

Hey, 45 days ain't so bad!

Sparkly

Great story, Julie. I think you were smart to donate that coat to charity. And hey, some of that $3,252 you saved on cigarettes should absolutely go for a new Canada Goose coat. Clean, warm and patriotic all at once! :)

floss

Turn signals are one of my pet peeves in and around Atlanta. It seems as though the natives are taught from a young age to: 1. approach your turn location 2. slow down 3. slow down more and more and more 4. come ALMOST to a complete stop 5. turn 6. signal so that the car behind you knows that you made the turn. It is absolutely common around here and as a born and bred Yankee, it drives me CRAZY!!! :blink: :angry: :wacko: