WEEKEND CHAT 22nd/23th MARCH 2025🔴🟣🔵🟢🟡🚭💪

[Briarwood]

Good morning and welcome to our Weekend Chat💬🙋‍♀️

I hope you’ve been making the most of our lovely sunshine and that your week has been going well for you🚭💪

Sometimes we can feel a bit stressed when we quit smoking. Although stress is a normal part of life in moderation, too much stress can create problems. Managing stress is a key part of the quitting process. You may have learned to deal with stress by lighting up, however there are much healthier ways to handle stress now that you’re smoke free.

Some of these tips may take practice but others you can do right away. Try some of them to learn what works best for you.

RELAX…Our bodies respond to stress by releasing hormones that increase your heart rate and raise your blood pressure. Practicing relaxation techniques like the ones below will improve your health and help you handle stress in a positive way.

BREATHE…Take a few short breathes in through your nose and out through your mouth. You will feel your body start to relax.

LOCATE YOUR STRESS… Take a moment to check out where you feel tension in your body. Finding ways to reduce that tension will also help your mind as well as your body. Something as simple as stretching can help release built up tension.

VISUALISE… Think of a place you feel safe, comfortable and relaxed. Let yourself enjoy being there for a few minutes.

EXERCISE… Being active sends out naturally chemicals that help your mood and reduce your stress. Even a short walk can really help.

TALK… You don’t have to deal with stress alone. Share your feelings with friends, family or here with us on Quit Support and we can help you.

FOCUS… Life can sometimes feel overwhelming when you quit smoking. Try not to get caught up in worrying about what’s next. Try to focus on what is happening now. Be present in the moment.

CARE… Make an extra effort to take care of yourself. This includes eating well, drinking water and getting enough sleep.

DO GOOD… Do something nice for someone else, it can make your day a little better too.

Wishing everyone a very happy Weekend and don’t stress, just do your best🚭🙌🌷🫖☕️🍰🫖☕️🍰🤗xx

[Briarwood Administrator Ducky]

here’s a few more👍

🤗xx

[Yvonneh1234 Administrator Rockerbilly quitter in reply to Briarwood]

Morning Brairwood. Tabbycat jillygirl Monky cloe and everyone looking in.😊 . . . .great post today some great advice here I particularly like the dance it out one I wonder why ? 🤔 🤣🤭 I used to put a song on when the nicotine monster 👹 was trying to creep in and dance to a song until the craving past it worked for me 🙌😊 anyway have a great weekend everyone 😊🕺🏻💃🎶xxxxx

[Briarwood Administrator Ducky in reply to Yvonneh1234]

Good morning Yvonneh, I thought of you the minute I saw “dance it out”💃💃

Have a great day and as they say on strictly…….Keep dancing💃😂🤗💕xx

[Yvonneh1234 Administrator Rockerbilly quitter in reply to Briarwood]

🤣😂 have a great day too Brairwood 💕I do love dancing 🤭💃🕺🏻🎶😊xxxxx

[monky Administrator 45 Months Cake sniffer outer in reply to Yvonneh1234]

Ya making me dizzy just watching ya dance 😵‍💫🤣🤣🤣😹😹😹xx

[Briarwood Administrator Ducky in reply to monky]

You could be the D.J.

🎶

[monky Administrator 45 Months Cake sniffer outer in reply to Briarwood]

Yeahhhhhh I was just thinking of doing that, seee, 🥳🎙️🎶🎶🔊👍🤣😹😹😹xx

Get them hippps a rockin

[Yvonneh1234 Administrator Rockerbilly quitter in reply to Briarwood]

🤣🤣🤣🥰💃🕺🏻🎶xxxxx

[Yvonneh1234 Administrator Rockerbilly quitter in reply to Briarwood]

this made me chuckle 🤭🥰😂🤣🎶💃🕺🏻xxxxx

[Yvonneh1234 Administrator Rockerbilly quitter in reply to monky]

Come join in Monky I will learn you some dance moves? or maybe you could learn me 🤣😂💃🕺🏻🎶xxxxx

.

[Briarwood Administrator Ducky in reply to Yvonneh1234]

👍😂xx

[jillygirl Administrator Queen Bee in reply to Briarwood]

Good morning Briarwood , Fellow admin and to all you wonderful quitters out there.

Brilliant post and love the quote.

It looks like I better get Saturdays Music sorted asap as Yvonne is ready. 💃💃💃💃

Have a wonderful weekend. ☺️🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🦆☕☕☕☕☕xxxx

[Yvonneh1234 Administrator Rockerbilly quitter in reply to jillygirl]

Morning jillygirl 😊 have a great weekend im always ready for music that’s why you call me Rockerbilly 😊🤣💃🕺🏻🎶 xxxxx

[Briarwood Administrator Ducky in reply to jillygirl]

Good morning Jilly, me thinks Yvonneh is always ready for dancing, so we’ll all have to join her👯‍♀️👯👯‍♀️🤣

Have a lovely day🌷💕🤗xx

[Yvonneh1234 Administrator Rockerbilly quitter in reply to Briarwood]

🤣🤣🤭🕺🏻💃🎶 youtu.be/TExSN9TTOnY?si=RC7...(Not working as expected?)

[monky Administrator 45 Months Cake sniffer outer]

Good morning Briarwood, Jillygirl, Yvonneh, KK and all popping in today 👋👋👋👋

Another great post and luv the quote 👍👏👏🤩

As for 01 = Dance it out, me thinks I will just watch 😎 maybe dance tomorrow 😹😹😹I could try 04 = Breathe 👍

Enjoy your weekend everybody 👍😀😺🍌🍌🍌xxx

[Briarwood Administrator Ducky in reply to monky]

Good morning young man, I reckon you’ve picked the most important one of all👍👏 so keep breathing 😮‍💨 😹 and have a lovely day🍰🤗xx

[LifeIsACabaret 25 Months Winner]

I love reading these tips, just to keep a tab on what I'm doing and what I could be doing.

Happily, I don't have a lot of stress I'm aware of. Don't have to work to earn a crust any more, no great life dramas to deal with, etc.

But I do pay attention to breathing these days, eating well, and doing all I can to get sufficient sleep. I've taken to wearing an eye mask at night - I think it really helps my brain switch off.

For years, even before stopping smoking, I did stretches and exercise as soon as I got up. (That was partly because, after a lifetime looking at a PC monitor for my job, I found it very difficult - impossible even - to rotate my neck sufficiently to look over my shoulder when driving, which alarmed me when I first realised it).

Now, I do both the deep breathing and a variety of ankle, arm and neck stretches at the same time, which means I do enough breathing to make a difference, while avoiding getting bored. It really works for me, and it only takes less than 5 minutes each morning.

Also, doing exercise regularly makes you much more conscious of how your body is performing generally (where previously I was typically exceptionally unaware of such things), what little niggles you feel, and thinking about the cause of those niggles. I found that relieving muscle tension often eased them, or improving my form when exercising - a tiny change in stance, for example, can greatly reduce knee strain, which I sometimes suffered from.

[Briarwood Administrator Ducky in reply to LifeIsACabaret]

Good afternoon LIAC🙋‍♀️

Sounds like you have a great routine of exercise, stretching and breathing, well done 👍 It certainly does make a difference. Have a lovely relaxing weekend and thanks for sharing your tips🌷🤗💖xx

[LifeIsACabaret 25 Months Winner]

Thanks, Briarwood. Hope your weekend is a relaxing one, too.

My morning exercise routine - only a half-hour a day - does seem to be of significant benefit to my health & sense of wellbeing. As you mentioned, sharing whatever pops into my head from my own experience might just benefit others in their journey to freedom from nicotine addiction. That's the hope, anyway.