People who are trying to quit smoking will agree with us when we say that quitting is not easy! It feels like fighting so many battles at the same time. Especially if you are trying to quit for the first time, it might feel like navigating an unknown territory full of obstacles and challenges.
There are so many reasons that make quitting difficult. These reasons vary from behavioral struggles to physiological dependence. Additionally, smoking gets so easily intertwined with our daily routines and everyday life, that it becomes really difficult to stay away from it.
Some people start treating it as a medium for socializing. For others, smoking becomes a natural response to some emotions and it becomes really difficult to separate the two. They feel the sudden urge to light up a bud when they are lonely or anxious. In addition to all this, peer pressure and environmental triggers play a critical role in not being able to quit that easily.
As if all these reasons were not enough, nicotine addiction also plays an active role in making quitting a challenge. When you smoke, you put nicotine into your body. It reaches the brain and tricks it into releasing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals create pleasurable sensations and reinforce the positive feelings of ‘feeling good’ about smoking. People start seeing it as a coping mechanism against stress.
But stress and smoking are complexly connected. While the temporary relief that you might feel after smoking feels great, the long-term effects of smoking elevate stress. While smoking makes you calmer, it increases the level of stress in your body and causes negative reactions.
When you smoke, the dopamine-induced positive feelings are short-lived. Once the dopamine levels decrease, you’ll feel worse than before you lit up.
In addition, smoking ultimately causes more stress. It takes a toll on your respiratory system. These physical ailments may compound your feelings of stress.
Many people often focus on the act of smoking but do not pay any attention to the other aspects that trigger smoking or habits that make you want to smoke. While it is absolutely normal to count on the Best Nicotine Gums to help you manage nicotine cravings, it is important to understand that you need to take some more complementary actions that aid in smoking cessation. These complimentary steps can be anything -living a healthy lifestyle, indulging in regular exercises, seeking support from help groups, avoiding triggers and so on. It all depends on you. This will also increase the chances of NRT products helping you stay away from cigarettes.
Hence to successfully say goodbye to the smoking habit, you need to adopt a comprehensive approach that takes care of all the behavioral and psychological aspects of smoking addiction.
Today will focus on the power of yoga in helping with smoking cessation.
Yoga is a unique ancient practice that connects the body, breath, and mind. It uses physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to improve overall health. Yoga was developed as a spiritual practice thousands of years ago.
When it comes to smoking cessation, it focuses on improving all the 3 aspects of nicotine addiction – physical, mental and emotional.
Yoga helps in recovering from the negative effects of smoking
Smoking damages your body. We all know that it is injurious to your lungs, heart, immune system, and whatnot. When you engage in physical yoga, meaning that you do the postures and indulge in deep breathing exercises, your body starts recovering from the reduced blood flow. Every body part starts receiving an ample amount of oxygen and nutrients and this helps in recovering. Yoga also helps in countering the sedentary lifestyle.
Yoga helps in managing stress
Unfortunately, stress has become an integral part of our lives. And it is a great trigger point for smoking. When you practice yoga, it helps the body relax. This reduces the stress levels and promotes a calmer mind. Eventually, you stop seeing cigarettes as a mechanism to deal with stress.
Yoga helps you take charge
Nicotine cravings are very much real and are very strong. When you practice yoga, it also helps in increasing your mental strength. Regularly doing yoga heightens the awareness of mind and body. This helps you develop strong mental power and hence you are able to control your cravings better. This helps in recognizing the triggers and gives you the strength to not cave into them that easily. You are able to think straight and make the conscious decision to not smoke.
Yoga improves your lung capacity and elevates anxiety
Breath control and deep breathing exercises are an integral part of yoga. They help you regulate your breath consciously and eventually improve lung capacity. It also has a calming effect on the nervous system and reduces anxiety and tension.
Yoga improves your mental health
Yoga is directly linked to helping in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression in general. When you quit, the nicotine withdrawal symptoms make you more vulnerable to these feelings. But when you practice yoga, it helps in improving your well-being and helps you maintain a positive mindset. You learn to manage the emotional turmoils and become better at facing such emotions.
In conclusion, when you pair yoga with other smoking cessation aids, we are sure that you will be in a better position to quit smoking. Remember that you are in charge of your quitting journey. You can make your plan and follow your way. Of course, you can seek out professional help if required. But make sure that you say goodbye to smoking for good and start living a healthy and smoke-free life. This will have a transformative effect on your overall well-being.
