Relaxation Techniques

Learning how to cope with stress is very important while quitting smoking. It's a common situation when you become stressed, you feel like smoking a cigarette to help you through the stressful situation. Learning how to cope with stress without cigarettes is a major step towards your plan for quitting.

Know the signs of stress and then learn techniques to help you relax and get through these situations.

Signs of stress include mental and physical signs:

• Mental
• lack of concentration
• worrying about little things
• constantly feeling anxious
• pessimistic feelings about everything
• indecisiveness
• things seem more difficult than they really are


• Physical
• rapid heart beat
• feeling shaky
• restlessness
• headaches or stomach pains
• diarrhoea

Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques can include:

• Deep breathing and muscle relaxation
• Exercise
• Yoga and meditation

For deep breathing and muscle relaxation, follow these 5 steps:

1. Change into comfortable, loose clothing and sit or lay down in a comfortable spot.
2. Close your eyes and imagine a peaceful scene, try imagining a quiet lake, a beautiful sunset, a serene forest or an empty beach.
3. Keep your eyes closed and concentrate on breathing slow and deep, about 6 breaths per minute
4. Start to relax all the muscles in your body by tensing your muscles then relaxing them. Start with your toes and work up through your body.
5. Stay in your position for 10 to 15 minutes and feel the difference!

Exercise is another great way to relax away stress. It doesn't need to be hard exercise, a short walk is enough for relaxation. Find some exercise that you enjoy doing, and remember to try different exercises to keep things interesting.

Yoga and meditation are forms of relaxation that can be useful. They do require some training and instruction, but are generally easy to pick up.

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Additional approaches for stress management includes:

• Learning to say "no" to jobs that put you under too much pressure
• Keep in touch with your friends
• Take time off and treat yourself with relaxation time, try a hot bath, massage or the deep breathing technique
• Tackle one job at a time
• Plan things in advance, don't leave them to the last minute
• Set realistic targets and goals
• Remember to laugh and smile!