If you can quit smoking, then you will be doing yourself a favor because this will save you from the harmful health effects of smoking. It is a healthy lifestyle choice to kick the habit, but you should also be aware of the withdrawal effects that will occur after a while. You will feel these symptoms in the first few weeks after quitting. This period of time is crucial because it will determine if you can abstain.
Physical withdrawal symptoms:
weight gain
Sweatshirt
Headache
Nausea
Difficulty breathing
Mental withdrawal symptoms:
Irritability
Anxiety
Stress
Depression
These symptoms happen to almost anyone who has just quit smoking, because their body will be recovering from the damage that smoking has caused. If you’re lucky, you’ll only experience this for a few weeks; however, there are some cases where these last for months.
How to manage symptoms
1. Stay busy
When you are busy doing something that is not stressful, you can avoid mental symptoms. Just keep up your hobbies, read books or magazines, listen to relaxing music, squeeze a stress ball, or play with whatever you can get your hands on.
2. Drink lots of water
Since you have just quit smoking, you will need to cleanse your body of the harmful toxins that remain. Drinking water will help flush them out and reduce the effects of symptoms.
3. Start exercising
When you exercise regularly, you will feel much better because this will also help you cleanse your system of toxins. Cardio exercises will help you a lot because they will keep your body active.
4. Eat healthy food
Fruits and vegetables will help you a lot, because they will fill your body with valuable nutrients and vitamins. Also, choose the types of foods that are healthy and don’t contain too much fat; this will help you avoid gaining weight if that is your concern.
5. Use nicotine patches
The cause of your withdrawal symptoms is that you will suddenly miss your dose of nicotine. This can be avoided by using nicotine patches as a substitute for cigarettes; however, do not use too much or else you will develop nicotine addiction again. Stop using nicotine patches gradually after it has served its purpose.
In the simplest sense, you should prepare for these symptoms after you quit smoking, as you may find the need to return to smoking if you suffer more from the after-effects.