Making this positive change to your lifestyle will have a significant impact on your physical and mental wellbeing. By starting to make small changes, even in a short space of time you will see an improvement, with others following long term.
Within two to twelve weeks of stopping smoking, your blood circulation will improve, which will make all physical activity (including walking) much easier. You’ll also give your immune system an instant boost, making it easier to fight off colds and flus. Plus the increase of oxygen in the body could also reduce tiredness and the likelihood of experiencing headaches. It improves your sense of smell and taste, makes skin look younger, whitens your teeth and making your breath fresher. Non-smokers also find it easier to get pregnant and reduces the likelihood of having a miscarriage, improving your chances of giving birth to a healthy baby.
Mentally, studies show people’s stress levels are lower after they stop smoking once you’ve got over the withdrawal from nicotine between cigarettes. And it’ll save you money, leading to less financial worries.
So we have put together our top ten tips to help support you to make this change:
- It’s always good to make a plan and stick to it. If you have a goal then you are more likely to commit to making a change.
- Make a list of the reasons you are wanting to stop, this might be your young family or health reasons
- Plan ahead for those times when you might be tempted, for example a night out with friends or a meeting which might cause you to become stressed or anxious
- Think about other triggers such as what you eat. Alongside this lifestyle change also think about swapping up your diet and eating more healthily.
- The first few weeks will be difficult so be kind to yourself and take it one day at a time. Recognise your success and celebrate with a treat, perhaps a trip to the cinema or a takeaway
- Whilst quitting smoking, many smokers slip and smoke a cigarette. Don’t see this as failure, consider it a bump in the road, think about what triggered it, and find ways to avoid it. Remember to think about how far you have come
- Try to be active each day, some scientific studies suggest that exercising even for five minutes, stretching or walking can your cravings.
- When you’re in situations where you might previously have smoked, try to keep your hands busy, whether that’s by holding a drink or using a straw to keep your mouth busy.
- If you are at a party or an event, try to mingle with the non-smokers to curb that temptation
- Remember you’re not alone, your GP, Pharmacists offer different treatment options to help you overcome your habit and reduce withdrawal. Your friends and family will be supporting you, so involve them in your progress and seek support from them
Health Apps
There are also some brilliant apps available to support you and motivate you to keep going.
Visit our Orcha page – recommended apps via our site would be Smokefree and NHS Smokefree.
Try our online courses on My Fire Fighters Charity
We have a range of short bitesize and full online courses on My Fire Fighters Charity – our app exclusively for members of the UK fire services community – to help you to learn the techniques you need to stop smoking for good.
Register to join My Fire Fighters Charity, sign in and click on ‘Courses’ to get started.