I recently wrote about how I quit smoking with hypnosis. You can read up on that over here. In this post, I wanted to share some unintended consequences of my quitting smoking. I say “unintended” because we expect to save money, feel better and breathe easier when we stop. But here are a few things I didn’t know were going to happen – and had I known, I would have stopped smoking even sooner!
MY TEETH GOT WHITER
Like, literally noticeably whiter. So, not only had I stopped staining my teeth every day with a sickly yellow smoke tinge, my teeth were actually improving with every day I didn’t smoke. If you smoke and buy teeth whitening products; You. Are. Wasting. Your. Money.
I STOPPED GRINDING MY TEETH
This was probably the biggest revelation (and biggest relief for my partner). It’s an awful, haunting, bone crunching sound that sends shivers down the bravest spines – not exactly a soothing sound to fall asleep to. Not to mention how bruised my jaw would feel the next morning and the headaches I would get from mindless clenching.
I was convinced that I would grind my teeth because I tried ecstasy once at a house party when I was a teenager. (Sorry mom). Turns out, it was just because I smoked cigarettes. The day I stopped smoking was the day I stopped grinding my teeth. Just like that. It was almost miraculous.
MY BASELINE ANXIETY DROPPED
If you struggle with anxiety and you smoke cigarettes and drink coffee; I urge you to stop. It’s a bullsh*t belief that smoking helps you relax, it doesn’t. You’re not doing your anxious little body any favours by pumping it with stimulants. After about a month of no smoking, I noticed I was calmer, less fidgety and more focussed – on work, on conversations, on being present.
I TAKE MORE CONSCIOUS & MINDFUL BREAKS
I used to think that smoking gave me an excuse to get up from my desk. Once I quit I stopped making excuses to get up from my desk. I realised I don’t need an excuse! When I need a break, I take a break – and I don’t feel one bit guilty about it. I break to stretch and move my body. I break to sit in quiet meditative contemplation. I break to walk around outside. I break to breathe mindfully.
I DREAMED ABOUT SMOKING
This was a weird one. Before quitting, I rarely dreamed about smoking. No cigarettes in dreamland hands, no boxes of smokes floating around this subconscious. It’s kind of like how we rarely dream about looking at our phones even though we spend an insane amount of time looking at them. But when I stopped, for about 3 months afterwards, I regularly dreamed about smoking. The interesting thing was observing my feelings after these dreams – and 9 times out of 10 I woke up with a sickly guilty feeling. Which really just cemented how good the decision was for me.
If you’re thinking of quitting, I back you! I have the willpower of a sugar-crazed toddler – If I can do it, you can do it. Trust.
I hope this helps! Sorry for the swears. Love x