Addiction Nicotine Use After You Quit How to Deal With Stress While You Quit Smoking By Terry Martin facebook twitter Terry Martin quit smoking after 26 years and is now an advocate for those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction. Learn about our editorial process Terry Martin Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Sanja Jelic, MD on August 05, 2016 Sanja Jelic, MD, is board-certified in sleep medicine, critical care medicine, pulmonary disease, and internal medicine. Learn about our Review Board Sanja Jelic, MD Updated on September 21, 2020 Print James Braund/Getty Images What triggers the urge to smoke for you? Anger? Boredom? Fatigue? Joy? You may associate all of these feelings with smoking, but stress and anger might stand out as smoking triggers. When you're stressed, the urge to smoke can be intense. As a smoker, you might think that you need cigarettes to keep calm. In fact, smoking tends to create more stress than it dispels. Learning how to cope with stress without a cigarette is difficult when you first quit smoking. With a few tools and some practice, you'll find that it's less challenging than you might have expected. Components of Recovering From Nicotine Addiction There are two components of recovery from nicotine addiction: physical withdrawal from nicotine and healing the mind of the habits associated with smoking. Managing Nicotine Withdrawal Your body physically reacts to withdrawal from nicotine as well as the thousands of chemicals present in the cigarette smoke you inhale. This phase of recovery creates stress of its own that you must be prepared to cope with. Having an awareness of how stress fits in as a byproduct of early recovery from nicotine addiction, as well as a few tools to deal with the discomfort, will help you manage it successfully. Tackling Mental Challenges On an emotional level, smoking cessation forces you to deal with the loss of cigarettes as a crutch you leaned on to manage your feelings. The mental challenges can be one of the most difficult aspects of smoking cessation. Managing Stress When Quitting Nicotine Here are 10 tips and strategies to help you cope with stress when you quit smoking. Be patient with yourself and allow your recovery to unfold as it will. Release from nicotine addiction comes gradually. It happens as you erase old associations and habits one by one, replacing them with new, healthier choices. In time, you'll likely find that stress is more easily managed smoke-free than it ever was when you were smoking. What Should You Do Before You Stop Smoking? Don't Neglect Yourself Early cessation is a time when you should be taking extra care to make sure all of your needs are being met. Here are some simple guidelines to help you get through nicotine withdrawal more comfortably. Eat a well-balanced diet. Your body needs good quality fuel as it works to flush the toxins out of your system. Cigarettes deplete many nutrients and vitamins, so you'll want to start replenishing them with a well-balanced diet.Drink water. Water is a great quitting aid. It helps you detox more quickly and can work well as a craving-buster. By keeping yourself hydrated, you'll feel better overall. Cut Out Caffeine When you quit smoking, the amount of coffee or caffeinated cola you are typically accustomed to consuming might begin to make you jittery and anxious. If you're having trouble sleeping, try reducing your caffeine intake—or even cutting it out completely. Once you're through the withdrawal process, you'll probably be able to drink coffee again—though perhaps not in the same quantity as you did before. Take a Warm Bath Enjoying a bath is a great way to relax and de-stress. Light a few candles, use some scented bath salts, and submerge. Get a Massage Our bodies tend to hold the tension we feel in our muscles, so a good massage is worth its weight in gold as a means to relieve stress. Enlist your partner or another willing pair of hands to help work the stress out of your muscles. A full body massage is great, but even 10 or 15 minutes spent on your neck, shoulders, face, and scalp can work wonders. Put on Your Walking Shoes A short walk every day—even for just 15 minutes—will help you manage stress as you withdraw from nicotine. Walking reduces edginess and improves circulation. Exercise releases endorphins (the "feel-good" hormone). When the urge to smoke strikes, head out for a walk around the block. You'll come back refreshed and relaxed. Get Enough Sleep The early days of smoking cessation can be tiring, as your body and your mind are stressed. Allow more time for sleep if you need and can manage it. The weariness you're feeling won't last forever. Your energy will return soon. Visualize Close your eyes and create a place in your mind that you can go to when you need to slow down and relax. It could be a real or imaginary location—just make it yours. Use the same place every time so it becomes familiar and comfortable. As you settle in, start to follow your breathing. Slow your breath down gradually by breathing deeply in and out for 3 to 5 minutes. How to Use Visualization to Relax and Manage Stress Deep Breathing Deep breathing is a quick way to calm edgy nerves and reduce stress. Breathe in through your nose for a count of three, then exhale through your mouth for a count of three. Repeat this for a few minutes. The tension in your body will begin to fall away. Focus on Today We spend so much time thinking about everything but the day we have in front of us. Try not to worry about tomorrow (or forever). Try not to let yourself get lost in feelings of fear about never being able to smoke again. Resolve to make the most of right now. Think instead of today. You have the ability to stay smoke-free just for today. That's all you need to do. It might be a cliché, but baby steps! Try not to let feelings of worry about tomorrow intimidate you today. Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously Expect and accept that you will have bad days—both in smoking cessation and in life. When you have an off day, resolve to put yourself on "ignore." Sometimes, the best thing we can do is to get out of our own way. Stress is a part of life. Learning how to manage it smoke-free is part of successful smoking cessation. With time and practice, your smoke-free life will flow with ease. Our minds can make small issues into big ones, and turn every little thing into a drama when our moods are out of whack. If you're having a bad day, pause and think: pamper. Be good to yourself, allow for a treat (or two), and try to put your thoughts on hold. Tomorrow is a new day, you will be feeling better—and grateful to still be smoke-free. 10 Things to Stop Doing When You Quit Smoking Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! So you're ready to finally quit smoking? Our free guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get yours today. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Cosci F, Pistelli F, Lazzarini N, Carrozzi L. Nicotine dependence and psychological distress: outcomes and clinical implications in smoking cessation. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2011;4:119–128. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S14243 Smokefree. Coping with stress without smoking. Additional Reading Smokefree. Coping with stress without smoking.