A walking cliché?

[Spud]

Hello All,
End of day 1- I got there in the end. Thanks to many people on this forum whose advice was very helpful- informative and motivating. I do have one big question though..... Why did I morph into an evil monster this afternoon???
Morning was a delight- full of the joys, I was. After lunch, I managed to have arguments with my husband and mother in law (but that's not really unusual, ho ho ...). I felt so tense and agitated- I don't remember this feeling from my last quit.
Does everyone experience these moods? What do you do to calm down? I was wondering if my crankiness had anything to do with my 'beached whale' feeling after I picked and grazed all day. Not too sure but I am going to try to be a serene non smoker tomorrow. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

My husband actually begged me to smoke because he said I was being so moody...

[soul]

nice easy breathing in.............and breathing out.............take at least 3 of those before snapping at someone............before reacting to an action, take a retreat, re-think your intentions....nice deep breath........Delay a conversation if needed, ......topics will always be there ...........This too shall pass, a day at a time. You can do this. Take a walk if you can, take a shower, take a nap, whatever you beed to do to disrupt your usual routines and your immediate re-actions.

Welcome and glad you are here!

[Spud]

Hi Soul,
Thanks for the advice. I will try to remember take nice deep breaths before I bite someone's head off. Honestly, if there was an empty cave somewhere nearby, I'd move in for a while. It's not fair on those around me to be exposed to my wrath... I actually stopped talking for a while and then I had a nap for an hour. Is that an extreme reaction?
Did you experience any mood swings, Soul?

[slocum]

Hi...love your Avatar! Yes, you sound quite normal! The first few weeks can be a pistol for the emotions. The good news is that people will recognize you as human again. Read and learn about your addiction. Education will be your ammo against the big bad wolf. One day at a time.

[dancer_I]

Hi Spud, I've found every quit to be different. It will pass when it's ready. I' don't think there's much you can do except make sure you don't fget too hungry or thirsty. Make sure you do some form of exercise and do whatever you normally do when you have strong emotions emerge.

Good luck. It is doable.

[soul]

I remember my doctor telling me that quitting smoking cigarettes was almost as difficult as quitting other "hard" drugs because all the chemicals in cigarettes including nicotine would give us what we needed when we needed it.............For example, instead of biting someone's head off, we would "calm down" with the smoking.......when sleepy but needing to stay awake, smoking would wake us up............when too agitated, smoking would calm us down again.......when angry about something, we would just smoke it off........... and on and on and on............

You are just feeling emotions and learning how to deal with them. So did i, so did countless others and i believe that is the expected path.

Educate yourself on the nature of the addiciton as said earlier, it is very helpful to know your "ennemy"..............

you'll be fine

[muppet]

I was great one minute, crying one minute, and a miserable bear the next. With no rhyme or reason to it. Its the cravings and the withdrawal, begging for attention. Big deep breaths, water, time out. I had to remember that it was going to happen again, and that the other people shouldn't be punished because I stopped smoking. Its not their fault (Easier said than done!!!). Good luck, and good job on the first day!!

[WantToBeFree]

My husband actually begged me to smoke because he said I was being so moody...

Is your husband always so supportive? Stick close to the board!

[canakat]

Howdy Spud. The first few days of My Quit it was an absolute B I T C H!! I felt so bad for my little guy, he had to put up with a lot of Mommy's crap. When I would get stressed out at home, or fed up with Jesse (my son), I would run out to the garage and smoke my brains out. Instead, I locked myself in the bathroom or my bedroom and did some meditating...breath in through the nose, out through the mouth. After a couple minutes you'd be surprised about how much better you feel. And the moodiness doesn't last forever (only about a week for me).

My husband actually begged me to smoke because he said I was being so moody...

Is your husband always so supportive? Stick close to the board!

Ditto Tim...that's crazy saying "I would rather my wife poison her lungs than be cranky." Pure silliness. And yes, stick close to the board...if it wasn't for these guys, I don't think I would be as successful with My Quit as I am

[Spud]

Hi All,
Thanks to Canakat, Slocum, Dancer, Muppet, Tim and Soul for your helpful words. I've been a little less cranky today, thank God. Decided it would be better to avoid any contact with the husband today so I won't see him until tonight- give him a break from the snarling beast he calls the missus. No seriously, the breathing advice from Soul was really helpful. I've only ever done the normal, keeping me alive kind of breathing- you know, like we're doing now... So I found the yoga breathing thread on here to be of great help. It really does help to calm me down.
Ah, and don't be too hard on the husband. He's the 'anything for a quiet life' type of guy and having a raving lunatic snarling and ranting wasn't what he was expecting when he came home. If anything, him telling me to go smoke made me more determined to show him that I can do it.
Hope you are all having a good day yourselves.
Take care,
Carol x

[soul]

keep on going carol! You can do this. Stay close to the support system especially during the first days/weeks and also i suggest you start welcoming the newcomers and inspire them! There is nothing like giving back and being there for others who want this Freedom.

[Spud]

Hey Soul,
Yes, I will definitely try to pass on any wisdom or tips to others just like many have already done for me on this forum (your good self included ). How valuable this forum is to me right now, I can't tell you. So, I'll be looking out for those people newer than myself and help as much as possible!
Hope your day is going well, lady.
x

[muppet]

Spud, you're doing SO well...the first couple days are really hard. My husband is a lot like your's. He likes calm, quiet, peaceful time. I was anything but that in the first 4 days. Keep breathing, you're almost past the worst part!