A List of Things to Do Instead of Smoking

Making the decision to quit smoking can become much easier when you find other activities to fill the time that smoking once occupied.
According to the National Institutes of Health, an effective strategy to help kick unhealthy habits like smoking is to replace them with new healthy routines. Although this may seem easier said than done, changing a habit may not be as hard as it seems.
Research has shown that the key to changing a habit may lie in choosing your environment wisely.

Change your environment

According to studies conducted by Duke University psychology professor Wendy Wood, environmental cues play a large role in controlling our behavior. Wood’s studies show that when people have a habit that’s associated with a particular place, they have a tendency to repeat their actions even when they don’t want to but are in that environment.
When you commit to quitting, take steps to avoid spending time in those places. Choose to go somewhere else instead, such as the gym, to do some exercise.
Use different exits and entrances and avoid places where you meet others to smoke if you have designated smoke areas. Wood’s studies suggest that by changing your environment, you’ll have a better chance of sustaining new behaviors over time.

Find a new reward

Habit guru Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit,” suggests that habits consist of three elements:
• a cue that triggers the habit
• a routine sequence of habitual actions
• a reward that you get for going through the routine
To change your smoking habit, you may need to change the cues by understanding what triggers your behavior.
For example, let’s say that your cue to smoke is break time at work. Every day at break time, you find yourself joining in with a social crowd of smokers. This triggers your routine, which is to smoke two cigarettes outside while you chat with colleagues. Your reward: social time with your friends, along with the rush that you get from nicotine.
If you are committed to quitting smoking, you may want to replace your cue, routine, and reward with a new system. Consider making a plan to spend your break time socializing in a different way.

For example, you might ask a nonsmoking friend, who supports your decision to quit, to join you at break time to take a brisk walk. You’ll still get the reward of social time but without the cigarette.

New activities and routine

Smoking is a hard habit to break for many reasons. Not only is nicotine physically addictive, but smokers usually smoke multiple times a day. This means that you may connect smoking with many other activities and routines that make up your daily life.
For example, many people crave a cigarette before or after eating a meal. To kick the smoking habit for good, it will help to develop some new routines that you don’t automatically associate with smoking.

How do you develop these new routines? It helps to shake things up a bit. Do you usually eat lunch at your desk, and then head outside for a cigarette?
Make a change, and start eating lunch in the cafeteria with friends. Do you like to have a cigarette before starting to cook dinner for your family? Instead, try taking time to chat with a loved one or play with your kids.
Not only will you avoid smoking, but you’ll be reminded of one of the reasons you may want to quit: to set a good example for your family.

Building better habits: Stay dedicated

Even if you change the environment and routines you associate with smoking, you may still have to deal with the symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine. However, it’s important to remember that these symptoms are temporary.

The new healthier habits you build may help you persevere and stick with your decision to quit. Nicotine replacement therapy or other medications may help reduce the physical withdrawal symptoms. If interested, consider discussing these options with your doctor.
You’ll soon find that the new rewards of not smoking far exceed your old experiences. They include:

• fresh air instead of smoky air
• an invigorated feeling from exercise
• more time spent focusing on family and friends
In the long run, you’ll likely be glad you stayed dedicated to your new, healthier habits.