5 Stress-Relieving Habits To Replace Smoking

Quitting smoking can be a giant leap toward a much healthier life, but despite this, it can still be difficult to handle the stress and cravings.

To make the journey smoother, online vape retailer Vape and Go has shared five habits that should help reduce stress whilst keeping you away from cigarettes.

Mindfulness Meditation and Deep Breathing

Mindfulness is an excellent tool for managing stress. Try downloading a meditation app such as Headspace or Calm to help guide you through stress-relieving breathing exercises.

If you are not into meditation, try some simple box breathing: breathe in for four beats, hold for four beats, breathe out for four beats, and then hold again for four beats. Repeat this until you feel calmer.

Another great mindfulness technique to try is grounding. Grounding is a simple way of connecting with the Earth's surface and can be surprisingly effective in easing stress. By promoting relaxation and reducing cortisol levels, it can help you feel calmer and more centred, making urges to smoke much easier to resist. Pay attention to the sensation of your feet touching the ground, the breeze on your skin, and the sights and sounds around you.

Regular Exercise

One of the best natural stress relievers is exercise. In addition to simply releasing endorphins, which help put you in a better mood and lower feelings of anxiety, activities like jogging, biking, or yoga serve to get your body in motion to help keep stress at bay.
If you are not already regularly engaging in exercise, begin slowly, and work your way up — remember, stress-relief is a gradual process, not a race.

Engage in a New Hobby

A new hobby can prove to be quite the diversion when avoiding smoking. When we learn something entirely new—such as painting, gardening, or playing an instrument—our minds are far too involved to think about cigarettes.

Additionally, hobbies offer excellent avenues for healthy emotional release and give you a feeling of accomplishment to help you cope with stress.

Socialise More

Socialising is a fantastic way to defeat stress, but can often be a double-edged sword, as it’s also the reason many people return to smoking. The trick is to surround yourself with positive influences. Meet your friends or family, join group activities, or volunteer.

The bottom line is that when we feel connected and supported, we feel better within ourselves, and when we’re feeling good socially, we are less likely to turn to unhealthy habits such as smoking.

Eat Clean

A good diet can do wonders to keep stress at bay. You can promote a sense of vitality and balance by eating meals full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Moreover, the process of preparing and consuming healthy and nutritious food is a calm and soothing affair, both mentally and physically.

A spokesperson for Vape and Go commented on the findings:
"Replacing smoking with healthy habits like mindfulness, exercise, and social connection is key to successful quitting. These strategies not only manage stress but also enhance overall well-being, making the journey to a smoke-free life more achievable."