How to avoid relapses during summer

Step 1: Refocusing on yourself

To start the summer in a more peaceful way, start by seeing summer as a period of refocusing on you and your desires. As the pace slows down at work or even at home, you can take the time to focus a little on yourself. Take this time to figure out what you want, your goals, or who you want to be.

How can you do this? WRITE! As Diana Raab so aptly wrote, "Whatever you write, putting words on paper is a form of therapy that doesn't cost a penny."

Make a list of your goals and the steps you need to take to reach them or your level of progress towards them. For example, to avoid relapses during summer, the steps could be as follow:

• Make a list of your motivations

• Have a mantra to concentrate if a craving arises

• Not having cigarettes in your home

• Notify your loved ones so they can support you

• If necessary, purchase nicotine substitutes

As for your state of progress in this situation, it could be: "I continue my withdrawal in the summer but I still feel cravings on a regular basis", "I stopped and everything is fine", "I've told my loved ones", etc.

In terms of thinking about who you want to be, it's almost the same pattern. Define the guideline you want to follow: "I want to be closer to my family", "I want to have a healthier life", "I want a life that is more respectful of the environment", etc . After that, identify the things you have to do to make your new life line a reality. This will then become your goals.

You don't have to start right away, you can start at the beginning of the school year. Just take some time to reflect during your summer because you usually have more time to focus on yourself. Think about yourself and make your well-being a priority.

Step 2: Be kind to yourself

So yes, summer puts the goals of many people through the mill. Following a balanced diet can be more complicated, avoid relapses too, continuing to do sports just as regularly is also: in short, it's not always easy!

First of all, don't be defeatist: be confident! Whether you've been a nonsmoker for a day, a month or a year, be proud of it! Do you dread the moments in the open air and the cravings that go with it? Ask yourself the question: what's the worst that can happen? Will you slip? Everyone can doubt at some point, everyone can deviate from the path for a few moments and above all everyone has the right to make a mistake! Let's demystify together what a deviation represents: you had a desire and you responded to it. This does not make you a smoker: you are still a nonsmoker! Accepting your behavior at that moment will help you to understand it better.

Answer to a craving is not a big deal! You have to know how to be indulgent with yourself and not feel guilty. Relapses are part of the journey and blaming yourself for them would be counterproductive because you will get discouraged quickly. So yes, you have made a deviation but no, your previous efforts are not in vain, on the contrary! You can quite easily continue to avoid relapses during summer even after a deviation! Benevolence is our watchword at Kwit. It's not just about being kind to people who want to stop smoking or are in the process of withdrawal, no, it's also about being kind to yourself.

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking if you do and we wish you all the best for your new smoke-free life! Feel free to share your successes with us on Instagram, it is always a pleasure to follow your progress and to be able to encourage you.