Managing Stress

We know life can be stressful. Relaxation strategies can help. These techniques will help you feel calm, relaxed, and grounded. They can help you manage smoking cravings and stay quit.

You can use them anytime you feel stressed or anxious. You might even share them with your other family, friends, or coworkers.

When you're ready, set your quit date. Setting a quit date gives you time to get ready, and gives you something to work toward.

Tips for picking a good quit date
  • Today
  • Recommended
  • Quit Date

You've selected a quit date that's in the past

If you have already quit, you can use your My EX Plan page to help stay on track.

If you’ve selected ~DATE1~ by mistake, adjust it to a date in the future. We recommend somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks from today. This will give you time to prepare for your upcoming quit.

Choose Another Date Confirm Quit Date

You've selected a quit date that's within the next two weeks…

Are you sure you're ready? Don’t forget that you’ll need time to re-learn life without cigarettes and prepare before the big day. To make sure you can get everything done, we recommend choosing this date 2-4 weeks from now, ~DATE1~.

If you still want to go with a Quit Date of ~DATE2~, click the button below. Otherwise, close this box and choose another date.

Choose Another Date Confirm Quit Date

You've selected a quit date that's more than four weeks from now.

Are you sure you want to wait that long? If you think it’s going to take you that long to re-learn life without cigarettes and prepare for the big day, then keep it. But in general we’ve found that having a quit date that’s more than four weeks away can give you too much time to change your mind about quitting. So we recommend choosing a date 2-4 weeks from now, ~DATE1~.

If you still want to go with a Quit Date of ~DATE2~, click the button below. Otherwise, close this box and choose another date.

Choose Another Date Confirm Quit Date

You're all ready to quit

Now that you’ve set your quit date, you’ll move to the My EX Plan page. The My EX Plan page will be your home base as you re-learn life without cigarettes and quit smoking.

Ok

Try It

Deep Breathing

Deep breathing is easy and effective. It reduces stress and can be done anywhere, anytime.

 Grounding

"Grounding" teaches you to focus on a physical object. This practice can help with anxiety.

 Visualization

Use your imagination to feel calmer. This method can also help you prepare for future stressful times.

 Keep Things In Perspective

Feel like you're spiraling? Read tips for staying calm even when life gets stressful.

 Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is being aware of what you’re sensing and feeling. It can get you out of a craving without smoking.

 Addressing Anxiety Before Quitting

Feeling anxious about quitting? Here are some ideas that can help.

 New Ways To Relieve Stress

Explore new ways to relieve stress without smoking. Try some of these to get started.

Read More

Stress and resilience

Dr. Hays | February 15, 2017

Often we think of stress as something that is happening to us: too many demands, situations that aren’t resolving as we hoped, or a series of unfavorable events. However we might benefit from seeing stress in a different light, as how we react to events, rather than how events are happening to us.

Read More
The relaxation response

NDC_Team | February 17, 2021

Human beings are hardwired for being stressfully active.  Our ‘stress system’ is the mechanism by which our body manages energy to meet the demands of living in the world.  But, the demands that we face today are very different than the world in which our brains evolved.

Read More

Change Language