12 Smoke-Free Activities Good for Your Mental Health

1. You are not alone. Someone, that you can talk to, can appreciate how you’re feeling. The way you feel is not an omen or portent for failure or success. It does not make you a good or bad person. And you can think about how you feel, pause, and then decide what action to take. I know you can do it because you just did.

2. Allow yourself to heal mentally by doing something, (or nothing,) physically. One of the most accurate clichéd statements is “move a muscle, change a thought.” But if you’re feeling lazy, try this, it’s helped millions of people with anxiety: Close your eyes and be still. Count to 30, and think about how your body feels without trying to change it. Congratulations, you can now get used to anything, for 3o seconds at a time, except dizziness or thirst. Repeat as needed.

3. Don’t talk to people you have expectations, anger, or resentments towards. Inaction, busted, I broke the format. But don’t push yourself to mend a fence when a bull is charging at your back. And remember the goal is to not attempt to change the way you feel immediately. If someone in your life is a good influence, they’ll be around after you chill out for a bit.

4. Do something you really want to do as soon as you hear your alarm, or if you’re like me, when you wake up 5-minutes before you’re alarm even though you set it for a different time every day. Smoking does not count. Going back to sleep does not count. You can focus if you want to. Remember that it’s harder to acquire dried leaves from Kentucky that contain drugs you don’t enjoy anymore, perform a controlled burn of them an inch from your face, and deal with the fallout than it is to call someone you like and say good morning. You just used to want to do that, maybe.

5. Exit your home. This can change everything. Go back in if it works out poorly, that’s going to happen sometimes.

6. Allow someone who wants to help you into your life and thoughts today. People usually don’t say that because they’re bored or trying to ruin your life. What’s the worst that could happen? Did you come up with something really quick? Good, you’re smart. That’s a good defense mechanism against people trying to help you. What if that worst-case scenario you thought of does not happen?

7. Help someone else by spending time with them. Enjoy a movie. Sit next to a stranger. Hands to yourself. Believe it or not, someone paid $15 just to sit next to you, come as you are. Leave as you are. There’s not a lot of pressure on you for the dénouement.

8. Make a list. I had a pretty nasty prognosis before I started writing this one. I diagnosed myself with a bad cat’s playing the piano/catatonia with a touch of influenza, and a dash of illiteracy. Turned out wrong.

9. Watch videos or look at photos of cute animals. There is science behind this suggestion, plus I’m standing atop that hill presently, having ventured and having gained.

10. Listen to music. Nobody knows why, but one of Blues Traveler’s top 2 hits is most reliable.

11. Exercise, people who’ve quit smoking find this to be helpful in particular.

12. Be honest.