8 Benefits Of Quitting Smoking For Your Mental And Emotional Health

People always talk about the advantages of quitting smoking on a physical level, but what about on an emotional and psychological level? Discover all the benefits of quitting smoking for your mental health.

We all know the Perks of stop smoking on a physical level, but what advantages does quitting this habit have for our mental health? In fact, public health campaigns usually focus their fight against smoking on the effects it has on our body. But, it is likely that we do not know that there are also effects of quitting smoking that are beneficial for our emotional well-being.

What are the false effects of quitting smoking?

Typically, people often say that they enjoy the feeling they get from the chemicals in cigarettes. In fact, many smokers report that it helps them focus and even gives them energy. Although these types of sensations are experienced, reality is not entirely like that. In many cases, smokers believe that they will lose this type of ‘advantages’ of quitting smoking but in reality smoking creates the following psychological effects:

• Nervousness: The harmful substances behind cigarettes are stimulants. Therefore, although people believe that it gives them greater concentration and energy, in reality these effects are short-lived. So much so that the chemical effect of a cigarette disappears in a few minutes. After this, when give up smoking, you may begin to feel withdrawal and crave another cigarette. These cravings can end up making you feel restless, anxious, or irritable until you can smoke again.
• Mental disorders: People with depression, anxiety or schizophrenia may turn to tobacco as a ‘method’ to counteract the symptoms they suffer. Although a cigarette can sometimes mask these feelings, in reality it can only be an instantaneous effect. On the contrary, one of the advantages of quitting smoking are the benefits that this entails in disorders such as those mentioned.

Psychological benefits of quitting smoking

Once you have decided to quit this bad habit, you will experience the following psychological benefits:

1. Less likely to suffer from a mental disorder: According to research, people who suffer from a psychological disorder are more likely to smoke than those who do not suffer from them. In fact, a concern they often have is that they would like to do so but are concerned about the effects of quitting smoking on the symptoms of these disorders. In this case, it is necessary to specify that research has discovered that smokers can quit smoking without affecting your treatment for mental disorders.
2. Greater effectiveness of drugs: The chemicals in cigarettes also make some medications less effective, which can affect your psychological and medical treatment.
3. Less chance of suffering from anxiety and depression: Symptoms of anxiety and depression very often decrease after give up smoking In fact, one of the benefits of quitting smoking on a psychological level is that you will notice more tranquility and relaxation when you do not depend on this habit.
4. Personal satisfaction: Another of the improvements when quitting smoking What you will experience on an emotional level is greater personal satisfaction. Being able to change a bad habit can make you more proud of yourself.
5. Less stress: Studies show that stress levels give up smoking decrease compared to those people who continue with this habit.
6. More concentration: The Perks of stop smoking They also influence our mental performance. So much so that it has been shown that having improved oxygen levels in our body is equivalent to experiencing greater concentration.
7. Greater confidence and self-esteem: One of the effects of quitting smoking is that it improves your physical appearance. In fact, when people stop this bad habit they can see themselves with whiter teeth, smell much better, have brighter and smoother skin and look much younger. Specifically, one of the benefits of quitting smoking is precisely that we slow down facial aging, as well as the appearance of wrinkles.
8. More happiness: Another of the advantages of quitting smoking It is precisely to be happier. This happens because creating an addiction increases the level of irritability and nervousness and this ends up making us a more negative person.

Sometimes give up smoking It may seem like an almost heroic act because of the difficulty that smokers experience due to withdrawal syndrome. If you have tried everything and managed to break the habit, we recommend the help of a mental health professional.

How long will it take for me to experience improvements after quitting smoking?

According to some research, in just six weeks you can experience the positive effects and Perks of stop smoking both in our mood and for our mental health.

This is because quitting it during this period already implies a reduction in the symptoms related to anxiety, depression and stress that are linked to this habit. In fact, research also shows that smokers have poorer mental well-being than non-smokers. So much so that smokers often experience higher levels of anxiety than non-smokers.

Quitting smoking has benefits on a mental and physical level. Furthermore, this habit harms you both mentally and emotionally. Eliminating it from your life will allow you to experience better balance in your physical and psychological health.