Thanks Ashley for the reward break down - I don't remember the 'three components' philosophy but I like it!
Great words of wisdom Don - to reward ourselves for NOT wasting our money, time and energy on smoking is huge! And realizing when it's time to do so is really important. Excellent for you to recognize when a 'Don's day' is in order!
My entire 'reward' system is lacking compared to these suggestions. I've been spending each reward dollar saved to pay down my debt. I quit my job three years ago so I could be 100% available to spend time with my Dad when he was sick with cancer - he was my lifelong massage 'client' and got benefit from my treatments. So I'd fly out every 4 to 6 weeks to spend whatever time was needed to to help my Dad & (sweet) Mom cope. I didn't want them to think I couldn't afford to come, but found myself chocking up more debt as each month passed - my hubby's work lay off in 2010 sealed our fate. It was scary! I don't regret one moment of the time spent with my Dad & Mom at that difficult time; it was precious!
But since my Dad passed away last January, and my Mom has recovered and doing well - my 'reward' is the freedom to commit to my work. My hubby also got a good job not too far from home (only 120 miles away now!) and we're making great headway on that debt now! I put every 'smoking' cent toward that and it feels good!
But I forgot that it's okay to have that hot bath : ) walk that old black lab down to the beach, play a game of scrabble with the family and just beg a day off to read when I'm stressed and start thinking about cigars! Oh ya! Feels good to overcome a nasty one! :)
I was going to reply to another post but because rewards were on my mind this one is perfect. This post is for a specific individual as well as anyone else. When I find myself getting tired of the same old routine I know it's time for a bit of a reward. To do that I change it up. Specifically I go out and have a day that's for me. I call it Dons day. A typical Dons day will consist of a meal at my favorite restaurant , an afternoon looking through the antique shops and if I find something unique purchase it. I can't stress enough how important rewards are. Buy yourself something tangable to keep , use , look at and enjoy. When smoking your hard earned cash is up in smoke , gone with nothing to show for your trouble. So take some time for yourself or with others you care about , have something to show for not smoking , and remember that you're worth it. Claim a day for you ! breather Don
In general, your reward should have three components:
Small rewards after overcoming cravings;
Medium rewards for each smoke free day;
Large rewards for achieving smoke free weeks, milestones or getting through difficult situations smoke free.
You should reward yourself as long as it keeps you motivated. As you get more comfortable in your quit, you may find you are rewarding yourself less and less. That's ok. Just try to keep in mind to re-incorporate your reward system should an urge to smoke creep up.
