We’re entering a strange month, at least from a Canadian perspective. March tends to jump back and forth between spring time and happiness to dreary reminders of the groundhog’s promise. We’ve already seen some of that in February this year; even January dropped the occasional light-jacket weather on us once or twice. It’ll probably only get stranger until we break out of the last of winter and get into spring proper.
With Spring Comes Change
This means a couple of things for those of us caught in the middle of this tug-of-war between seasons. One, people are more prone to experience headaches and other symptoms of illness-even when they’re not actually sick-simply due to extreme temperature changes. Two, people tend to get frustrated with the chaotic weather, and that raises stress levels– which in turn can exacerbate existing conditions and problems.
The difficulties of the seasons notwithstanding, the major theme of spring is still change; which, despite what the temperature fluctuations would have us believe, can be a very good thing. Take for instance the inspiration spring can carry with it- the idea of spring cleaning isn’t just because we’ve spent the last few months surrounded by the detritus of busy households. What other ways can we adjust, can we take advantage of the season’s impetus to make some positive transitions in our lives?
Smoking Cessation and its Benefits
A recent study performed by Toronto’s very own St. Michael’s Hospital (via the Center for Global Health Research) has revealed some exciting news for people who are trying to make some of those very transitions- namely quitting smoking.
Smoking for one’s entire life can shave a full ten years off of their lifespan. The study found that for younger smokers, quitting before age forty can give back the ‘lost decade’ they would have otherwise forfeited by continuing to smoke. Even quitting after forty may give back four or six years of time, but the big number is forty- smokers quitting by then can get nine years of their lives back. Dr. Prabhat Jha, head of the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael’s, is insistent that quitting earlier is still better.
“That’s not to say, however, that it is safe to smoke until you are 40 and then stop,” says Dr. Jha.
“Former smokers still have a greater risk of dying sooner than people who never smoked. But the risk is small compared to the huge risk for those who continue to smoke.”
It’s unnecessary to reiterate that quitting smoking is hard. You know it is, and so do we. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. At Morpheus, we want to help give you the tools and assistance you need to quit. Our smoking cessation program is designed to help support smokers in the process of becoming ex-smokers, rather than pushing them through so they can pick up the habit and try to quit all over again. We are here to help you, so get in touch with us today at (416) 556-4068 or at www.morpheusclinic.com for a free thirty-minute consultation with one of our hypnotherapists. Ask our friendly front desk staff about our Smoking Package, and we’ll be happy to let you know what we can do to make your struggle to quit less of an uphill battle.
The new year is in full swing, even if it’s not in full spring yet. Use the new energy that’s going to be flourishing all around us, and make the differences in your life that you’ve always wanted to. No one is going to change your life but you- but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.
One of our Client Care Coordinators published this post.