The Asperger's Girl Guide

The Last Two Weeks have been a series of anxiety, cravings and stress.  I've made positive changes and stuck to my goal to quit, although I haven't put any pressure on myself to achieve this in a set amount of time I can no see a smoke free me.  Told you the Inhalator looked strange! I have a new addition to the stop smoking battle as I've literally just come back from the doctors and had a chat about my progress and feeling slightly more better about the whole thing.  The one problem that I've been facing is the issue of idle hands, I have been sticking to using my gum and although that has been working, I'm missing the sensation of holding something in my hands.  It's a very tactile thing smoking and although you still get the release of nicotine through the patches and from the gum sometimes you miss the sensation of actually smoking physically.  So to combat this I have an inhalator, it looks strange but it is discreet and does the s...

I've managed to cut down my cigarettes down to 3-4 a day with the aid of a patch and worked out the little issues that made me have a wobble.  I'm currently sat here writing this post and feeling pretty rubbish at the moment as I've just been to the doctors and as expected something made my anxiety hit the roof and sky rocket into the galaxy and as I'm typing, I'm coming over the emotional high and trying not to hit the emotional low that comes next.  But this weekend has been positive in many ways and I don't want to take away from the good days just because I'm having yet again another wobble and self doubt is lurking in the shadows.  I actually started my patch early.. I said Friday but in fact I needed to put it on way before because I was setting myself up for failure doing it just with the gum alone.  It was my mum who suggested putting on the patches and then seeing how I coped from there and I have to say it's been a lot easier t...

It's not even Friday yet and already I'm becoming aggravated and anxious! 09/05/2018: Today I said to myself that I'll reduce my cigarettes down and although I'm a light smoker (10-15 a day) I'm already struggling mentally.  I did say to myself that it will be okay if I still have 8 cigarettes today but if I can deal with less than that well that'll be a bonus! I know that I will do it and that I'm possibly got other things going on in my head that are affecting the way I'm able to cope with cutting down but when I'm stressed my mind tells me I need/want nicotine!  I don't need/want it, but there is this pressure in the back of mind and I'm trying to ignore the little voices in my head that are whispering to me at the moment.  I've had 4 cigarettes today (so thats a positive) and have been chewing the nicotine gum when I feel that I want a cig rather than need one.  I don't know if this is a reaction to a subtle ...

It's been a long time coming but I'm finally ready to quit!  Yes I know it's a really bad habit and it will eventually kill me but i'm finally ready to let go of my last vice. "Smoking has always been an escape route to get me out of unwanted situations, prevented meltdowns and in general been a very bad coping strategy when stressed or anxious."  I've just had my first appointment with the NHS Stop Smoking Clinic and feel really positive after having a chat about giving up and the best way to do it with the aid of nicotine replacement therapy rather than  medication. I had a thought last night to blog about my progress and share with you the honest truth of the positives and negatives to giving up as I need to do it now rather than later. So here I am on after my first appointment and I instantly feel better already as I feel supported and that I'm not on my own and I can contact my Stop Smoking Advisor when I need to and it's okay ...

The old saying when Life gives you Lemons... You make Lemonade is something that sometimes annoys the hell out of me but it's a great way of dealing with negativity and change.  I know there is method to my madness, this saying comes out of the woodwork when something goes wrong in your life and the person who says it to you hopes to themselves that you take the positive out of it rather than wanting to scream at them in a mid meltdown.  The whole reason I titled this blog with this saying is because this is happening to me right now in my personal life where I thought i'd figured out my career and then suddenly I'm hit with a sequence of events that make me think do I really want to pursue this adding in all the variables and factors?  Therefore I've been given the hypothetical Lemons and at the moment trying to make Lemonade from them, how I don't know at the moment but all the skills I have learnt from my life so far might help in making changes.  ...

Join me this Wednesday from 12pm (GMT) for a very special Facebook Live event! Get the Chance to ask your questions on how to cope this festive period and maybe even sing a carol or two! Grab a cuppa and a mince pie and relax! I hope to see you all on Wednesday at 12pm! Sophie xx www.facebook.com/aspergersgirlguide

Join me tomorrow for a chance to as me anything about Aspergers! Head over to the Facebook page at 7pm (GMT) Tomorrow, sit back and relax with a cuppa and that optional slice of cake and a chat!  I hope to see you there tomorrow!!! Sophie x  P.S: The link to the blog can be found on the top bar of the blog! Feel Free to visit and remember to give it a like and click the follow button to be the first to receive notifications on all the latest posts over on Facebook!