Mood and reward
Stay smoke-free despite low mood: small rewards, me-time, gratitude, conversations, and strategies against emotional dips.
9
tips in this category
5
min. average application time
3
concrete focus areas
Low mood during quitting is tricky because it can sound like an argument: one cigarette and everything feels easier. Usually, what is missing is a pause, a reward signal, or a way to stop rumination.
These tips regulate mood without reopening the smoking loop. Some use small good actions, others conversations, guiding sentences, or conscious enjoyment.
Low mood · 9 tips
A short guiding principle will help you stick to your decision even in difficult moments.
Short me-time can help regulate low moods without answering them with smoking.
Planned enjoyment protects against the feeling that being smoke-free only means sacrifice and control.
Exercise can help change a bad mood and bring new energy into the moment - especially when quitting smoking.
A short conversation can help to interrupt thoughts of relapse and to gain distance from the impulse to smoke again.
Not every depressed mood after quitting smoking is the same. What matters is how long it lasts and how much it influences your everyday life.
Short activities can change your mood, even without motivation.
Gratitude helps to focus on what is already going well - especially on difficult days.
Self-care works especially well when it is prepared.