We talked about the real withdraw and how that's going to feel physically. We talked about what to do if you feel triggered, but something else is going to happen. There are going to be times where you are going to feel like you're in withdrawal all over again. Post Acute withdrawal syndrome. Pause for short is a term used in the addiction field to describe it withdrawal symptom, after your body has already physically withdrawn, it's important for you to know this is going to happen so that you're not caught off guard. For those who don't know what's going to happen.
It can be scary, and oftentimes that can lead to a trigger, which then could lead to a relapse. But if you know what's going to happen, you can prepare yourself for it, and know what to do. Pause can happen at any time for any reason. Basically, you're just gonna feel like you're going through that physical or emotional withdrawal all over again. You may feel anxious and comfortable, have insomnia feel depressed, maybe even a low mood when this happened. Third thing that you can do to help relieve some of the symptoms.
First thing is, don't try to fight it. It's important to recognize the symptoms and try to relax and be patient. After you have recognized this is happening, you can then try to do something to take your mind off of it. Like try going for a walk or watch a funny movie. You may even want to try to take a nap if possible. brainstorm on what activities you can do when this happens.
The good news is is that if you learn to recognize the symptoms, you can train your body and mind to relax. The symptoms generally don't last too long. The bad news is is that many people report having pause for up to two years post quitting. When we talked about what to do when feeling triggered the same things might be used when you feel like you're going through pause. Or you might want to think of more extreme things. Like instead of a warm shower to help you relax.
A cold shower might help you snap out of it. Now I hate using the phrase snap out of it. I mostly don't use it. But what I mean by snap out of it is to shock your body so to speak. If you can go sit in a really hot sauna. Or maybe you go for a really fast run around the block.
You keep running around the block until you beat your previous time, or until you feel confident that you're fully prepared to tackle the rest of your day. Remember, pause can lead to triggers and triggers can lead to relapse. So if you catch it soon enough, you'll be in a much better position than not knowing what to expect. So go ahead and pause this course now and take some time thinking about how and what you can do when pause hits.