Obama advised, tame stress, quit smoking

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., March 5 (UPI) -- A U.S. health educator advises President Barack Obama and others trying to quit smoking to keep trying.

Susan Rausch, health educator at the Pat Walker Health Center and co-chair of the University of Arkansas' campaign to promote the tobacco-free campus policy, suggests first dealing with stress.

"Obviously, President Obama has a very stressful job," Rausch said in a statement. "But University of Arkansas students facing mid-term exams know something about stress, too. There are ways to deal with stress and quit smoking, too."

Rausch advises adopting stress-reduction strategies like making physical activity a part of each day.

Other recommendations include:

-- Understanding the key to success is personal choice. Quitting needs to be a gift to one's self, not something being taken away.

-- Set a date for quitting and prepare for the date by cutting down.

-- Freshen surroundings; spring is a prime time to clean home, car, clothes, even teeth.

-- On quit date, plan to be somewhere smoking is not allowed. Reward each smoke-free day.

-- Remember relapse is not failure. Most smokers try several times before they have been able to stop smoking.