Stress is used to generally define a whole range of feelings and/or emotions e.g. upset, anger, grief etc. Most smokers find that they tend to smoke when faced with stressful situations. Nicotine affects the chemicals in your brain and smoking only makes you feel good for a moment or two. To successfully quit smoking and stay stopped you must find new ways to deal with it.
Stress Relief Tips:
Just think for a moment – what does a non-smoker do when they are faced with stress? Facing up to any particular problem often helps as things can appear worse than they really are. In situations where you need help – ask for it. There are countless support agencies out there, run by sympathetic people, who have faced and dealt with your situation. Learn to accept those situations where you really can’t do anything about your problem. Try and keep yourself busy by doing something else. Choose a ‘stress free’ period to quit smoking.
Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to man. Powerful and very fast acting. This is the chemical which causes addiction to cigarettes. It is a drug and has many different effects on the body at the same time. After just one puff it begins to act on your central nervous system, even though it makes you feel relaxed. It actually stimulates your system, even though it makes you feel relaxed.
Nicotine affects chemicals in your brain and, after a puff, you usually feel good for a moment or two, which is why many smokers view smoking as stress relief when under pressure. Some areas of the brain are pleasure related and when stimulated give the feeling of relaxation and reduced anxiety. Over time as you continue to smoke, your body learns to depend on nicotine. As a result when you stop smoking you get ‘nicotine cravings’ one of many different withdrawal symptoms.
Nicotine Cravings and Withdrawal Symptoms when you quit smoking are a common experience. It is the way your body reacts when it stops getting nicotine and all the other chemicals in tobacco smoke. Some withdrawal symptoms will come and go over a period of a few days. Most are gone within three weeks and not every smoker is affected to the same degree.
Cravings. Each one lasts 3-5 minutes, and may be strong. Over time however, cravings will happen less often. Headaches (occasional), indigestion, nausea, insomnia, diarrhoea and sore throats rarely last more than four days. Try usual over the counter remedies for these symptoms. Tea and coffee contain caffeine and, without nicotine, your body absorbs much more of this stimulant, which can make you restless, irritable and sleepless for a while. Try drinking less tea and coffee, make your cups weaker. Irritability, depression, tiredness, lack of concentration or anxiety are closely connected to the physical action of nicotine leaving your body and will lessen over one to three weeks. Try and relax more during the first few weeks, any tiredness will pass. Take a break from what you’re doing and take a short walk if possible to help concentration. The first few days after you quit can be the hardest. The most problematic symptom tends to be cravings. Few smokers quit without getting cravings. If you want to succeed you must learn to get through them.
The following tips should help:
Confront cravings head on and learn to ‘overcome the urge to smoke at will through sheer determination’. The choice to quit smoking and the responsibility for not smoking is yours alone. Cravings only last 3-5 minutes and they WILL subside. Once the urge to smoke has gone your resolve will strengthen. Focus on the reasons you decided to quit. Take a look at your quitting plan. Take 3 or 4 deep breaths. Breathe in slowly through the nose and fill your lungs, then breathe out again slowly through the mouth. Drink water. Sip it slowly and try to savour the taste. This will also help to satisfy any increased appetite. Keep busy. Take your mind off smoking by going for a walk, doing an odd job around the home or in the garden or call a friend or relative on the phone.