We tend to make it true in our mind. Before we ever smoked we had stress and dealt with it in many other ways.
As a habit and current within our smoking life, we used smoking as a substitution to assist us with stress.
What do you use now that you are not smoking?
Josie, Support Specialist
Deep breathing exercises are pretty good. If you can find time to get into it, muscle relaxation exercises (google "progressive muscle relaxation") are excellent. Buy a biofeedback card and train your body to relax on command.
Haven't done it myself for over a decade :)
But your post made me think that it probably wouldn't do me any harm right now.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]1/1/2008
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 6
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 120
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] �31.80
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 18 [B]Seconds:[/B] 29
Myth: I�ve got a really stressful life and smoking helps me to relax.
Fact: Smoking, in fact does the opposite. Smoking increases the stress level of the body because it raises the blood pressure and heart rate which is why you feel �happy� after a cigarette. Not too mention, just knowing that you have to get up and go outside every hour for a cigarette is pretty stressful in itself.
What happens on days when you are facing a long plan ride or a meeting? Millions of people have learned how to reduce stress without turning to a cigarette. What are some of things that you find helpful to reduce your stress?
Josie
