Feeling Stressed? Well who isn’t these days! COVID has the whole world turned upside down. With its seemingly never-ending levels of confusion, uncertainly and worry. Yet, somehow you are still standing. You have somehow managed to find a way to be resilient enough to navigate these trying times and if you can make it through COVID you can work towards a tobacco free life.
Stress affects your health in ways that you may not even be aware of, from headaches, to insomnia, to decreased productivity. Stress may impact your mood, your behavior, your relationships, and your work. In short, stress can affect every aspect of your life.
Smokers often feel that smoking helps reduce stress while in fact it does the opposite. As Dr. Hays stated “Regular use of cigarettes shortly leads to brain changes that actually make it harder to experience stress relief. Within a short time virtually every smoker experiences increased stress and psychological distress with increased anxiety and feelings of depression as a direct result of continued smoking and dependence on nicotine”.
Check out this page on EX https://www.becomeanex.org/ways-to-relieve-stress/ for some tips on managing stress. If stress persists talking with a professional can also help.
Laura McConahey
NDC Counselor/CTTS
