anxiety probs

[bessd]

I've been quit for almost a month (It has been 4 weeks, 1 days, 16 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds since I quit.), and I've found that I now have anxiety problems. I started developing some of these issues before I quit smoking, but things have definitely gotten worse in the month since. Anyone else have this problem? What do you do to deal with anxiety (and stress, while I'm asking) now that you don't smoke?

It's been especially frustrating because getting anxiety-ridden makes me want to smoke. I don't, because I know it won't help, but geez! Gimme a break. These cycles are vicious.

[bessd]

KarenS, Edith, Hammer and Danielle,

Thank you! So many great ideas. I appreciate it. It feels good to know I"m not the only one who's had probs like this after quitting. I'm going to make a little list of all these ideas and keep it in my wallet. I especially like the stress busting ideas -- just gotta think of some I can do. And Danielle, thank you for sharing the info about your anxiety-dealing methods. I think sound like the most straightforward way to get over those moments.

[bessd]

it's good to know this is normal.

i smoked a pack a day for just over 10 years (plus lighter smoking in the 3 years before i really started.).

i need to remember to get active when i start getting all anxious-y. i often end up sitting, half-paralyzed, while my mind runs laps around me.

thanks (again)! 🙂

[tryingmybest]

One of my biggest excuses for not quitting was always that I had panic disorder and GAD (General Anxiety Disorder). This time I did quit though........13 days now!.......... and nobody is more surprised than I am. I have to say that I didn't do much by the book though. I think the thing that worked for me was determination. No......I'm not coming across as better than anyone else....not at all. This is just what works for me. This money crunch has hit me really bad and I really needed the money I was putting into cigarettes for bills and gas.

I tried to quit about a year ago and the third day the anxiety from withdrawal was so bad I was climbing the walls. This time it never happened. I signed up here and the next day I went from1 1/2 packs a day to about 5 cigarettes. I never got around to setting a quit date because one day I just stopped. I have no idea why this part was so easy for me but I'm glad it was.

My problem now is still the psychological cravings. They are driving me nuts but I use every bit of energy in my body to think about something else or to get involved doing something that will take my mind off of it and eventually it passes. I do find that obsessing over quitting wasn't working well for me..........it just made me think about it more. I know it has been 13 days but I have no idea how many hours, minutes or seconds. I don't know what I was doing or thinking when I finallly stopped. Concentrating on things like that just made me think of smoking more. I've found that with other habits too, the more you think about them the more you want them. Have you ever been on a diet? The more you think about the fact that you cannot eat, the more you want to eat. For me what works best is to get involved in other things.

If your anxiety is bad enough to bother you so much maybe you can ask your doctor for an anti-anxiety med in a very low dose. With my anxiety problems I've been taking Xanax for years so that might have helped me, although it didn't do squat for me when I tried to quit last year.

I guess after all this, my suggestions would be to try diversion and if the anxiety is WAY too uncomfortable, talk to your doctor. I wish you all the luck in the world. I know you can do it.