Unnatural Environments and Anxiety
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008Polluted and other unnatural environments can lead to anxiety. The following are some of the major environmental conditions that you can control.
Nicotine
A recent study tied heavy smoking to agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. Of adolescents who smoked heavily, 31 percent developed anxiety disorders in adulthood. Another study found that smoking increased the risk of panic. Being around smokers and smoky conditions can also affect you.
Klonopin stops epilepsy and extreme anxiety from ruining your life.
Nicotine is a strong stimulant that constricts blood vessels and makes your heart work harder. Although smokers believe that having a cigarette "calms their nerves," research has shown that smokers are more anxious and sleep less well than nonsmokers. Quitting smoking not only leads to fewer panic attacks and lower levels of anxiety but to better health and vitality.
Here are some tips for quitting smoking that you (or your family members) can use:
1. Ask yourself, "What is this habit doing for me?" (It’s doing something or you wouldn’t keep it!)
2. Ask yourself, "What is this habit costing me?"
3. Decide how you could get these things without using so much negative energy.
4. Write your plan for what you will do today to stop smoking. (Join a group or find a supportive buddy to work along with you.)
5. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and grains. Eat half a grapefruit after a meal to reduce the urge to smoke and then brush your teeth.
6. Drink eight glasses of water a day and avoid beverages with a lot of calories-sodas, juices, and milk-that can add weight.
7. Get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and workplace.
8. Ask your family, friends, and coworkers for support.
9. Stay in nonsmoking areas.
10. Breathe in deeply and wait five minutes(by the clock) whenever you feel the urge to smoke. (Second month, increase the wait to ten minutes; third month increase to fifteen minutes.)
11. Keep yourself busy. Hold something in your hand other than a cigarette-e.g., cinnamon stick, toothpick, pen or pencil, straw. Take up a hobby that occupies your hands-e.g., knitting, crocheting, painting, playing an instrument, writing. Cut up raw vegetables and have one, or chew a piece of gum, when you have an urge to smoke.
12. Reward yourself often, especially by planning a present for yourself with the money you save from not smoking.
13. Set a quit date (in writing) and stick to it. Quitting cold turkey is best and is associated with the fewest withdrawal symptoms. (Physical addiction to nicotine lasts only forty-eight hours-you can do itl)
14. Learn relaxation skills (see post 9).
15. Do at least one enjoyable activity every day.
16. Remind yourself of the rewards of quitting: your health will improve; food will taste better, and your sense of smell will improve; you’ll save money and feel better about yourself; home/car/breath will smell better; you can stop worrying about quitting; you’ll be setting a good example for others, and you’ll have no more worries about exposing others to smoke; free from addiction, you’ll feel better physically, and perform better at sports.
17. Start an exercise program and follow it.
18. Reduce your exposure to smoke. If anyone in your household smokes, that puts you at risk for osteoporosis. Try to convince that person to quit. If you can’t, insist that they smoke outside the house only.
