How To Cope With Stress

Somebody once said,” Stress is what happens when your mind thinks one thing and your mouth thinks another”. It is so easy to get into stressful situations just by trying to please people and agreeing to do those things that we don't really want to do.

Too many of us spend our lives dealing with awkward situations and problems, both at home and at work. This leads to too much stress and can sometimes drive one literally over the edge. But before we deal with stress we have to realize that we need a certain amount of stress in our lives in order to function properly.

So the 'trick' is to find a balance between too much stress and too little. You have to realize that a certain amount of stress is good and that we use it to push ourselves and enhance our performance or productivity at exactly the right moment.

It is important to have the right frame of mind when dealing with stress and try and keep away from people who are 'over stressed' it can be infectious. When the world is going mad there are always those who keep their head. Mix with these people and find out how they are in control all the time.

Sometimes it is our own self-confidence, or lack of, that causes us anxiety and a good way to combat this is by practicing a few deep breathes. When first starting out on a sales career a good tip is just before you are due to meet a client, find a quiet corner and breathe in for a count of seven and then, slowly, breathe out for a count of eleven. Just doing this a few times will lower a racing heartbeat and put you in a more relaxed and confident state.

Another little trick you can use to lower your stress levels and be in control of your life is to control your thoughts. What does that mean? Well, most of us are stressed because we are thinking stressful thoughts all the time. So it's simple, change your thoughts and think something else. It really is that simple, it's not easy to do at first, but every time you think bad or stressful thoughts turn them around and think good positive thoughts. You will be amazed at how this simple technique can lower your anxiety levels and improve the quality of your life.

Hopefully, you found these tips for dealing with stress useful and don't forget if all else fails two or three weeks in the sunshine will work wonders.

Your Cigarette Addiction Explained

You initially become addicted to cigarettes because of the fast action of nicotine on the pleasure centers of your brain. When you puff on a cigarette, the nicotine in your lungs enters your blood stream and within 15 to 20 seconds begins to work on your brain.

Once in your brain, nicotine binds to receptors that are intended for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This binding causes a change in the cell walls that allow calcium or sodium ions to enter the cell. After that, a number of additional brain neurotransmitters are released.

These neurotransmitters affect your mood and behavior. The neurotransmitter dopamine affects the reward center that causes feelings of pleasure and enjoyment. Serotonin helps moderate your mood and controls your appetite. GABA produces a calming effect that reduces anxiety.

Smoking is a means of artificially spiking the acetylcholine system resulting in feelings of pleasure, calmness, and a moderation of your mood. Because of these positive effects and the speed with which they are associated with nicotine intake (taking a puff) smoking is highly addictive.

As an occasional or social smoker, you may begin to use cigarettes as a means of coping with life's daily stresses. You switch from social smoking to daily smoking. Once you begin smoking several cigarettes a day, nicotine is constantly stimulating your brain, 24 hours a day. You are psychologically addicted to the positive effects of nicotine.

Over a period of several years a transition begins to take place in the addiction mechanism.

Your brain adapts to the frequent presence of nicotine. Your brain physically changes by increasing the nicotine receptor concentration. This requires more nicotine for your brain to function properly. That is, your brain now becomes dependent on nicotine for normal functions. This adaptation produces tolerance for nicotine.

When your brain is unable to get the required amount of nicotine, you experience withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms include irritability, restlessness, difficulty in getting along with family and friends, sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, hunger, difficulty concentrating, and lethargy.

Half the nicotine in your body is metabolized and broken down every 2 hours. As your nicotine level declines, the withdrawal symptoms set in. The only way to relieve the withdrawal symptoms is with another dose of nicotine. You now smoke, not for pleasure, but to eliminate withdrawal symptoms.

As an addicted cigarette smoker, you often need your first dose of nicotine as soon as possible in the morning. Many smokers take their first puffs within 5 minutes of awakening.

Throughout the day, you need additional doses of nicotine every couple of hours. You are often willing to leave the comfort of a smoke-free environment to stand in the freezing cold, rain, or sweltering heat to get your next dose of nicotine. You are definitely in the second stage of nicotine addiction.

Overall, your smoking addiction started out as a psychologically addiction to the positive effects of nicotine on your brain. But, because the brain adapts to nicotine, your smoking addiction winds up as a means of preventing the negative effects of withdrawal symptoms.