CAUSES OF ANXIETY ATTACKS
Doesn't smoking relieve your stress? Isn't that what everyone is told? Isn't that why people smoke in the first place?
I had terrible anxiety, especially during the last few years of my life. Everyday I had an anxiety attack, but I didn't know why. Later on I found out one of the main causes was from nicotine withdrawal. Since I was a smoker, it all made sense. Smoking was causing my stress! I had it all backwards. Everyone has it all backwards, but they don't want to believe it or admit it.
I certainly didn't remember having them as a child, or an early teenager. I was fine in high school, I didn't have any problems. I was normal just like everyone else. I was confident, and I could speak in front of crowds with no issue. I only started getting them when I was about 26 years old, almost 10 years into my cigarette addiction.
They were definitely work-related, but I was able to handle stress before, so why now? Why all of a sudden? Well I narrowed it down to physical withdrawal.
Since they were so prevalent in my life, I decided to put an effort into quitting. Although I failed numerous times, every time I quit my anxiety was reduced. In fact, it was reduced by about 80%. That is a lot in my world. I went from having an attack everyday to having one a couple times a month. That is huge! That's a game changer for someone going through this torture all the time.
Everyone thinks that cigarettes relieve stress. That is completely the opposite of what is actually going on. They cause stress. When you're going through withdrawal, you crave a cigarette, and you get stressed-out if you can't have one. When you finally smoke, your stress goes away and you feel better, right?
Wrong!
Nicotine is causing that stress to begin with. If you weren't a smoker, you wouldn't be experiencing those moments of panic. When the nicotine levels in your body become low, the cravings strike, which causes you to freak out. That's why you give in. You don't smoke because your job is too stressful, or whatever situation you may be in, you do it because of the intense cravings. Your body demands it!
People don't love to smoke, they just hate NOT smoking. What they don't realize is if they quit all together, they wouldn't have anxiety. They wouldn't get stressed-out, no matter what the circumstances were. Sure, work can be tough at times, but you certainly won't have moments of panic like you used to. Do you see others freaking out on a daily basis? Probably not.
When I quit permanently, my anxiety just fizzled away. It was bad for the first couple weeks, until I was over the physical symptoms, but once I was over that, it all vanished. Then I'd get one maybe once or twice a month. Compare that to one every single day and that is a huge improvement.
It didn't even matter if the situation was stressful or not, I'd still get an attack. There could be one person standing in the room with me and I'd still get one. That never happened before when I was younger. I'd never get them as a teenager.
Now all those tough times at work seem easy to handle. I don't turn into a zombie anymore! Now I face them naturally, the way I was intended to. No more swallowing spit or glossy eyes, or monotone speech impairments. That's what happened to me on a daily basis, and once I quit, it all went away. Now I live with confidence!
Throw out those nasty cigarettes and you'll go back to normal, just like nature intended. That's a guarantee!
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