Stress Relief Action Guide

I read with interest an online article published by the Chicago Tribune a week ago titled “Holdout smokers: Who they are and why they can’t quit”.  In this article, it states

“Beyond the physical addiction, smokers repeatedly pointed to the stress relief that smoking provides.  “Cigarettes are just adult pacifiers,” said three-pack-a-day smoker Deborah Israel, 56, of Chicago. “You stick ‘em in your mouth when you get stressed.”

I guess the same could be said of drinkers, who take a drink whenever they get stressed and need to “calm down”.  The alcoholic buzz and the warm glow helps to smooth the rough edges.

The problem with these  “stress relievers”, and other misused alternatives (pain pills, muscle relaxers, illegal drugs, etc.) is the danger to go too far with them.  In the case of the stressed out smoker above, evidently she is getting stressed 60 times a day.  (20 cigarettes to a pack and three packs a day).  That’s every day.  That’s way too much stress to deal with on a daily basis.

But I suspect her stress is not that often.  My guess is that she uses “stress relief” as her validation of why she can’t quit smoking.  And that’s probably true of the other alternatives to reducing stress.  All of these are highly addictive, and produce more bad effects on the body than good.

What do you take for your stress?  Have you stopped to think about it?  Do you subconsciously reach for something to calm you down?  It doesn’t have to be items that are considered bad by society.  How about candy?  Mints?  Snack food?  Sodas?  More coffee?

A bedrock of dealing with stress is to be aware of what is causing you stress and to consciously make decisions as to how to address these “activating events.”.  Remember our “ABC Model”?

Choose your stress relievers wisely!

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I just came across a report on a new study published by Daniel K. Mroczek, a professor of child development and family studies at Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana).  The study looked at personality traits and how they affected mortality rates.  They found

“that having worrying tendencies or being the kind of person who stresses easily is likely to lead to bad behaviors like smoking and, therefore, raise the mortality rate.”

The researchers followed 1,788 men over a 30 year period.  They looked at their personality traits and smoking behaviors, to see if there were any connections.  What they found was that those men who exhibit higher levels of neuroticism tend to “self-medicate” themselves by using tobacco, alcohol, or drugs.

Neuroticism is excessive worry over minor events in which there is an expectation of negative consequences or an inability to deal with those events.

What does this mean to you?  Well, first of all, if you’re a person who stresses easily, such as worrying about events that are outside of your control, then you need to take affirmative steps toward realizing that you may be at risk.

Make your motto:

DON’T WORRY.  BE HAPPY!

When you do worry, do you turn to bad habits to see you through?  If you do, you are setting yourself up for future medical problems.  At the very least, make the conscious connection that you’re reacting to stress in your life when you turn to these vices.  Understand each time your partake in a smoke, drink, or pop a pill, you are reacting to stress.  Once you understand this connection, you can begin to deal with the real cause of your stress.  And in the meantime, eliminate the temptations to turn to these vices.  Remove them from your environment.  Instead, turn to healthy alternatives.

I know it’s easy to say, hard to do.  But your life is at stake.  Realize that it really is cutting your life short and it should be easier to attack the problem.

Stress Less and Live More

Dillon

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