Does Smoking Cause Stress?

We know that smoking causes cancer, emphysema, heart disease and other life-threatening health disorders but does it also cause stress? The answer is yes! Follow along to see why.

Your physical body and your mental health are inextricably connected. They have a kind of symbiotic relationship. The health of your physical body will affect your emotional health and vice versa. This is why smoking can be so damaging to your mental health because it is one of the most physically damaging activities you can do to yourself.

Carcinogens damage your body's cells. Damaged cells lead to your body being unable to function properly and this means that the chemicals that control moods cannot properly be synthesized. This can lead to many mood swings and even feelings of anxiety and depression. Mood swings, anxiety and depression all increase a person's stress levels. But this isn't just superstition; research backs up that smoking increases stress.

Research has shown that people actually become more stressed when smoking cigarettes then when they are between cigarettes. Although many people turn to cigarettes for stress relief, they are actually contributing to higher stress levels. Smokers are sick more often. Smokers have less energy and are less likely to engage in a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise. Suffering from constant fatigue, sickness and the mood swings mentioned above can all contribute to increased stress levels in smokers. The irony is, they think that cigarettes are the only way to manage their stress when they are actually just unleashing more of it.

Instead of engaging in smoking as a method of stress relief, try to take a healthy approach to relieving stress. Create a regular exercise plan and start to eat healthy-both of these things will elevate your mood and decrease your stress levels. Maybe your stress is due to feelings and emotions that you need to communicate. Instead of picking up a cigarette, journal about how you feel or find someone you can trust that you can talk with whether it is a friend, family member or therapist. Nobody wants to be stressed and we live in a busy world in which we seem to always be under some kind of low-intensity stress. People who have stopped smoking have commented they are amazed at how their stress levels dropped and are able to manage their emotions so much better even in challenging situations, be it work or home.

So the good news is that you can do things to help yourself however you have to be willing to make the changes necessary to rid the excess stress in your life, eat right, move around and above all get rid of the cigarettes! To read more about this and other health related topics go to http://masteryourlifepower.com/

Maureen Hamilton is an Integrated Neuro-Linguistic Programming Master Practitioner, Hypnotherapist and a Demartini Method Facilitator. Maureen has previously worked in many areas of health in Australia as well as overseas. Her health background includes training in general and midwifery nursing, mental health and children's behavioural issues (including the effects of emotional trauma especially in children). Maureen is very much involved in promoting and assisting people to obtain optimal health and is absolutely committed to helping people to stop smoking and/or lose weight naturally using Hypnosis and NLP.

Article source: http://goarticles.com/article/Does-Smoking-Cause-Stress/6343006/