Testing It Up

This is certainly a notion that a number of smokers might disagree with, as there are those who actually tend to smoke more when they are stressed out, presumably in search of relief. And those who are trying to quit the habit complain that they feel stressed about having to quit and manage their urge to light up.

According to a report by Reuters, a study published in the journal Addiction indicate that the chronic stress levels of a former smoker may go down once the person has kicked the habit. Peter Hajek, lead researcher and professor at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in the UK, shared the following statement with Reuters via e-mail: “Smokers often see cigarettes as a tool to manage stress, and ex-smokers sometimes return to smoking in the belief that this will help them cope with a stressful life event.”

That being said, though, Hajek reported that non-smokers exhibited lower stress levels when compared with smokers. Hajek’s study involved 469 smokers who tried to kick the habit after being hospitalized for heart disease. Among those who were able to quit, a reduction in perceived stress levels was noted after a period of one year. In comparison, those who went back to smoking did not experience a change in their stress levels.

Hajek explains the reason behind the thinking that smoking has a calming effect: “When dependent smokers cannot smoke, as the period without cigarettes lengthens they tend to feel more and more edgy, irritable and uncomfortable. A cigarette relieves this stressful state, and this is probably the main reason smokers think that smoking relieves stress.”

Job stress is something that so many are suffering from. From the bottom of the corporate pyramid to the very top, stress is something we — mere human beings — are susceptible of. Although our stressors differ from one profession to another, the end result is always the same. So here are simple things we can do to cope with work-related stress:

Separate personal life from work.

It’s tiresome to think of work all the time. It hinders us from enjoying the simplest things in life. Whenever something stressful hits work life, we must not allow it to interfere with our time with our families or with ourselves. We must find a way to separate ourselves from our work. We can go on a road trip or watch a movie. Sometimes, the best way to handle stress is to put it on the back-burner and just focus on something we enjoy.

Manage work load accordingly.

The worst thing we can do to ourselves is to carry all the weight of the workload on our shoulders. It’s time to give ourselves a break! We need to know how to delegate, manage the work load, or simply say no to additional assignments we know we can no longer handle. Also, we must not procrastinate. If we can do something right now, why wait later?

Don’t forget to eat.

Eating is valuable to our capability to handle stress. Stress is a condition that not only affects our minds, but it also lowers our immune system and contributes to fatigue. So, instead of spending mornings worrying about the day ahead, let us take time to eat a good breakfast that will give our bodies the energy needed to handle another hard day’s work.