Question:
How many of these symptoms of stress are identical to symptoms of nic
withdrawal? If stress is a by product of being alive, how often
have/do we experience some stress symptom and respond automatically
with an urge to smoke or consciously think it's due to nicotine
addiction? How often do we make an effort to differentiate? In my
case, never. That is until I began to view what I was feeling and how
I 'wanted' to respond as a function of what I was thinking.
Answer:
Here's a list of symptoms of stress from the University of Minnesota
(http://www.d.umn.edu/hlthserv/counseling/stress_symptoms.html)
Symptoms of Stress
Physical:
heart pounding
headaches
sweaty palms
indigestion
skin breaks out
shortness of breath
holding breath
cold hands
sleeplessness
sleep too much
fatigue
nausea
diarrhea
tight stomach
tight muscles
pain
Emotional:
moody
irritability
depressed
anxious
lack of sense of humor
abrasive
hostile
nervous
emotional
Mental:
forgetfulness
loss of concentration
poor judgment
disorganized
fuzzy perception
confused
lack of interest
math errors
stop thinking
diminished fantasy life
negative self-talk
