Catching Up on My Blogging....Stress Sucks!

Hi there all.....
I just gone done catching up on all of the blogs I used to read daily. I miss you guys and my support system and figured I better post! I have been craving cigarettes like mad! Sometimes my best thinking is not the way to do things.... I had been on Chantix for four months so I figured that when the prescription ran out, I would not fill it. I figured that I was on it a month longer than most people so I would be fine if I just stopped taking it. Bad decision! I was cranky and irritable because it is the most stressful time of the year for me and I have a lot of things to do. After four days of being one very unhappy camper, I called my doctor and told him I thought I should taper off slowly and he agreed. (My students probably would have agreed too if you would have asked them. I refilled the prescription and he told me to either take a full dose every other day or go down to one pill a day. I am taking one pill a day and my anxiety and stress level is way better and fortunately, I did not smoke even though I was really tempted. I DO NOT want to be a pack a day smoker and spend a lot of money on killing myself and smelling bad! I am finalizing my historical research project that I will present at the beginning of April and am finishing my resume, cover letters and other paperwork I will need to send out during spring break. The budget for California just came out and a lot of teachers are probably going to be laid off on March 15. The economy is going crazy out here and a lot of people are losing their jobs along with their homes. I hope all is well everyone and I continue to look at fellow bloggers posts when I feel good or when I feel bad! I like being a non-smoker 90% of the time and want to keep it like that!
Holla back all!
Peace,
Diva

STRESS SUCKS! CRAVING BIG TIME!!!

Hey all....
I am under tremendous stress...illness, identy theft, work stuff, living with a smoker, looking for a place to live, conference call backs, scheduling the videotaping of oral histories for a historical conference...need I say more? I think I am just overwhelmed! I do not mean to be negative, but my cravings have kicked into FULL gear! My roomate told me she was going to a hooka lounge tonite and my brain really went there. My brain kept telling me stuff like, "smoking flavored tobacco in hooka isn't really smoking, its not a cigarette, etc. I am using all of the techniques to not light up and have not! I am still taking the Chantix as prescribed. I am going to my cousins house and she is a non-smoker! I think I need a massage or something! Anyway, just thought I would post quickly. I am praying for the cravings to leave me! If you all have any suggests, give a holler!
Peace,
Diva

Getting a Cold...Just When I Thought I Recovered!

I cannot believe that I am feeling under the weather again! I think it has to be stress! It has been said that stress can cause many forms of illness. I never used to believe it, but I am beginning to become convinced. Its been really windy around here and it is kicking my asthma into gear. I am taking Dayquil and other OTC medications because I am really congested. I have to be really careful because last time I ended up in the Emergency Room, I had really high blood pressure from that stuff. I think today I will go out and buy the stuff with the heart on the box. Hopefully, this is just a little cold and not a major episode like the last time I got sick. Believe it or not people, I am REALLY pretty healthy and hardly ever get sick! The last time I missed this many days of work, I had major surgery! I guess my body is adjusting to being a non-smoker. I really can't figure any other reason that all this is happening. Fortunately, I have training tomorrow so will not have to expend too much energy so I can give my body a rest.