Busy Day ABC
Today wasn’t quite the “breeze” yesterday was. This ABC happened on
the fly. (Is it ok that I post these?)
The situation is, I’ve been working straight for a few hours, going
from one task to the next because (1) I have way too much to do and
(2) I’m breaking the habit of going out for a smoke between each
task.
A. There is a tightness in my chest that is getting progressively
stronger; the tension is spreading all over my upper body; I’m making
mistakes and aggrevating myself, which makes me even more tense.
(past)B. I know that feeling in the chest, it’s nicotine withdrawal.
it’s what’s *always* told me that I need to go and smoke. So, I need
to go out for a smoke.
(past)C. I go outside and smoke, and soon feel better.
—
B1. I’ve always thought this feeling was nicotine withdrawal, but now
I’m pretty sure that it’s not. So what is it? Maybe it’s stress. Just
wait a minute here - I’ve got too much to do, but I’ve *still* put in
at *least* a half an hour more so far than I would have if I’d been
running out to smoke! Why should I be depriving myself of a break?
I’ll bet I can find something to do that is at least as mentally
sophisticated as smoking.
C1. I go into the other room and tell the hellion I need a hug. He’s
more than happy to comply. We sit together and sing a few rounds of
Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle. He asks me if I’m happy now. I
discover that I am, indeed, feeling much better. 
(Ok, so he’s not
*always* a hellion.)