Stress is often a catalyst for disease, so managing stress is important. While the pharmaceutical industry would love for you to manage your stress using one of their little pills, the truth is that since the mind creates it, the mind can eliminate it.
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Lots of people tend to use the terms “stress” and “anxiety” interchangeably, but they are in fact two separate conditions. Stress is a reaction to a stimulus, which can be external or internal. You may experience stress when you feel frustrated with something (like waiting in line behind a slow person) or when you are worried that you will not meet expectations (such as missing a deadline at work).
Anxiety, on the other hand, is a sense of dread, or nervousness and fear. It can be brought on by negative expectations and thoughts, or as a response to stress. You may feel anxious all of the time and not understand why, or your worry may be a response to something you are nervous about, such as an upcoming test.
Abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain may cause generalized anxiety. Some studies show that anxiety can be brought on genetically. Anxiety may also stem from environmental conditions, as when a child whose mother or father is often anxious learns to be an anxious person by observing the parent. But frequently, the base cause of anxiety is simply the thoughts in a person’s mind!
Stress and anxiety are subjective conditions. Different people may feel stressed about different situations, and different people may respond to their anxiousness in extremely different ways. Symptoms of anxiety can range from the mild, such as tense muscles and sweaty hands, to the severe, such as irregular heartbeat, vomiting, and anxiety attacks.
Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety once in awhile. We have all experienced the dry mouth and vague sense of dread before a test or public speaking engagement. But when does it become damaging to your health? Studies have revealed that prolonged anxiety can lead to sleep disorders, depression, relationship problems, and high blood pressure
For sufferers of chronic untreated anxiety, there may be negative health consequences that have yet to be fully examined. Some studies have found a link between generalized anxiety disorder and a variety of serious health conditions including heart disease, respiratory illness, arthritis, cancer, and thyroid disease. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack.
If you experience what seems like an inappropriately high amount of anxiety relative to the circumstances, or if you feel anxious nearly every day, you may actually have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are chronic conditions characterized by a person’s inability to function normally because of frequent anxiety. Anxiety disorders are serious conditions that should be treated to lower the risk of long-term effects.
Anxiety treatment has long been the subject of much debate in the medical field. Some medical professionals believe that medication is the best treatment for chronic anxiety. Unfortunately, anti-anxiety medications often produce undesirable side effects that are just as bad as or even worse than the initial affliction.
There are plenty of safe and effective ways to control negative emotional reactions. Exercise is a frequently overlooked option, but it is very effective in managing stress and anxiety. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting and pain-killing chemicals. With regular aerobic exercise, you may start to feel a decrease in negative emotional reactions to situations that would previously have made you very anxious.
The most effective way to cope with tension and worry is to control it from the inside out. Stress management and stress relief techniques are extremely valuable tools in coping with day to day stress. These techniques can teach you to relax yourself and let the tension leave your body. You make a conscious effort to slow your breathing rate, release the worry, and maintain a tranquil state of mind. Meditation is an excellent form of tension relief in which you focus on thoughtful relaxation and deep, calm breathing.
However, if you are seeking a proactive method to relieve yourself of anxiety, hypnosis is the best form of treatment. When an individual undergoes hypnosis, their reactions and emotional responses to events are changed at the core. This allows them to deal with anxiety-inducing triggers without the typical fear and nervousness.
Hypnosis is typically performed by a licensed hypnotherapist in a series of regular sessions. More commonly today, hypnosis is available in the form of self hypnosis programs which can be purchased in the form of MP3s, DVDs, or CDs for individual home usage. No special skills are required to perform self hypnosis. All you need is a way to play the hypnosis program and a quiet space where you can relax and listen.
Another successful method of anxiety treatment is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. NLP is a type of therapy that helps you condition your body and mind to naturally respond to situations in a more positive way. You can consciously decide to stay calm rather than anxious, and consequently, you always have control over your own feelings.
It is evident that it is very important to manage our negative emotional responses in order to stay healthy. Learning to deal with fear and nervousness may even extend your life. To treat long term anxiety, the best treatment option to follow is to participate in hypnotherapy to change your reactions and attitudes from within. Then, practice stress management techniques as necessary to stay calm in everyday situations.
Alan B. Densky, CH has been in practice over 30 years. His Neuro-VISION hypnotism website carries a broad range of stress reduction hypnosis CDs, and advanced stress management CDs Visit his site for the Free self hypnosis blog, and download a free MP3.
Asthma is a chronic condition affecting the respiratory system. During an asthma attack, airways, which carry oxygen to and out of the lungs, tend to get narrower and hence decrease the flow of oxygen coming to the lungs. The airways also become inflamed and lined up with mucus. These symptoms might occur many times in a day or week, or a lot less often. The severity of the attacks also differs.