Stress And Tension – What We Do To Create It And How To Overcome It
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Loading ...Although many people use the terms “anxiety” and “stress” interchangeably, they are actually two distinct conditions. Stress is a reaction to a stimulus, either internal or external. 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 won’t meet expectations (such as missing a deadline).
Anxiety, on the other hand, is a feeling of dread, or nervousness and fear. It can be caused by negative thoughts and expectations, or as a reaction to stress. You may experience feelings of anxiety virtually all of the time and not understand why, or your feelings may be a reaction to something you are nervous about, like an upcoming business trip.
Abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain may cause generalized anxiety. Some studies show that anxiety can be brought on by genetics. In addition, anxiety can be induced environmentally, as when a child whose father or mother is often anxious becomes an anxious person by observing the parent. But very often 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 react 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 feels some amount of anxiety from time to time. We have all felt the dry mouth and “butterflies in the stomach” before an exam or public speaking engagement. But when does it become harmful to your health? Research indicates that chronic anxiety can make us vulnerable to sleep disorders, high blood pressure, relationship problems, and depression.
For sufferers of chronic untreated anxiety, there may be detrimental health consequences that have yet to be fully examined. Many studies have found a link between chronic anxiety and a number of serious health conditions including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, respiratory illness, and thyroid disease. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack.
If you suffer from what seems like a disproportionately high amount of anxiety relative to the situation, or if you feel anxious nearly every day, you may actually have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are chronic conditions characterized by one’s inability to function normally because of frequent anxiety. Anxiety disorders are serious conditions that should be treated to reduce the risk of long-term effects.
Anxiety treatment has long been the subject of much discussion in the medical field. Some medical professionals believe that medication is the best treatment for chronic anxiety. Unfortunately, anxiety medications often have undesirable side effects that are just as bad as or even worse than the initial condition.
There are many safe and non-invasive ways to control negative emotional responses. Exercise is one that is often overlooked by anxious people, but it is very effective. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are natural pain-killing and mood-boosting chemicals. With regular aerobic exercise, you may start to feel a dramatic decrease in negative emotional reactions to situations that would have previously made you feel quite anxious.
The best way to manage tension and worry is to control it from within. Stress relief and stress management techniques are very valuable tools in managing day-to-day stress. These techniques can teach you to calm yourself and let the tension leave your body. You make a conscious effort to slow your breathing, release the tension, and maintain a tranquil state of mind. Meditation is a fantastic form of tension relief in which you practice thoughtful relaxation and deep, calming breathing.
However, if you want a proactive method to relieve yourself of anxiety, hypnotherapy is by far the best treatment option. When an individual undergoes hypnosis, their reactions and emotional responses to events are changed at the core. This permits them to cope with common anxiety-inducing triggers without the typical feelings of fear and nervousness.
Hypnosis is often performed by a licensed hypnotist in a series of regular sessions. More commonly today, hypnotherapy can be learned from self hypnosis programs which are available in the form of MP3s, CDs, or DVDs for individual home usage. No special skills are necessary to practice self hypnosis. All that you need is a device to play the hypnotherapy program and a quiet space where you can listen and relax.
Another very successful method of anxiety treatment is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. NLP is a form of therapy that helps you condition your mind and body to naturally react to situations in a more positive manner. You can consciously decide to remain calm rather than anxious, and consequently, you always have control over your own feelings.
It is evident that it is very important to be able to manage our negative emotional responses in order to remain healthy. Understanding how to deal with fear and nervousness may even add precious years onto your life. To treat long-term anxiety, the best course of action is to use hypnosis to change your attitudes and reactions from within. Then, use stress management techniques as needed to keep calm in everyday situations.
About the author: Alan B. Densky is an NGH certified hypnotherapist. He offers a complete line of stress reduction NLP CDs, and advanced anxiety reduction CDs through his Neuro-VISION hypnosis website. You can visit his self hypnosis blog, and download a free MP3.
Courtesy: Article Rich
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