Stress And Tension - How We Cause It And How To Get Rid Of It

Many 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 internal or external. You may feel stress because you are frustrated with something (like waiting in line behind a slow person) or when you worry that you won't meet expectations (such as missing a deadline at work).

Anxiety, on the other hand, is a feeling of nervousness and fear or even dread. It can be caused by negative expectations and thoughts, or as a response to stress. You may feel anxious virtually all of the time and not understand why, or your feelings may be a response to something you are nervous about, like an upcoming journey.

Abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain may cause generalized anxiety. Some research shows that anxiety can be brought on by genetics. Anxiety may also be induced environmentally, as when the child of a parent who is often anxious becomes an anxious person by observing the parent. But very often the root cause of anxiety is simply the thoughts that a person is thinking!

Stress and anxiety are subjective conditions. Different people may experience stress during different situations, and different people may respond to their anxiousness in extremely different ways. Symptoms of anxiety can range from the mild, such as sweaty hands and tense muscles, to the severe, such as anxiety attacks, vomiting, and irregular heartbeat.

Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety from time to time. We have all experienced the dry mouth and vague sense of dread before an exam or public speaking engagement. But when does it become harmful to your health? Research has revealed that chronic anxiety can make us vulnerable to sleep disorders, depression, relationship problems, and high blood pressure

For sufferers of chronic untreated anxiety, there can be detrimental health consequences that have yet to be explored fully. Many studies have found a link between generalized anxiety disorder and a number of serious health conditions including cancer, respiratory illness, thyroid disease, arthritis, and heart disease. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack.

If you suffer from what seems like an inappropriately 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 a person's inability to function normally because of constant 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 community. Some medical professionals believe that medication is the best way to treat chronic anxiety. Unfortunately, anti-anxiety medications often have serious side effects that are just as bad as or even worse than the initial condition.

There are many safe and natural ways to handle negative emotional responses. Exercise is one that is often overlooked by anxious people, but it is extremely 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 begin to see a dramatic decrease in negative emotional responses to situations that would have previously made you extremely anxious.

The most effective way to deal with tension and worry is to control it from within. Stress relief and stress management techniques are extremely valuable tools in handling day to day stress. These techniques can teach you to calm yourself and relieve your tension. You make a conscious effort to slow your breathing rate, release the tension, and remain in a calm state of mind. Meditation is an excellent form of tension control in which you focus on mindful relaxation and deep, calming breathing.

However, if you seek a proactive method to free yourself of anxiety, hypnosis is the most effective treatment option. When an individual undergoes hypnotherapy, their emotional responses and reactions to events are changed at their core. This permits them to deal with typical anxiety-inducing triggers without the usual feelings of fear and nervousness.

Hypnosis is often performed by a licensed hypnotist in a series of regular treatments. More commonly today, hypnosis takes 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 needed to perform self hypnosis. All you need is a way to play the hypnosis program and a quiet place 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 manner. You can consciously decide to remain calm instead of feeling anxious, meaning that you always have control over your own emotions.

In summary, you can see that it is important to manage our negative emotional responses in order to remain healthy. Learning to deal with fear and nervousness can even extend your life. To treat chronic anxiety, the best treatment option to follow is to participate in hypnotherapy to change your attitudes and reactions at the core. Then, it becomes easy to use stress management techniques as needed to stay calm in everyday situations.

Many people use the words "stress" and "anxiety" interchangeably, but they are in fact two distinct conditions. For sufferers of long-term untreated anxiety, there may be negative health consequences that have yet to be explored fully. It is very important to control our negative emotional responses in order to keep healthy. Hypnotherapy and NLP have proven to be the modalities of choice, offering immediate relief without any of the negative and often dangerous side effects of drugs.

Alan B. Densky, CH has been in practice over 30 years. His Neuro-VISION self hypnosis website carries a broad range of stress management hypnosis CDs, and advanced stress reduction CDs Visit his site for the Free video hypnosis blog, and download a free MP3.

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