Stress And Tension - What We Do To Create It And How To Overcome It

Many people tend to use the words stress and anxiety interchangeably, but they are in fact two separate conditions.  Stress is a response to a stimulus, which can be internal or external.  You may feel 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).

Anxiety, on the other hand, is a sense of dread, or fear and nervousness. It can be brought on by negative expectations and thoughts, or as a reaction to stress. You may feel anxious virtually all of the time and not know why, or your worry may be a reaction to something you are nervous about, such as an upcoming exam. 

Abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain can cause generalized anxiety. Some research shows that anxiety can be brought on by genetics. In addition, anxiety can stem from environmental conditions, as when a child whose father or mother is often anxious becomes 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 experience stress during different situations, and different people may respond to their anxiousness in very different ways.  Symptoms of anxiety can range from the mild, such as sweaty hands and tense muscles, to the severe, such as irregular heartbeat, anxiety attacks, and vomiting.

Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety once in awhile.  All of us have felt the dry mouth and vague sense of dread before a public speaking engagement or a test.  But when does it become harmful to your health?  Research has shown that prolonged anxiety can make us vulnerable to sleep disorders, high blood pressure, depression, and relationship problems

For sufferers of chronic untreated anxiety, there can be detrimental health consequences that have yet to be fully examined.  Some studies have found a link between chronic anxiety and a variety of serious health conditions including cancer, thyroid disease, heart disease, arthritis, and respiratory illness. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal cardiac 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 an individual'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 negative health 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 handle chronic anxiety.  Unfortunately, anxiety medications often produce side effects that are just as bad 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 very effective.  Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting and pain-killing chemicals.  With regular exercise, you may start 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 worry and tension is to control it from within.  Stress management and stress relief techniques are very useful in handling day to day stress.  These techniques can teach you to relax yourself and relieve your tension.  You make a conscious effort to slow your rate of breathing, release the tension, and remain in a peaceful state of mind.  Meditation is an excellent form of tension management in which you focus on thoughtful relaxation and deep, calm breathing.

However, if you want a proactive method to free yourself of anxiety, hypnosis is the most effective treatment option.  When a person undergoes hypnotherapy, their emotional responses and reactions to events are changed at their core.  This gives them the opportunity to handle anxiety-inducing triggers without the usual nervousness and fear. 

Hypnosis is typically performed by a licensed hypnotist in a series of regular treatments.  More commonly today, hypnosis is available in the form of self hypnosis programs which can be purchased in the form of DVDs, MP3s, or CDs for personal home use.  No special skills are required to perform self hypnosis.  All you need is a device to play the hypnosis 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 can help you condition your mind and body to naturally respond to situations in a more positive way.  You can consciously decide to remain calm rather than anxious, and consequently, you are always in control of your own emotions.

It is evident that it is very important to be able to manage our negative emotional responses in order to stay healthy.  Learning to deal with fear and nervousness can even extend your life.  To treat long term anxiety, the best treatment option to follow is to participate in hypnotherapy to change your attitudes and reactions from within.  Then, it becomes easy to use stress management techniques as needed to remain calm in everyday situations.