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Stress - What Creates It And How To Cure It

By: Alan B. Densky, CH

Although many people use the words "stress" and "anxiety" interchangeably, they are in fact two separate conditions. Stress is a reaction to a stimulus, which can be 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 fear and nervousness. It can be caused by negative expectations and thoughts, or as a response to stress. You may experience feelings of anxiety all of the time and not understand why, or your worry 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 studies indicate that anxiety can be brought on genetically. In addition, anxiety can 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 base cause of anxiety is simply the thoughts that a person is thinking!

Anxiety and stress 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 tense muscles and sweaty hands, to the severe, such as vomiting, anxiety attacks, and irregular heartbeat.

Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety from time to time. We have all felt the dry mouth and vague sense of dread before a test or public speaking engagement. But when does it become harmful to your health? Studies indicate that prolonged anxiety can make us vulnerable to sleep disorders, depression, high blood pressure, and relationship problems

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

If you suffer from 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 an individual'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 community. Some medical professionals believe that medication is the best method to treat chronic anxiety. However, anti-anxiety medications often have serious side effects that are just as bad as or even worse than the initial condition.

There are many natural ways to control negative emotional reactions. Exercise is a frequently overlooked option, but it is highly effective. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are natural pain-killing and mood-boosting chemicals. With regular aerobic exercise, you may begin to feel a decrease in negative emotional responses to situations that would previously have made you extremely anxious.

The most effective way to cope with tension and worry is to control it from within. Stress management and stress relief techniques are extremely useful in handling 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 mindful relaxation and deep, calming breathing.

However, if you are looking for a proactive solution to free yourself of anxiety, hypnotherapy is by far the best form of treatment. When a person undergoes hypnosis, their reactions and emotional responses to events are changed at their core. This permits them to deal with anxiety-inducing triggers without the typical fear and nervousness.

Hypnosis can be performed by a licensed hypnotist in a series of regular sessions. More commonly today, hypnotherapy can be learned from self hypnosis programs which can be purchased in the form of CDs, MP3s, or DVDs for individual home use. No special skills are necessary to perform self hypnosis. All you need is a way to play the hypnotherapy program and a quiet space where you can listen and relax.

Another very successful type of anxiety treatment is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. NLP is a form of therapy that can help you retrain your mind and body to naturally respond to situations in a more positive way. You can consciously decide to remain calm instead of feeling anxious, which means that you always maintain control over your own emotions.

It is evident that it is very important to manage our negative emotional responses in order to stay healthy. Understanding how to deal with fear and nervousness can even extend your life. To treat long-term anxiety, the best treatment option to follow is to use hypnosis to change your reactions and attitudes at the core. Then, practice stress management techniques as necessary to stay calm in everyday situations.

Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com

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

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