Even though many people use the terms stress and anxiety interchangeably, they are actually two distinct conditions. Stress is a response to a stimulus, either external or internal. You may experience stress when you are 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 feeling of fear and nervousness or even dread. It can be caused by negative thoughts and expectations, or as a reaction to stress. You may feel anxious virtually all of the time and not understand why, or your feelings may be a reaction to something you are nervous about, such as 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! 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 sweaty hands and tense muscles, to the severe, such as anxiety attacks, vomiting, and irregular heartbeat. Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety once in awhile. 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 lead to sleep disorders, relationship problems, depression, and high blood pressure For sufferers of chronic untreated anxiety, there can be detrimental health consequences that have yet to be explored fully. Some studies have found a link between chronic anxiety and a number of serious health conditions including heart disease, arthritis, cancer, thyroid disease, and respiratory illness. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack. If you experience what seems like a disproportionately 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 feel that medication is the best treatment for chronic anxiety. However, 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 handle negative emotional responses. Exercise is an often overlooked option, but it is very effective in managing stress and anxiety. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting and pain-killing chemicals. With regular aerobic exercise, you may begin to feel a dramatic decrease in negative emotional reactions to situations that would previously have made you extremely anxious. The best way to manage tension and worry is to control it from the inside out. Stress relief and stress management techniques are very useful in managing 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 remain in a peaceful state of mind. Meditation is an increasingly popular form of tension relief in which you focus on thoughtful relaxation and deep, calming breathing. However, if you are searching for a proactive method to free yourself of anxiety, hypnosis is the most effective form of treatment. When a person undergoes hypnotherapy, their emotional responses and reactions to events are changed at the core. This allows them to deal with common anxiety-inducing triggers without the usual 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 are available in the form of CDs, MP3s, or DVDs for personal 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 place where you can listen and relax. Another successful type of anxiety treatment is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. NLP is a form of therapy that can help you retrain yourself to naturally respond to situations in a more positive manner. You can consciously decide to be calm rather than anxious, which means that you always have control over your own emotions. In summary, you can see that it is very important to control our negative emotional responses in order to remain healthy. Mastering techniques to cope with nervousness and fear can even extend your life. To treat long term anxiety, the best course of action is to use hypnosis to change your reactions and attitudes at the core. Then, it becomes easy to use stress management techniques as necessary to stay calm in everyday situations.
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