By: Alan B. Densky, CH
Although many people tend to use the words "stress" and "anxiety" interchangeably, they are in fact two separate conditions. Stress is a response to a stimulus, which can be external or internal. You may experience stress because you are frustrated with something (like waiting in line behind a slow person) or when you worry 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 response to stress. You may feel anxious all of the time and not understand why, or your worry may be a response 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 stem from environmental conditions, as when a child whose father or mother is often anxious learns to be an anxious person by observing the parent. But frequently, the core cause of anxiety is simply the thoughts in a person's mind!
Anxiety and stress are subjective conditions. Different people may experience stress during 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 vague sense of dread before a test or public speaking engagement. But when does it become damaging to your health? Research has revealed 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 negative 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, thyroid disease, arthritis, cancer, and respiratory illness. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal cardiac attack.
If you experience what seems like an overwhelmingly 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 reduce 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 feel that medication is the best treatment for chronic anxiety. However, anti-anxiety medications often have side effects that are just as bad or even worse than the initial condition.
There are many natural ways to handle negative emotional reactions. 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 aerobic exercise, you may begin to feel a decrease in negative emotional reactions to situations that would have previously made you extremely anxious.
The best way to cope with worry and tension is to control it from the inside out. Stress management and stress relief techniques are very valuable tools 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, release the worry, and remain in a calm state of mind. Meditation is a form of tension management in which you practice mindful relaxation and deep, calm breathing.
However, if you are searching for a proactive method to relieve yourself of anxiety, hypnosis is by far the most effective treatment option. When an individual undergoes hypnosis, their reactions and emotional responses to events are changed at the core. This allows them to cope with anxiety-inducing triggers without the typical fear and nervousness.
Hypnosis is often performed by a licensed hypnotherapist in a series of regular treatments. More commonly today, hypnosis takes the form of self hypnosis
Another very successful method of anxiety treatment is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. NLP is a form of therapy that can help you retrain yourself to naturally react to situations in a more positive way. You can consciously decide to stay calm instead of feeling anxious, and consequently, you always have control over your own feelings.
It is evident that it is very important to control our negative emotional responses in order to stay healthy. Learning to cope with fear and nervousness 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 from within. Then, it becomes easy to use stress management techniques as needed to remain calm in everyday situations.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
About the Author:
Alan B. Densky, CH has been in practice over 30 years. His Neuro-VISION self hypnosis website carries a broad range of stress elimination hypnotherapy CDs, and advanced anxiety management CDs Visit his site for the Free self hypnosis blog, and download a free MP3.
Alan B. Densky, CH has been in practice over 30 years. His Neuro-VISION self hypnosis website carries a broad range of stress elimination hypnotherapy CDs, and advanced anxiety management CDs Visit his site for the Free self hypnosis blog, and download a free MP3.
