How To Overcome Feelings Of Anxiety
Many people tend to use the words stress and anxiety interchangeably, but they are in fact two distinct conditions. Stress is a reaction to a stimulus, either external or internal. You may experience stress when you feel 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 sense of nervousness and fear or even dread. It can be caused by negative thoughts and expectations, 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, such as an upcoming business trip.
Abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain may cause generalized anxiety. Some studies indicate that anxiety can be brought on genetically. Anxiety may also stem from environmental conditions, 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!
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 irregular heartbeat, anxiety attacks, and vomiting.
Everyone feels some amount of anxiety from time to time. All of us have felt the dry mouth and vague sense of dread before a public speaking engagement or an exam. But when does it become harmful to your health? Studies have revealed that prolonged anxiety can lead 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 fully examined. Some studies have found a link between generalized anxiety disorder and a variety of serious health conditions including cancer, heart disease, thyroid disease, respiratory illness, and arthritis. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack.
If you experience 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 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 discussion in the medical field. Some medical professionals believe that medication is the best treatment for chronic anxiety. However, anti-anxiety medications often produce side effects that are just as bad or even worse than the initial affliction.
There are many safe and non-invasive ways to control negative emotional responses. Exercise is one that is often overlooked by anxious people, but it is highly effective in managing stress and anxiety. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, which are natural pain-killing and mood-boosting chemicals. With regular aerobic exercise, you may begin to see a dramatic decrease in negative emotional responses to situations that would previously have made you extremely anxious.
The best way to manage worry and tension is to control it from within. Stress relief and stress management techniques are very valuable tools in coping with 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, release the worry, and maintain a peaceful state of mind. Meditation is a fantastic form of tension management in which you practice thoughtful relaxation and deep, calming breathing.
However, if you are searching for a proactive method to free yourself of anxiety, hypnosis is by far the best treatment option. When a person undergoes hypnotherapy, their emotional responses and reactions to events are changed at their core. This allows them to handle anxiety-inducing triggers without the usual nervousness and fear.
Hypnosis is often performed by a licensed hypnotist in a series of regular sessions. More commonly today, hypnosis is available in the form of self hypnosis programs which are available 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 hypnosis program and a quiet place where you can relax and listen.
Another very successful type of anxiety treatment is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. NLP is a type of therapy that can help you condition your mind and body to naturally respond to situations in a more positive manner. You can consciously decide to be calm instead of feeling anxious, and consequently, you always have control over your own feelings.
It is evident that it is important to control our negative emotional responses in order to stay healthy. Understanding how to deal with fear and nervousness can even add precious years onto 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 necessary to keep calm in everyday situations.
Alan B. Densky is an NGH certified hypnotherapist. He offers a complete line of stress reduction hypnotherapy CDs, and advanced stress elimination CDs through his Neuro-VISION hypnosis website. You can visit his video hypnosis blog, and download a free MP3.
- Alan B. Densky, CH
