The causes of stress are usually a very individual thing but most commonly it is caused by a specific thought process that then generates a specific emotional response such as fear, anxiety or frustration.
When someone experiences anxiety on the other hand, there is a strong feeling of uneasiness and apprehension that doesn’t always readily reveal its source. This can increase a person’s anxiety due to the fact that the reason why they are feeling anxious is not always obvious. So while stress and anxiety share certain similarities they are very different with causes being different and treatment options similarly needing to be different. Stress is generally speaking a milder type of condition while anxiety is a diagnosable condition that has specific psychological causes that need to be addressed in treatment.
Emotional upset and the associated emotional states that occur (anger, fear, worry etc), whether it be major or of a more low grade continuous nature, is often the major contributor to stress. In addition there may be more physical issues at play such as irregularities in blood sugar and hormonal imbalances such as adrenal depletion and hyperthyroidism.
Irrespective of what the specific causes are in effectively treating stress and anxiety the cause does need to be found. This is not always easy but a good place to start is mapping out your symptoms and making note of the situations and circumstances that are associated with high levels of stress and the occurrence of your anxiety attacks.
Once the cause of the stress and anxiety has been uncovered finding someone who you can talk to openly about your specific issue is often advised. Whether that person be a professional therapist, a support group or simply someone who you can talk things out with, finding someone to talk with and work out some solutions that are appropriate, and most importantly that you will follow through with, is often the best form of self help in these situations.
It goes without saying that anything you can do to remove stress from your life and maintain a healthy lifestyle will help any other treatment methods you choose to use. Exercise, appropriate nutritional support through a well balanced diet and possible nutritional supplementation and adequate sleep and just general downtime where you can rest and re-charge will definitely help you in your quest to not only become stress and anxiety free but also prevent recurrence of the problem in the future.
If you find that your levels of stress and anxiety get to the point where they are causing major physical symptoms such as chest pain, breathing constriction or palpitations along with thoughts of suicide please seek medical help immediately.
Tags: health tips, exercise tips