Have you ever suffered from anxiety in your life or do you know someone that is currently living with anxiety or fear? I personally have suffered from this and let me tell you, it is no pleasant walk in the park. Stress and anxiety are part of our daily lives, and if handled correctly stress can actually be beneficial at times.
Scientist and researchers are stating that some stress in our lives is perfectly good for us, as long as it does not turn into an anxiety disorder. Researchers call this good stress, on the other hand, can be beneficial and is actually necessary for our overall wellbeing. This is the type of “positive” stress that keeps us vital and excited about life.
However, over 40 million people or 18% of people in the United States suffer from “bad stress” which causes anxiety disorders and many other health-related issues. With today’s society more and more Americans are feeling threatened with work, family issues, traffic jams, bullying in school, social bullying, and the list goes on. Stress, anxiety, depression, suicide, alcoholism, and drug addiction are all on the rise here in America.
One of the leading diseases from too much bad stress is called anxiety disorder. Many of us suffer from this disorder’s but because we are afraid to talk about them many people are suffering from it and don’t even realize it. Here is a list of signs that has published that depicts what to look for in anxiety disorder:
- Feeling nervous, restless or tense
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
- Having an increased heart rate
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Feeling weak or tired
- Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
- Having trouble sleeping
- Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
- Having difficulty controlling worry
- Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety
Stress and anxiety come from elevated levels of the adrenal hormone called, Cortisol affects your memory, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease, and your weight. Cortisol also is the primary stress hormone which increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. This all leads to serious health issues in all of us.
Anxiety disorders are costing over $42 billion dollars a year just on mental health issues. The dollars are much higher when you factor in the other health-related issues that are caused by stress. Let’s jump in and take a look at what some of the factors are causing these stress-related issues.
We all have what is called an “autonomic nervous system”. states that:
Anxiety could play a more important role than depression in the development of hypertension. Altered autonomic control of the heart could be one of the pathophysiological links between hypertension and psychological factors.
The autonomic nervous system operates two modes in our body, the first mode is called the sympathetic nervous system. This would be considered the fight or flight response in our mind. When we feel a threat coming at us a distress call sends a message to the autonomic nervous system to . When this takes place our heart rate escalates, beads of perspiration appear, and internally your blood vessels constrict.
The second mode is called “the parasympathetic nervous system”. This mode is sometimes called the brake mode. also relates this to the break: The parasympathetic nervous system acts like a break. It promotes the “rest and digest” response that calms the body down after the danger has passed.
When our sympathetic nervous system is running uncontrolled this leads to our anxiety attacks and nervous disorders. Our minds are locked into this perceived threat and we cannot let loose of the fear. This causes the release of cortisol which keeps the body and minds anxious and out of control. This then leads to anxiety and stress disorder.
In order to get our mind and body back into the rhythm, there are some techniques that we have to learn. Most of these are common sense exercises, many times we get wrapped up in our thoughts and emotions and we don’t think about applying these techniques.
1. Avoid Items That Cause Fear
In our society today everything promotes fear. From news shows, television series, movies, and social media promotion and exploit fear. Watching these types of sensationalized stories either at home on the television or in theaters on the big screen, watching fearful things all the time will embed these thoughts and images in our mind. Learn to practice relaxation techniques and walk away from these sensationalized fear stories.
2.Work On Thinking Positive Thoughts
There are many programs available that help with practicing relaxation, some of these would include:
If you’re feeling anxious about something, one thing to try is to just walk away from the situation. I find when I drop what is bothering me and walk outside can be all I may need to put the brakes on my anxiety. Breathing in the fresh air, the smells of fresh cut grass or flowers are triggers that can change your focus to positive thoughts. Breathing is one role of the autonomic nervous system that is both voluntary and involuntary.
3. Be Careful Of What You Eat
The old saying “You are what you eat” is actually true. With today fast paced world we all are running through fast food restaurants or eating junk food from convenience stores daily. But did you realize what you are ingesting into your stomach impacts you’re the mental state? The is filled with nerve fibers that speak to the brain. Psychology today states: 80–90% of the nerve fibers in the vagus nerve are dedicated to communicating the state of your viscera up to your brain. This is why it is important that we pay special attention to what we eat daily. There are a bacteria called gut bacteria that scientist at Oxford University claim plays a role in mental health in humans. These scientists are looking at using prebiotics to alter the way that people process emotional information.
4. Exercise To Release Stress
Physical exercise is great for burning up not only calories but it releases and burns up stored stress in our bodies. Mayo Clinic states that:
When you have depression or anxiety, exercise often seems like the last thing you want to do. But once you get motivated, exercise can make a big difference.
Exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis. Research on depression, anxiety, and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help improve mood and reduce anxiety.
Realize that you cannot control everything and everybody. Many control people suffer from anxiety because they fear how people perceive something or someone. One person cannot control everyone around them and it is not you’re responsibility to make sure everyone is happy. If you suffer from being in control then more than likely you are suffering from anxiety also. You need to only focus on the thing that you can control, slow down and just take one thing at a time.
Anxiety is not always a person’s adversary. It can be used if handled correctly in your favor. If you are not able to control fear and anxiety it will take you down roads that you do not want to travel. Severe anxiety can crush you and worse yet it can permanently destroy you. Learning how to hack into the inner workings of anxiety you can take back control of this disease and learn to channel your thoughts. Redefine what is important to you, your success, your perfectionism, approval rating, and whatever else that makes you stressed out. You have the ability to control what makes you tick, relaxation and meditation are two good areas, to begin with. Learn to let fearful thought just pass by, and breathe in the fresh air and tune into relaxation.
Originally published at http://door-to-success.com on August 11, 2018.
