Stress And Nervousness - What We Do To Create It And How To Overcome It

Even though many people use the terms "stress" and "anxiety" interchangeably, they are actually two distinct conditions. Stress is a response to a stimulus, which can be internal or external. You may feel stress when you feel 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 at work).

Anxiety, on the other hand, is a sense of dread, or nervousness and fear. It can be brought on by negative thoughts and expectations, or as a reaction to stress. You may experience feelings of anxiety all of the time and not know why, or your feelings may be a reaction 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 research shows that anxiety can be brought on by genetics. In addition, anxiety can stem from environmental conditions, as when a child whose mother or father is often anxious becomes an anxious person by observing the parent. But frequently, the core cause of anxiety is simply the thoughts that a person is thinking!

Anxiety and stress are subjective conditions. Different people may feel stressed about different situations, and different people may react to their anxiousness in very different ways. Symptoms of anxiety can range from the mild, such as sweaty hands and tense muscles, to the severe, such as irregular heartbeat, anxiety attacks, and vomiting.

Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety once in awhile. All of us have felt the dry mouth and "butterflies in the stomach" before a public speaking engagement or a test. But when does it become damaging to your health? Research has shown that prolonged anxiety can lead to sleep disorders, depression, high blood pressure, and relationship problems

For sufferers of chronic untreated anxiety, there can be negative health consequences that have yet to be fully explored. Some studies have found a link between chronic anxiety and a variety of serious health conditions including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, respiratory illness, and thyroid disease. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal cardiac attack.

If you suffer from 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 individual's inability to function normally because of constant anxiety. Anxiety disorders are serious conditions that should be treated to lower the risk of long-term negative health effects.

Anxiety treatment has long been the subject of much discussion in the medical community. Some medical professionals feel that medication is the best method to treat chronic anxiety. Unfortunately, anxiety medications often produce undesirable side effects that are just as bad or even worse than the initial affliction.

There are many safe and natural ways to handle negative emotional responses. Exercise is a frequently overlooked option, but it is highly effective. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting and pain-killing chemicals. With regular exercise, you may start to feel a decrease in negative emotional responses to situations that would previously have made you extremely anxious.

The best way to deal with tension and worry is to control it from the inside out. 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 rate of breathing, release the worry, and remain in a peaceful state of mind. Meditation is a form of tension control in which you focus on thoughtful relaxation and deep, calming breathing.

However, if you seek a proactive solution to free yourself of anxiety, hypnotherapy 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 provides them with the opportunity to deal with typical anxiety-inducing triggers without the typical feelings of nervousness and fear.

Hypnosis can be performed by a licensed hypnotherapist in a series of regular sessions. More commonly today, hypnotherapy is available in the form of self hypnosis programs which can be purchased in the form of CDs, MP3s, or DVDs for individual home usage. No special skills are required to practice self hypnosis. All you need is a way to play the hypnotherapy program and a quiet place where you can relax and listen.

Another successful method 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 react to situations in a more positive manner. You can consciously decide to be calm instead of feeling anxious, meaning that you are always in control of your own feelings.

In summary, you can see that it is important to manage our negative emotional responses in order to remain healthy. Mastering techniques to cope with nervousness and fear can even extend your life. To treat chronic anxiety, the best course of action is to use hypnosis to change your reactions and attitudes at the core. Then, use stress management techniques as needed to remain calm in everyday situations.

By: Alan B. Densky, CH

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Alan B. Densky is an NGH certified hypnotherapist. He offers a complete line of stress management hypnosis CDs, and advanced stress elimination CDs through his Neuro-VISION self hypnosis website. You can visit his video hypnosis blog, and download a free MP3.

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