Managing Stress and Anxiety

Stress is a normal facet in our lives. We thrive on a little stress because it keeps us focused and enables us to stay mentally alert. Sometimes, though, stress can get out of control and cause us to have anxiety attacks.

The anxiety attacks can come on unnoticed and they can seem like everyday stress-related problems. If these attacks continue to go untreated, they can become out of control in an unsuspecting person.

In order to recognize the indicators for an anxiety attack, you have to understand the symptoms of stress first. Each person experiences stress differently, but some of the general symptoms of stress include problems with memory, confusion, difficulty in concentrating and racing thoughts.

You'll see some of those symptoms in anxiety attacks as well, but you'll notice more of the physical symptoms when an attack is occurring. Some people experience shortness of breath, pounding heart rhythm, trembling or shakiness within the body, stomachaches and hot or cold flashes.

When the attack has reached its high point, you'll notice a feeling of being out of control or losing a grip on yourself. Unfortunately, those experiencing anxiety attacks don't always recognize their symptoms as an attack.

It sometimes takes someone else who knows them well to realize that there's something wrong. Once anxiety attacks are suspected in a person, they need to seek out medical attention from a professional who can determine if they're anxiety attacks and not another medical-related illness.

When the physician rules out anything medical and determines that they are anxiety attacks, he may start them on some type of medication to help relieve them of some of the symptoms and encourage the patient to seek a counselor.

A counselor will listen to the patient's history and determine what stressing factors could be causing their symptoms. Once the patient gets a handle on the contributing factors for their attacks, a treatment plan would then be set up, based on the patient's situation. A counselor can help them work through the stressors and show them ways to alleviate the stress causing their symptoms.

There are many websites devoted to the use of relaxation techniques that reduce symptoms to a more manageable level and breathing exercises to improve oxygen intake, which could help slow down a racing heart rhythm.

There are three obsessive behaviors that you are likely to be engaging in that impede your healing process and stop you from enjoying a stress-free life. Recognizing these barriers can be a great first step toward getting rid of the problems that go with being too stressed.

The first is obsessive negativity. When you are obsessively negative, it means that you have a tendency toward being "negative" about people, places, situations, and things in your life.

Perhaps you find yourself saying things like "I can't do this!" or "No one understands!" or "Nothing ever works!", for example. You may be doing this unconsciously, but essentially you have what's known as a "sour grapes" attitude, and it holds you back from knowing what it's like to view life from a positive lens and enjoy the beauty in yourself and people around you! There's a whole world out there for you...with happiness and positive thinking.

Then you have obsessive perfectionism. When you engage in obsessive perfectionism, you are centered on trying to do everything "just so" to the point of driving yourself into an anxious state of being. You may find yourself making statements such as, "I have to do this right, or I'll be a failure!" or "If I am not precise, people will be mad at me!" Again, this behavior may be totally under the threshold of your awareness, but it interferes greatly with your ability to enjoy things without feeling "uptight" and "stressed."

Finally there is obsessive analysis. When you are obsessed about analyzing things, you find yourself wanting to re-hash a task or an issue over and over again. For instance, you might find yourself making statements such as, "I need to look this over, study it, and know it inside and out...or else I can't relax!" or "If I relax and let things go without looking them over repeatedly, things go wrong!"

While analytical thinking is an excellent trait, if it's done in excess you never get to stop and smell the roses because you're too busy trying to analyze everything and everyone around you. Gaining insight into this type of behavior is one of the most important keys to letting go of stress, and getting complete power over your anxiety.

If you find yourself engaging in any of the above "Blocking Behaviors", there are two things you can do to help yourself. First, ask the people you know, love, and trust, "Am I negative about things?", "Do I complain a lot?", and "Am I difficult to be around?"

This may be hard for you to listen to, as the truth sometimes hurts a great deal. But the insight you will get from others' assessment of you is invaluable, and you'll know precisely how others see you. Accept their comments as helpful info, and know that you will gain amazing insights from what you hear.

Second, keep a journal to write down and establish patterns of when you are using "blocking behaviors." Even if you are not thrilled with the idea of writing, you can make little entries into a note book or journal each day. The great part is that you'll begin to see patterns in your behavior that reveal exactly what you're doing to prevent yourself from curing your anxiety.

One of the first treatments recommended for those with severe stress problems is some type of medication to help alleviate the symptoms they're experiencing. The medications don't work for everyone and it's not an easily embraced idea for others who don't care for the side effects those medications cause.

Those who don't want to go the medication route will be happy to know there are other ways to beat stress that don't involve the act of popping pills every day. There are several different options to choose from to lessen the negative consequences stress can bring.

Give your mind a break with soft, relaxing music. Our brains take in lots of information from the things that we read, hear and see every second of every day. Your brain is an amazing organ, but it's not immune to overloads.

The overload can cause stress to escalate and bring on a number of problems for us, so give it a break. Listening to relaxing music will ease the racing thoughts and help us to think clearly when we return to our problems.

Music to help calm: Yanni Zamfir

Taking a long walk to clear your head is one of the best ways to alleviate stress. Walking is an excellent form of exercise for your body as well as your mind. You can walk out your frustration so that you'll be able to come back refreshed and tackle your problems again.

Find a hobby to do and be sure to make time for it at least once a week. Everyone needs to get out of the mindset of having to deal with problems and decisions within our lives. By giving yourself something else to focus on, you can gain a sense of accomplishment in an area of your life where your job and financial situation may not be up to par.

You could start a craft project, go golfing or find something else you know you'll enjoy doing. Another option you could try is to treat yourself to a massage. Stress can cause your muscles to tighten and ache, making your stress worse. A massage can loosen up those muscles, which will loosen up your mind and you can then be ready to face your life again refreshed and renewed.

Don't be afraid to let your emotions surface. If you're so stressed that you want to cry, then let those tears flow. Built up stress has to come out somehow, so it's a lot safer to let it out through tears than to wait until it explodes into uncontrollable anger.

If anger is your first reaction to the stress, let it come out in a controlled situation like a punching bag. Control your stress before it starts to take control of you. Medications are one answer to alleviating the stress, but they're not the only answer. Find what works best for you and beat that stress in your life.

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