Anxiety is different from stress. Stress can create anxiety and is in everyone's life.
It's the small irritations; the traffic jam that delays your arrival to work, inadequate sleep, impossible deadlines, screaming babies, excessive noise, burning dinners and crowded airports.
Stress may motivate you in small doses but in large amounts or over long periods, stress has a negative effect on your body. Some individuals have a sensitivity to stress and react with a strong response.
Stress triggers the fight or flight response necessary for survival in the days of early man. It triggers the release of catecholamines, hormones released by the adrenal gland.
The catecholamines set the body in action to either run away or stay and fight. Some of the fight or flight preparations made by the body include increased heart and lung action, a slowing of the digestive tract, constriction of blood vessels in areas not necessary for fight or flight, and prepares the body for either swift exits or combat.
Over time, this response can make you ill, compromise your immune system and create anxiety. It has an effect on your entire body when an elevated response occurs for long periods.
Sometimes stress comes from a physical condition. The body reacts to that type of stress in a similar fashion. A hyperactive thyroid might create stress as low blood sugar might also. Illness or conditions like a heart attack might also create stress on the body.
Most of the stress people experience however comes from their perception of life's experiences. It's the emotional response to daily living, difficult work conditions, family or financial problems.
Stress is in everyone's life. It, however, can lead to other conditions such as anxiety.
Anxiety is the feeling of fear from unknown sources. It's a strong response that something is wrong but there's no way of knowing what that something is.
Anxiety creates chronic symptoms. It might produce dizziness, dry mouth with difficulty swallowing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, sexual problems, addiction problems, tension headaches and muscle tension, abdominal pain, decreased concentration, abnormal sleep patterns and sexual difficulty.
One way to prevent anxiety caused from stress is to reduce the stress level.
Burn up those catecholamines and enjoy some endorphins. Exercise is one method of stress control that allows you to use the flight or fight mode your body stages and eliminate the hormones released in the body while you replace them with friendlier compounds in your blood.
Another method of reducing stress is take care of your body. Refrain from using stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine. Avoid heavy consumption of alcohol. Eat well-balanced and healthy meals but don't overeat. Get adequate rest and quality sleep.
Take breaks away from work and make it a time to enjoy those around you. If you take a vacation, don't map out a specific amount of events, distance to travel or sights to see.
These become goals and create the same demands on your body and mind as work goals. You might as well be at work if you don't use the time to relax. If you can't take time away, take a mental vacation daily.
Learn mental imagery to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Lounging by an imaginary pool is often as relaxing as the real thing and you can do it any time of the day.
