The constant pressure of anxiety is the feeling of not being in control of
your environment. This removes the safety net of security because you
believe that you are constantly in danger. The danger-feeling that you
experience can be either physical danger or emotional danger, such as in the
case of public humiliation or embarrassment.

5 Tips on Dealing With Chronic Stress

Exercise Regularly

Think of stress as pure energy inside your body that is building pressure
inside of you with no where to go. Eventually, if you allow this energy to
build up enough, it will explode out of you in the form of an emotional
outburst. Physical activities such as walking, jogging, swimming, weight
lifting, racquetball, dancing, biking, or sports serve as a outlet to vent
that stored energy out of your body and lower that pressure within you, thus
removing the potential for an explosion to happen. Exercise is by far the
most effective method of relieving stress and a regular exercise routine
should be incorporated into you're weekly routine as, not only a fitness
regime, but also a stress maintainance one as well.

Let go of Your Control

One of the keys to reducing your anxiety is simply by relinquishing control
of your environment. Realize that you can't control every situation and you
can't control the willpower of other people. Life is unpredictable. Like
is dynamic and always changing. You can do your best to plan and anticipate
on what will happen in the future, but never will you be able to control the
outcome of it. The one thing you have control over in life is yourself and
how you respond to life. There is no point in worrying about something that
you have no control over so when you start to feel stressed about a
situation simply take a step back and ask yourself, "Do I have control over
this situation?" If you don't have control over the situation then RELAX
because its out of your hands. Always remember that the one thing that you
have control over is yourself.

Stay Away From Self-Abusive Behavior

In our quest to self medicate ourselves from stress, we sometimes resort to
using excessive alcohol, drugs(prescription or street drugs), reckless
behavior, over or under eating, or social withdrawal. The intent of all of
these is to make yourself artificially feel better, however these
self-abusive behaviors are only addressing the symptoms of stress and not
the stress itself. Think of these types of behaviors as using a credit card
without having any income--you get to spend a little in the short term, but
in the long-term you end up paying a far greater price. Stay away from self
abusive behavior and channel your stress-energy into more productive,
self-benefiting behaviors. Self-benefiting behaviors could be things such
as having a massage, a hot bath, meditation, yoga, or what ever hobby or
thing you enjoy.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Your body requires proper nutrition in order for it to be able to supply the
muscles with energy and to make essential hormones necessary for your body
to cope with stress. Therefore, it's important that you consume plenty of:
water (8 glasses daily), foods rich in zinc and magnesium, foods rich in
vitamin A and folic acid, whole grain breads and cereals, fresh fruit and
vegetables, and low-fat milk or soy milk. You want to avoid excessive
amounts of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt, saturated fats, and skipping
meals. Skipping meals throws off your blood sugar levels throughout the
day, which lower your body's ability to handle stress.

Avoid Stressful Situations

You'd be surprised how much stress you can eliminate from your daily routine
through simple planning. Simply analyze your typical day and pick out those
reoccurring situations that cause you stress on a day-to-day basis. Use
creative planning to come up with better ways of either handling those
situations or avoiding them altogether. By avoiding situations which are
stressful to you, you can successfully reduce the amount of chronic stress
that you suffer from.