Almost everyone experiences anxiety and stress over a while. Stress is the additional demand placed on your body or brain. People feel stressed when multiple demands are placed on them and the feeling gets triggered by events that make you feel nervous or frustrated. Anxiety is the feeling of fear, worry or uneasiness. It can be a reaction to the exerted stress or it may occur in people that are unable to identify the reasons behind the stress in their lives.
Stress and apprehension are responsible for causing both psychological and physical symptoms. Different people experience stress and worry differently. The most common physical symptoms include muscle tension, rapid breathing, headache, stomach ache, sweating, dizziness, changes in appetite, diarrhea, trouble in getting sleep, frequent urination, shakiness, fast heartbeat, and fatigue. Stress and worry are responsible for mental and emotional conditions as well such as nervousness or panic during social interactions, irrational anger, difficulty in concentrating, a feeling of impending doom and restlessness.
People experiencing stress and unease over a while will experience worse health outcomes. They are likely to develop high blood pressure, heart diseases, diabetes and will develop panic and depression disorders.
Causes
In the case of most people, this problem comes and goes. Anxiety and stress usually happen after specific life events and then they go away. Some common reasons for stress include starting a new job, getting into a new school, moving, having sickness or injury, having a family member or a friend who is injured or ill, the death of a friend or a family member, having a baby, and getting married.
Medication and drugs contain stimulants that can be the reason for inducing unease and stress. Constant use of illicit drugs like cocaine, regular use of caffeine, and alcohol abuse can make the symptoms worse. Prescribed medication that makes the symptoms worse include asthma inhalers, diet pills, and thyroid medication.
Mental Health Problems
When stress and apprehension occur frequently or if they are occurring out of proportion the person suffering will start showing signs of anxiety disorders. An estimated 20 million Americans live with some kind of apprehension disorder. People suffering from the disorder will feel anxious or stressed every day and over prolonged periods of time. Some of these disorders are,
GAD or Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a common kind of anxiety disorder that is typically characterized by constant worrying. Many times people worry about anything bad happening to themselves or their loved ones. On other occasions, they are not able to identify the source of worry. Another condition is a panic disorder which causes panic attacks. Panic attacks are moments of extreme fear that are accompanied by shortness of breath, pounding heart, and a fear of impending doom.
PTSD or Post-traumatic stress disorder is another apprehension-related problem that causes flashbacks or anxiety because of the traumatic experience. Another common problem is a social phobia which is a condition in which the person suffers from an intense feeling of anxiety while meeting other people. There is one more condition called obsessive-compulsive disorder which causes repetitive thoughts and a desire to complete some rituals.
Ways of Managing Stress and Anxiety
Although it is normal to experience stress and unease over time, things can get to a stage where you will need strategies to make them more manageable. You need to pay close attention to how your body and mind respond to anxious and stressful situations. So when the stressful experience occurs you will be able to cope with it properly and things will be less disruptive. If you are using substances such as alcohol and drugs as a way of dealing with stress and concern, it can lead to serious substance abuse issues that make concern and stress get worse.
You may be required to make certain lifestyle changes to alleviate the symptoms of nervousness and stress. These changes can be used together with medical treatment for getting relief from anxiety. Some of these techniques include limiting the use of coffee and alcohol, consuming a healthy and balanced diet, getting sufficient sleep, meditation, maintaining a diary for various feelings you experienced, recognizing the various factors which cause the stress, taking up deep breathing, scheduling some time for your hobbies, getting regular exercise, identifying the factors causing stress, and talking to friends.
Professional Help for Stress and Anxiety
You can use several ways of seeking treatment for nervousness and stress. One of the most common and effective methods used for the treatment of worry and stress is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It teaches you to identify the anxious thoughts and behavior and asks you to change these thoughts into positive ones. Systematic desensitization and exposure therapies are useful for the treatment of phobias. These treatments include gradual exposure to the stimuli that provoke unease and then help you manage the feelings of fear.
When you feel as if you are completely helpless with anxiety and stress, your primary health care provider may ask you to get help from mental health providers such as Advantage Mental Health Center. They will make use of psychotherapy which is also known as the talk therapy for aiding you to work through apprehension and stress. Your therapists will help you with various relaxation techniques for managing your stress.
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