How To Eliminate Stress {1}

I came across this and felt I should share it...

  It seems like you hear it all the time from nearly every one you know – “I’m SO stressed out!” Pressures abound in this
world today. Those pressures cause stress and anxiety, and
often we are ill-equipped to deal with those stressors that trigger
anxiety and other feelings that can
make us sick. Literally, sick.
The statistics are staggering. One in every eight Americans
age 18-54 suffers from an anxiety disorder. This totals over 19
million people! Research conducted by the National Institute of
Mental Health has shown that anxiety disorders are the number
one mental health problem among American women and are
second only to alcohol and drug abuse by men.
Women suffer from anxiety and stress almost twice as
much as men. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental
illness in America, surpassing even depression in numbers.
Anxiety is the most common mental health issue facing adults
over 65 years of age. Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. $46.6
billion annually. Anxiety sufferers see an average of five doctors
before being successfully diagnosed.
Unfortunately, stress and anxiety go hand in hand. In fact,
one of the major symptoms of stress is anxiety. And stress
accounts for 80 percent of all illnesses either directly or
indirectly.
In fact, stress is more dangerous than we thought. You've
probably heard that it can raise your blood pressure, increasing
the likelihood of a stroke in the distant future, but recently a
health insurance brochure claimed that 90 percent of visits to a
primary care physician were stress-related disorders.
Health Psychology magazine reports that chronic stress can
interfere with the normal function of the body's immune system.
And studies have proven that stressed individuals have an
increased vulnerability to catching an illness and are more
susceptible to allergic, autoimmune, or cardiovascular diseases.
Doctors agree that during chronic stress, the functions of
2
the body that are nonessential to survival, such as the digestive
and immune systems, shut down. "This is why people get sick,"
he says. "There are also many occurrences of psychosomatic
illness, an illness with an emotional or psychological side to it."
Furthermore, stress often prompts people to respond in
unhealthy ways such as smoking, drinking alcohol, eating poorly,
or becoming physically inactive. This damages the body in
addition to the wear and tear of the stress itself.
Stress is a part of daily life. It’s how we react to it that
makes all the difference in maintaining our health and well-being.
Pressures occur throughout life and those pressures cause stress.
You need to realize that you will never completely get rid of
stress in your life, but you can learn coping techniques to turn
that stress into a healthier situation.
When I first got the assignment to write this book, I
immediately thought, “Sure, you can eliminate stress and anxiety
by locking yourself into a room and never talking to anyone ever
again”. But that wouldn’t make a very informative book, now
would it?
I have suffered from anxiety disorders caused by stress for
years. I have learned somewhat how to cope with that although
I’m always learning new things and dealing mechanisms. So
what I’ve done in this book is taken some of my own experiences
and combined them with advice from experts to give you tools
that will help you in stressful situations.
I’ve also outlined different ways you can face debilitating
anxiety and panic attacks that many people suffer from. While
researching this book, I’ve come across some amazing
information and can’t wait to share it with you. I’ve learned so
much myself, so let’s look at how to eliminate stress and anxiety
from your life!
WHY ARE WE SO STRESSED OUT?
We're living in very trying and difficult times and things
don't seem to be getting any easier. Sometimes life can seem
3
terribly painful and unfair, yet somehow we manage to struggle
on, day after day, hoping and praying that things will soon get
better.
But day by day the world is becoming a crazier and more
uncertain place to live in, not to mention stressful. Nothing
seems safe anymore. Millions of people are in record levels of
debt. Many are losing their jobs, their homes, their health and
sometimes even their sanity. Worry, depression and anxiety
seem to have become a way of life for way too many people.
We seem to have entered the Age of Anxiety. In fact, in
2002, the cover of Time magazine proclaimed this loud and clear
on one of their covers as the featured story in that issue. The
constant stress and uncertainties of living in the 21st century
have certainly taken their toll, and as a result many of us seem
to live a life of constant fear and worry.
When the terrorist attacks happened on September 11, this
constant stress and worry seemed to just be magnified. In fact,
many people even now four years later report they are still
scared that something of that magnitude could happen again –
perhaps closer to them.
Turn on the news or open up a newspaper and we are
bombarded with disturbing images and stories. We begin to
wonder if we are safe anywhere. In this, the information age,
never before have we had so much access to so much data.
The economy is another stressor. Our country is in debt
and so are many Americans. Soaring gas prices, outrageous
housing costs, even the cost of food has sent many Americans to
work in jobs that are unsatisfying and tedious. They work these
jobs because they need a paycheck. Today, it’s more important
to bring home the bacon rather than work in a dream career.
Having more women in the workplace adds to the stress.
So many women feel the need to be everything to everyone and
that includes a paycheck earner, house keeper, mom, wife,
daughter, and sibling.............. TO BE CONTINUED

  It seems like you hear it all the time from nearly every one