INTRODUCTION
WHY ARE WE SO STRESSED OUT?
ELIMINATE BEHAVIORS THAT FUEL STRESS
NAME YOUR BURDEN
QUIZ TIME
ANXIETY AND PANICK ATTACK
COPING WITH ANXIETY AND PANICK
SELF SOOTHING TECHNIQUES: GUIDED IMAGERY
SELF SOOTHING TECHNIQUE: MUSIC
SELF SOOTHING TECHNIQUE: SELF-HYPNOSIS
MANAGING STRESSORS
STRESS MANAGEMENT CONTINUED
WIN THE BATTLE AGAINST STRESS
JUST SAY NO!
SELF-CARE
RECHARGE AT WORK
CONCLUSION
It seems like we hear it all the time from nearly everyone 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 negative stressors that contribute to anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed. The scientific research on current trends in the diagnosis of anxiety and stress related disorders confirm that reports of anxiety and stress related symptoms are increasing. Anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorders, affecting nearly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. (Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Delmer O, Merikangas KR, Walters EE Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jun; 62(6):617-27.2005).
Anxiety and stress is not specific to any certain age group as older adults are also plagued with anxiety and stress related disfunctions. “Epidemiologic data suggest that approximately one in ten older adults has an anxiety disorder” (Beekman et al., 1998). Similarly, women disproportionately struggle with anxiety and stress related symptoms at almost twice the rate that men do. “Women have consistently higher prevalence rates of anxiety disorders” (McLean, C. P., Asnaani, A., Litz, B. T., & Hofmann, S. G. 2011). With anxiety oftentimes comes stress. Likewise, excessive worry is a characteristic symptom of anxiety according to the Diagnostic and Statistical manual, fifth addition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Stress can have a detrimental impact on our mental and physical health as it can aggravate many pathological conditions. Many studies have been conducted on the correlation between stress and its impact on the body. Such studies have shown that stress mediators are able to pass through the blood-brain barrier and effect the immune system (Khansari et al., 1990[50]). Any internal or external stimuli that triggers a biological response could be considered a stress. With this implication one may wonder how to manage anxiety and stress related symptoms.
However how we respond to negative stressors and anxiety provoking situations is what most contributes to maintaining our health and well-being. Pressures occur throughout life and those pressures cause stress. One must accept that stress will never completely absent from our life, and this is not a bad thing. There is both positive and negative stressors. A positive stressor for instance would be the emotions associated with gaining a reward such as a promotion at work and the positive stress that comes with such a transition such as adjusting your spending budget and altering your schedule for more vacation time. However, it is negative stressors that one must learn coping techniques to overcome.
I have suffered from anxiety disorders caused by excessive worry and stress since adolescents and have learned to cope with those symptoms. While what has worked for me may not work the same for you, I hope that you are able to take some of my own experiences and combined them with advice from experts. My goal is to provide you with as many tools that I am able so that you will have a resource to refer to when working through stress and anxiety. Additionally, I have provided instruction on various ways to stop debilitating anxiety and panic attacks in the moment. Through my own struggle with anxiety disorder and difficulty managing stress I have learned many coping strategies. It is my hope that by sharing them they may help you, so let’s look at how to eliminate stress and anxiety!
We are living in very trying times and the challenges that come with growing up and navigating life will not become easier. It is you who must become comfortable with managing them. Sometimes life can seem terribly painful and unfair, yet somehow, we manage to struggle on, day after day, hoping and praying that things will soon get better.
However, day by day the world is becoming a more uncertain place to live in. Nothing seems safe anymore. Millions of people living paycheck to paycheck drawing in debt and depression. 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.
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. Proximity isn’t a protective fact as we are experiencing vicarious stress just by turning on the morning, evening or nightly news. If we turn on the news, radio or your cell phone and we are bombarded with disturbing images and stories. All these factors cause us to question if we are safe anywhere. Outside of television, radio and social media 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 physically exhausting. They work these jobs because they need a paycheck.
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, housekeeper, mom, wife, daughter, and sibling. While for some this is ideal for many issues arise with the lack of time for selfcare. These just don’t do not have the ability to allocate time for themselves, thus contributing to their high stress levels.
Children are not exempt from experiencing stress. Even the youth can feel the pressure of stress and anxiety. Poverty, bullying and familial issues plague many of our youth. For instance, teenagers who aspire to attend college may find themselves pushing themselves to sleep deprivation and physical exhaust in attempt to qualify for a school lottery or college scholarships. They may find themselves faced with needing to work part or full-time jobs.
In this age of social media, we are always on the go and always accessible to stressors. We don’t make time to relax and enjoy life anymore. Might I ask why is that? Do we feel pressure to do these things because we think we must, not because we want too? More times than not, it’s difficult for people to just say “No”. Refusal to decline binds us like chains to a train track and loads un-needed expectations and obligations on us that make us feel anxious.
All of us will experience situations that may cause us to become stressed or feel anxious. The reasons are too many to note but can include, buying a property, having guests stay over (in-laws!), being bullied, exams, looking after children, managing finances, relationship issues, traveling etc. Stress is a ‘normal’ function of everyday life. But refusal to accept all invitations of stressor into our lives may help us to mediate the consequences of living with it. We must not wait for stress and anxiety to have taken over our lives to realize that it is a problem. Instead we must learn ourselves. Recognize our personal boundaries and set limits for what we are comfortable accepting and declining. This limit is not merited by what we are capable of handling. Rather what is appropriate for us giving our unique circumstance. Sure, you could be a single parent with young children, a dog, head the local community board, have in laws staying at your house for the week, meal prep every Sunday, and work 80 hours a week with no weekends off. But would allowing yourself to operate at this capacity reduce or increase your levels of anxiety? Is it worth your mental and physical health? One must ask.
We all have various reasons for why a situation seems stress or causes feelings of worry. As a rule, it’s usually when we don’t feel in control of a situation, that we feel the chain of anxiety and stress weighing us down, causing us to feel worried or ‘stressed’. Stress is often time magnified by feelings of not feeling in control of a situation. It is important to tell our self that we can regain that control. Tell yourself that you can. Positive self-talk is a proven strategy for overcoming negative thinking about our situation. You can!
What barriers do you have in place preventing you from accepting that you can? Let’s take a quick look at some of the barriers I have experienced and those I have learned of preventing us from becoming reducing and eliminated our anxiety and stress.