Among the hardest parts of living in the modern world is stress and anxiety. With worries about work, the environment, the economy, natural disasters, terrorism, and the general state of the world, it seems that there is no end to the number of things to worry about. Though we cannot control many of these things, they still weigh on our minds and cause us stress and anxiety. However, despite these concerns, we should try to avoid stress and anxiety.
Stress and anxiety are, at their hearts, mental problems. They are conditions in which the mind is racing and constantly circling around certain concerns. The concerns may be seemingly mundane, but the concerns keep recurring until they push out all the other thoughts in the brain and create their own towering mass of worry. And this tower is, in itself self-propagating simply because stress and anxiety tend to create themselves because stress and anxiety cause the mind to condition itself to stress and anxiety.
There is research to suggest that the mind gets used to stress and anxiety and, once it is conditioned, it will quickly return to stress and anxiety. In fact, there is some evidence that shows that stress conditioning may actually begin when we are too young to do anything about it. Children who face a great deal of stress will find their minds altered such that they will quickly return to a state of stress at the slightest provocation. It is almost as though the mind misses the state of stress and anxiety and wants to return to it once it has found the state.
Unfortunately, this creates serious problems not only for the mind, but also the body. Stress and anxiety put a great many demands on the human body. It causes headaches, high blood pressure, ulcers, sleep problems, immune system deficiencies and can even swell the joints, which can cause severe problems with conditions such as arthritis. As well, stress and anxiety can result in depression, memory problems, and even alcohol and drug abuse for those who suffer from stress and anxiety regularly. Thus, stress and anxiety are not merely problems of the mind, but they are problems of the mind that can cause problems in the body. The mind does, in surprising ways, control the body. And a mind that is overly taxed can lead to a body that is overly taxed.
Thus, you must understand that you can also control your mind. Stress and anxiety do not need to take over your mind. In fact, you can control how your mind responds to the problems that arise in life.
Remember that you can decide not to be stressed. You do not have to be anxious. You can change your mind and let things slide away. Yes, there are many things in this world to worry about. However, worrying about them will not change many aspects of the modern world. Constantly thinking about work, the environment, the economy, or politics will not change them. Instead, resolve to change things that you can change and do not worry about what you cannot control.
The thing to keep in mind is a sense of perspective. Yes, work is stressful, but do you need to worry about being attacked by a lion when you leave the office? When you go shopping for groceries, do you need to think about whether there will be a pack of marauding barbarians in the produce section? Hopefully, the answer is, "No." Thus, you do not have the same concerns as our forebears and you should keep that in mind. Life is pretty safe these days and the so-called "Age of Stress" is entirely of our own creation. We are stressed about things that we decide to be stressed about. And the things that we are stressed about really aren't that important in the long-run scheme of things.
Stress and anxiety are, seemingly, enough to worry about on their own. So don't fall into the trap of keeping them going. Keep life in perspective, keep yourself on an even keel and remember that you can control your own mind. If you can manage to do that, stress and anxiety to not need to take over your life.
Copyright 2005 Trevor Dumbleton
LowerYourStress.com is a categorized resource directory for everything to do with stress. Get a free ebook to help with your stress levels: http://www.loweryourstress.com/stress-book.ht ml
For those of you who have been living in a... Read More
IntroductionTime magazine called stress the "The Epidemic of the Eighties".... Read More
Health Impacts of StressStress is a funny concept, try to... Read More
The day wasn't going well already. You know how it... Read More
Q. I wonder if you could help me with a... Read More
According to the StressPulse survey by ComPsych Corporation completed at... Read More
This summer, get away, without going away. Take a mini... Read More
If you have never tried combining your breathing exercises with... Read More
Worry, big or small blocks positive vibrations from entering your... Read More
"When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe,... Read More
Why are you so busy? Do you really have too... Read More
First, let's make a distinction between pressure and stress. We... Read More
Recently I completed some new workshop engagements in addition to... Read More
Stress Vs PressureStress is something we all have, it's not... Read More
10 Ways to Monitor Corporate Stress LevelsGood military leaders work... Read More
With almost 50% of workers complaining that their jobs are... Read More
Marshal John Kruger acted by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who else) in... Read More
Preparing for sleep the night before is the place to... Read More
Most of us lead busy lives, trying to successfully juggle... Read More
Aromatherapy is very therapeutic when it comes to healing emotional... Read More
Take a moment to think about the week that just... Read More
Are you feeling stressed out? Too many things to do,... Read More
Success in recovery, or rather, staying in recovery, is dependent... Read More
Think back a few years to the nine coal miners... Read More
This heading may seem like a contradiction in terms. How... Read More
What do you do when you wake up in the... Read More
Do you feel stress at work? Do you carry your... Read More
The moment I read the story I'm about to share... Read More
There are times in every person's life when things do... Read More
A while back, I was in a minor fender-bender accident,... Read More
It was a self-exploration that made me understand myself. It... Read More
After a stressful day as a computer programmer, Jim pulled... Read More
Stress is amazingly persistent, even seductive. We get used to... Read More
The Problem You don't need me to tell you how... Read More
I am worried. I have been biting my nails for... Read More
Have you been feeling so stressful and almost losing your... Read More
"When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe,... Read More
A stressless lifestyle? That's very easy to say. Yet it... Read More
What is the greatest fear of man? Is it death?... Read More
WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYSExperts in the stress management field have... Read More
Training Your Mind For Better Business and LeisureModern life moves... Read More
Have you ever noticed what occurs when you are suddenly... Read More
Perhaps you've heard of the 80/20 rule, but don't know... Read More
Why Stress Management programmes don't work?It seems that every week... Read More
It is very true that, unfortunately, many people look to... Read More
One of the dumbest things I have ever done is... Read More
When we think about stress in the workplace, we usually... Read More
Let's take a look at some of the more serious... Read More
ExcusesWe all have them. It amazes me how creative I... Read More
Health Impacts of StressStress is a funny concept, try to... Read More
We all have it; we live with it daily: stress.... Read More
Have you ever noticed how we keep falling into the... Read More
I was a psychotherapist for... Read More
The fast pace of life is taking toll on every... Read More
A while back, I was in a minor fender-bender accident,... Read More
I once worked with a woman whose zest,joy and enthusiasm... Read More
Do you feel tense and anxious at work? Do your... Read More
The best way to reduce your stress is to really... Read More
1. The Mentor Method: think of your favorite person. Someone... Read More
After a stressful day as a computer programmer, Jim pulled... Read More
Often, in today's fast paced world, we forget to take... Read More
I recently received this e-mail message about stress management (author... Read More
A friend has this quotation on his office wall: "I... Read More
Stress is often seen as being unhealthy, but for some... Read More
Lake Hopatcong, NJ (PRWEB) November 30, 2004 -- Here are... Read More
To combat modern day stressors, you need to realize that... Read More
Stress Management |