The stress of day to day living affects people in different ways. One person may thrive during stressful situations, while another may crumble, and this can develop into a full-blown meltdown. At times, the people that buckle under stress can shrug it off afterward and carry on.
The long-term effects of stressful situations are almost non-existent for specific individuals. For others, they become consumed with an adverse position to the extent that it interferes with their daily life.
In essence, stress is generally short-lived, while anxiety is an on-going condition that is aggravated by excess levels of stress.
Table of Contents
Dealing With Stress
There is not a one-fix remedy that is guaranteed to work for everyone, but certainly tried and tested coping mechanisms may help to reduce stress or eliminate it.
Get Moving
Exercise is a great way to clear your mind and get rid of excess stress. Go for a run or a brisk walk, or take the dogs to the park and breathe in some fresh air.
Listen to Music
Music is a powerful tool. At times, music can calm and relax you and bring your mind and body to a peaceful state.
Meditate
Start your day off well with a few minutes of quiet meditation. By setting a relaxed, calm tone for the day ahead, you automatically condition your mind to remain calm. Get excellent benefits from meditation.
Deep Breathing
Together with meditation, deep and focused breathing can bring you back to a relaxed place. When you focus on intense, deep breathing, you relax your solar plexus and renew your body’s stance.
Seeking Treatment
Many anxiety treatment centres can help you to find the root cause of your anxiety. Search in your area online; for example, anxiety treatment, Los Angeles, to help you to identify areas containing negative thoughts and thought patterns and work within an agreed treatment program to help you to recover.
The duration of treatment programs may vary and depend on the severity of the condition. Regardless of the time taken to complete a program, there are tools and services you can use to be free and enjoy a full, balanced life finally.
The Effects of Anxiety
Just like stress affects people in different ways, so too are people affected in different ways when they are suffering from anxiety. There is a vast array of symptoms that people experience with anxiety, ranging from feeling fatigued to feelings of extreme irritability. When someone is anxious, they can become restless and have trouble sleeping.
Extreme cases of anxiety may display in people as massive panic attacks and trouble breathing. An anxious person may feel little motivation to exercise and be healthy, resulting in them embarking on an unhealthy lifestyle of binge drinking and eating poorly.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) as a Cure
CBT is a widely used treatment and used on its own or together with other medications; results have been decisive in assisting with cases of anxiety. CBT is a process whereby negative thoughts are identified by focusing on individuals’ cognitive processes. These translate as a person’s beliefs, thoughts, and attitudes.
By working together with the patient, therapists work towards changing the way a person thinks. The treatments may stretch across months, but the result is that people are better able to understand their thought processes and how this, in turn, pushes them to behave.
Conclusion
The stigma attached to mental health conditions is slowly, but surely, falling away. Individuals, health care practitioners, and institutions that support various conditions are finding their voice and raising awareness.
With the rise in awareness comes a renewed interest in mental health matters and conditions that people no longer need to suffer with. It is never too late to reach out and ask for help or seek treatment.
