Is Your Anxiety Caused by Stress?

May 31, 2011 by  
Filed under About Stress

Is Your Anxiety Caused by Stress?

Stress is a part of life, right? It cannot be completely avoided. And to be honest, some stress can be good for you and downright fun. The stress you feel skiing down the side of a mountain for example. However, too much stress and the wrong kind of stress, can harm your health. And if you’re prone to anxiety attacks, stress can certainly make it worse.

Problems Caused By Stress

Stress, chronic and intense stress, essentially requires your body to work much harder than it normally would. It taxes you body and all of your systems. Too much stress over a period of time can cause:

* Insomnia
* Diabetes
* Heart disease
* High blood pressure
* Autoimmune diseases
* Depression
* And anxiety conditions
* Chronic illness from a weakened immune system.

Here’s what happens. Your systems, when you’re under extreme and prolonged stress, become overworked. They start to degrade. Your muscles, metabolism, immune system and even your hormones lose their ability to operate optimally and things start to fall apart.

As your systems degrade, other systems will try to step up to compensate for the weakness. This of course throws your body into even more turmoil. One of the systems that is passively affected are your hormones and your brain chemistry.
As hormonal systems and your brain chemistry change, you become more susceptible to depression and anxiety conditions.

So the short answer to the question, does stress cause anxiety is…yes it absolutely can.

What is “Too Much Stress?”

The answer is different for every individual. Circumstances like genetics, mindset, and environment can help or hinder a person’s ability to manage stress. You know you’re under too much stress when you start seeing the warning signs. They can include:

* Difficulty sleeping
* Turning to drugs or alcohol to relax
* Quick to snap or become angry
* Moodiness
* Depression
* Digestive troubles
* Headaches

If you notice any of these symptoms or simply feel like you’re under too much stress, then it’s time to take some action. You want to learn to release stress, relax and modify your lifestyle before the damage is too severe.

Reversing The Damage

Your body is an amazing thing. It’s capable of regenerating itself and essentially healing itself. This means that even if you’ve been dealing with tremendous stress, you can reverse the damage.

Meditate. Teach yourself to relax your mind and body. Practice on a daily basis. Meditation has been proven to improve longevity and quality of life.

Diet and exercise. What you eat and how you treat your body has a direct effect on what it can manage. Eating a healthy diet rich in nutrients and vitamins will go a long way toward repairing the damage caused by stress. It will also help you manage stress better in the future. Exercise really is as amazing for your body as everyone says it is. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise, like walking, dancing or yoga, can change your outlook.

Sleep. Sleep is the time when your body regenerates. All of your systems need sleep to function optimally. If you struggle with sleeping, consider seeking help for this specifically. A good night’s sleep can help you get through a stressful day or event without a problem.

Stress is intimately connected with anxiety and anxiety disorders. Learn to recognize the signs of too much stress. Treat your body well and it will treat you well too.

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