Browsing Category: "Anxiety & Stress"
We all have anxiety And stress in our lives. Its source can come from both happy and not so happy occasions and happenings. Planning a wedding or preparing for your graduation can be a source of stress and anxiety, just as marital and financial difficulties can be. Usually we don’t associate happy occasions with stress and anxieties, but all situations in our lives have stress and anxiety associated with them in various degrees.
Everyone handles the anxiety and stress in their lives differently and with varying degrees of success. When you find you are experiencing additional stress and anxiety in your life, keep these seven tips in mind to help you cope and overcome.
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When we worry we often find our minds racing in a never-ending ‘think think’ cycle that has no end. When this happens it is time to redirect our thoughts to break the ‘think think’ cycle. Take yourself outside for some deep breaths and focus on the life and world around you. Observing the things we often miss like the scenery, birds or even the weather will help you to break the ‘think think’ cycle and reduce the anxiety And stress you are feeling.
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Stress and Anxiety often go hand in hand with a feeling of tension in your neck, diaphragm or shoulders. In a relaxed position, close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few minutes to release tension from these areas. Inhale deeply through your nose, pulling air into the depths of your lungs, allowing the diaphragm and abdominal area to expand. Hold for a count of six and then slowly exhale through your mouth for a further count of six. This may be repeated for a few minutes. Take care not to hyperventilate. If you start feeling light-headed or dizzy, stop the deep breathing exercise and resume normal breathing.
Because Social Anxiety is not a condition that is generally visible to the naked eye, it can often become an invisible cage for those that suffer from it.
Depending on the severity of a person’s Social Anxiety, symptoms can range from a vague sense of unease to one that paralyzes its victim with physical symptoms of fear so intense that they will do just about anything to avoid social situations.
Those effected by Social Anxiety are hyper aware of those around them and fear saying or doing anything that will cause criticism. Even blushing can be a traumatic experience for a Social Anxiety sufferer. Their unending fears of being watched or judged by others is often mistaken for low self-esteem or shyness.
Social Anxiety is a very real medical condition characterized by intense fear of public and social situations. The victim may not be shy at all and in most situations be open and sociable. However, certain situations, such as giving a public speech or having to walk down an aisle where they are the center of focus can trigger overwhelming fear to the point where the person effected will do everything possible to avoid those situations.
I apologize for the lack of posts the last little while. I have been dealing with an aging hard drive which decided to begin making files unavailable.
I have been in the IT industry for many years and I will be the first one to admit when I’ve messed up. In this case, I truly have since I allowed a very busy schedule to interfere with my backup strategies and as a result I will pay the price in the loss of some valuable files.
So how do you avoid the computer stress that I’ve been dealing with of late?
Begin with a backup strategy of some sort. External hard drives these days are very inexpensive when compared to just ten years ago. My first 2 GB hard drive cost in the neighborhood of $300 CAD way back then. The other day, when it became apparent that my main storage drive was in serious trouble, I picked up a 1 TB external hard drive for only $149.00 CAD. That is a huge cost difference.
In our highly stressed lives, very few of us connect those added inches around our bellies with stress related weight gain. In fact, many typically would associate stress with weight loss.
The silent culprit behind stress related weight gain is a hormone called Cortisol. Or is it? Before you send out a posse to rope this culprit in and hang it from a tree, you need to know that the correlation between stress, Cortisol and weight gain is totally natural. In fact, Cortisol plays an important role in maintaining your health.
Secreted by the adrenal glands, some of the jobs Cortisol performs are to help regulate blood pressure, release Insulin for maintaining blood sugar levels, and ensure proper Glucose metabolism.
Ok, so now you’re thinking that all sounds pretty good and it is. Cortisol is an important part of the body’s stress management system. This stress hormone is secreted in high levels during a ‘fight or flight’ response from the body and provides us with an extra burst of energy to deal with the threat at hand. Our tendency toward stress related weight gain happens when the body is unable to return to the normal function or ‘relaxation response.’
Empty Nest Syndrome can occur in a parent or guardian when a child they have cared for leaves home or is married. The stronger the bond with the child, the more likely this is to occur.
Empty nest syndrome is seen more often in women but can effect men as well. If the child was a focal point in the person’s life, and the focal point is no longer there, it can lead to different types of behavior. Empty nest syndrome can be very traumatic for those experiencing it.
Empty nest syndrome is described as a general feeling of loneliness, lack of direction and depression. A person feels unfocused and may attempt to re-establish their focal point by calling or dropping in on the child excessively. Other symptoms may include a feeling of uselessness, pointlessness in continuing of old patterns and traditions. In more severe cases, it can turn into full-blown depression where the individual is unable to function properly.
