I have suffered with anxiety disorder symptoms my whole life virtually. I was diagnosed with the disorder over twenty five years ago, and now at the age of 41, I am suffering a relapse. I had been successfully fighting the disorder up until about six months ago, and was by and large symptom free. Now, I am smack dab in the middle of a serious relapse with my anxiety and I don’t rightfully know how I am going to deal with it.

The thing that is making this bout with anxiety disorder so tough is that it has adapted on me. It no longer is a simple case of my normal, run of the mill anxiety symptoms. It is now a whole new set of symptoms that I thought sure was something else. After the usual anxiety disorder battery of tests and procedures, it appears that I am once again facing a battle with anxiety.

My old M.O. With anxiety was pretty much the usual suspects as far as symptoms were concerned. Shortness of breath, chest pains, depersonalization, dizziness and fearing I was having a heart attack were the most common feelings I got back then. This time around, it appears that the symptoms are more neurological in nature. I am having weakness in my arms and legs, extreme fatigue, dizziness, eye and vision problems and even a short bout with paralysis of my arm. I have had the MRIs and Cat scans, and they do not show lesions or stroke activity in my brain at all. I was told that there are many things that can cause these types of problems, but I know in my heart that it is my anxiety once again coming back.

Upon doing some more extensive research, I now know that anxiety disorder, panic attacks and all the other panic related conditions can cause these symptoms and that it is not all that uncommon. Oddly enough, my Father died of a stroke at a young age, and I have been worrying incessantly about this since I turned forty. Could it be that I am now seeing a manifestation of this? I think so…

If you have unexplained symptoms and have had the medical tests to rule out serious problems, do not think that there are any symptoms that anxiety can not produce. I am walking proof that they can produce any symptom that your mind can think of, and even a few that it can not. Fear is the one thing in our psyche that can create symptoms easily and quickly if we let it. Anxiety causes all kinds of things, and you can be sure that it is capable. Knowing this can bring you a small amount of comfort by simply understanding that anxiety is not going to kill you. This seems silly to someone that does not suffer from anxiety, but the people that do suffer with anxiety will understand fully what I mean. Take a breath, and relax.

One of the first things you should do to keep your stress levels down is to design yourself a work area that is stress free. To do this, it needs to be some place where you can close the door, and keep others out when necessary. Having kids can make this complicated sometimes, but you have to make sure they understand work time. If you have a spouse, this is easier. If you are a single parent, then having a good long talk with your children can go a long way. If they understand when to interrupt your work and when not to, then you will be in much better shape. Smaller children will require a babysitter if you are working in another room with regularity. You can not expect to do both and get your work done too.

Another key to stress relief when you work from home is to take advantage of the quiet times. If you are able, work at night when the kids are in bed. This is not much different than working a third shift job. You can sleep while the kids are at school if needed, and you will get a whole lot more work done in this manner.

Make sure that you design a work area that is neat and organized. One of the hardest things about working in your home is the invasion of other things on your workspace. Keep it neat and forbid anything in your space that is not work related. This will allow you the chance to be at work when working and at home when not. You have to keep them apart to really stay stress free.

Use plenty of peaceful music and scents in your work area to keep it stress free. Incense is a powerful tool when you pick the right scents. Almond, vanilla and other scents bring about a calming effect, and can be wonderful scents to keep burning when things are going crazy. Music such as classical or nature sounds are also highly effective.

Most important, you must keep your work away from the center of the home. In other words, do not set up shop in your living room or kitchen. A closet will be a better option. If you are working right in the center of the comings and goings of your home, you will have little to no chance of actually getting anything done.

Stress relief is really all about paying attention to your tasks, and trying to keep them as isolated from one another as possible. If you are careful about this, then working at home as a parent will not be nearly as hard as you thought.

Boxing – Some people are not in condition to box, but if you are healthy enough it is a fantastic sport to blow off steam. Where else can you actually be encouraged to give someone a pop in the mouth? Many people who experience stress regularly find boxing to be the perfect outlet for their frustrations. Do not do this on your own, however. Get a gym membership that offers boxing lessons and do it in a controlled environment.

Singing – Another top quality way to blow off steam that anyone can actually do is to sing. Singing releases stress effectively and safely, and it is a heck of a lot of fun. Go to a karaokee bar or just sing in the shower or around the house. Any form of singing is a great stress buster.

Dancing – Like singing, dancing can be a great way to blow off some steam. Stress can cause you to feel tight and completely amped up. Dancing allows you to burn off some calories all while burning off some of that excess anger and adrenaline.

Meditation – Of all the stress busting ideas on this list, meditation is among the best. Why? Because meditation allows the stressed to release their tension anywhere. If you are sitting at your desk, in the middle of an important meeting, or simply hanging out at home, meditation is a stress buster that can change your life. Classes can be found in virtually every community center across the world, and the entry fee will pay for itself a million times over. Many times the classes are free.

Take a Vacation – Many people underestimate the power of a real vacation. That means no pagers, cell phones from work, or contact with your normal lives short of your family. If you are on a serious burnout, then taking a vacation will make a huge difference in your life. Spend some time digging into a serious vacation away from all the burdens, and you will see your stress simply melt away.

All of your stress is a build up of constant tension, and you have to take action to seriously get rid of it. Most people just ignore stress until it builds up to a boiling point. If you attack your stress before it reaches that level, it is relatively easy to control. Spend some time on this every single day, and try out some of the stress busting tips above.

Stress Busting Exercise Number One – Reverse Crunch

Doing crunches is not quite the same thing as they used to be. The truth is a crunch is only truly effective if you know how to vary it. Regular, old fashioned crunches will only give you a back ache and very limited muscle formation. The key is variations on the old version. The best variation that hits the hardest is the reverse crunch. This is when bend your knees at 90 degree angles and cross your feet. Then lift your hips using your abdominals up towards the ceiling. This will hit pretty hard with repetition. Do 3 to 4 sets of 15 reps for maximum effect and stress ruduction.

Stress Busting Exercise Number Two – Ball Crunches

Crunches while using an exercise ball are highly effective. Simply lean back on the ball and crunch up keeping the ball perfectly still. This is stress effective and ab busting to be sure, so enjoy several sets of 15 reps each.

Stress Busting Exercise Number Three – Ride that Bike!

Do not think I am talking about that exercise bike here, though it has great benefits as well. This is the bike on your back! Get on your back and start pedaling. Few exercises that do not require weights are more powerful at stress reduction and ab busting as this classic favorite.

Stress Busting Exercise Number Four – Vertical Crunches

Put your feet to the ceiling in a straight line while lying on your back. Then put your hands behind your head and move your upper body off the floor using only the abdominals. This is a great ab busting routine exercise that will work the lower and upper abs.

Stress Busting Exercise Number Five – The Ab Roller

As old as this product may be, it is still among the best ab busters on the market. Simply grab this thing and start crunching. You will be shocked at the results. The Ab Roller is an oldie but a goodie in the war on abs and stress.

Ab busting exercises are not rocket science but they do require that you do them regularly. The biggest key is to do something regularly and stick to the routine. You will see stress reduction results in no time as well as a six pack of abs if you get in there and work!

Bring in the Ocean -The ocean is another great way to calm the nerves. Get a CD of ocean waves crashing to the shore and let it take you away to another place and time. Stress reduction is easy when you are listening to the sea gulls. Some folks prefer the rain-forest, so go with what takes you away the best.

Add a Lavender Bath Ball -Lavender is one of the most natural stress busting smells in the world, and it is absolutely perfect in a bath. The combination of smell and relaxation will take you away and melt your muscles into butter.

Shut the Door and Threaten -Instruct every member of your family to not disturb you unless someone is dead, hurt or a major fire. Anything less important than that can wait until you are done with your stress busting bath.

Invest in a Larger Tub -If you have the money and can afford to, invest in a larger tub to relax in. The more room you have, the better you can stretch out and truly relax.

Invest in the Jets or Bubble Maker -Jet sprays in a bath are worth every single penny of investment if you can afford it. If you can not, then invest in one of the bubble makers that you can find at Walmart. They are absolutely worth the money and turn your traditional bath tub into a spa. Good money spent towards stress busting to be sure.

Turn down the Lights -Lighting can play a large part in a relaxation bath. If you have candles burning, who needs a light anyway? Cut down those lights or turn them off entirely and bathe in the candlelight.

Take your time -Many people rush through their bath and do not get the full effect. Take some time to pamper yourself. The kids, cooking and job will wait until you are done, I assure you.

The first thing you want to do when you are ready to pray is to go somewhere that you feel most comfortable.  If you feel relaxed in a particular room, then go there.  If you like nature and have a suitable place to go, that is even better.   Anywhere you feel relaxed can be a wonderful place to pray and reduce your stress level.  In a pinch, this can even be done sitting at your desk at work.

Many people have trouble getting started in a prayer to God.  The truth is, you are speaking with the Almighty.  He knows what you need, and He will provide it if you seek Him.  Find a position that you are comfortable.  Some people are more comfortable in prayer on their knees.  Others like to stand up and walk around.  Whatever makes you feel closest to Him is the key.

Begin by talking with God about what you are stressed about.  Let Him know that you are concerned and explain to Him why.  The wonderful thing about prayer to God is that He has a way of showing us our own solutions.  Just the act of speaking with Him in prayer will often provide solutions that we never would have otherwise thought of.  We give Him the problem, and He helps us find the solutions.  That goes a long ways towards eliminating stress in our lives.

The simple act of going to the Lord in prayer is stress reducing by default.  When you are able to share your problems with someone that is all powerful, the problems begin to seem like no big deal.  In the broad scheme of stress reduction, that is the end goal anyway.  We are trying to eliminate stress and move on with our lives.  No amount of exercise, self help, medications, vitamins or herbs are going to be nearly as effective as advice from the Almighty.  It is stress reduction as a bonus.  The real payoff is in knowing  Him and eternal salvation.

Holding a group prayer session can be very powerful as well.  Prayer only becomes more effective when several people are doing it.  If you and some friends want to really eliminate some stress in your lives, get together and pray once a week or more.  You will find that prayer is not only good for your stress – it is good for everything you want to do.

One of the first things that you need to do is to be able to get out of the environment that you are currently in. It does not matter where you are feeling the most upset or where you may be staying, you must remember, that both anxiety and depression will have a lot to do with the physical place that you happen to be at. This could be a factor of both habit and memory or maybe there are other factors at work, but if you happen to remove yourself from the current situation, even if it�s just for a couple of hours, it will definitely help. When you are suffering from anxiety and depression you will soon find that it is time for you to change your environment. You need to remember and keep it in your mind at all times that change is possible even if you do not necessarily believe it.

You should also take time to exercise. When you exercise it gives your body you will produce natural endorphins which actually goes a long ways towards soothing some of the chemical issues that have to deal with depression. It will also have a positive effect on your anxiety as well. In a lot of situations your anxiety can be made much worse when you are building up stress and that stress does not have either a good or reliable outlet. When these situations occur it will manifest itself in several different ways including such things as crying for no reason, or lashing out at someone among others. So go out and get some exercise and see if in doing this you can blow off a little stress in your life.

Another factor that you may want to consider when you are looking at treating anxiety and depression is figuring out the trigger points. Look for things that can send you into a downward spiral or makes everything bleak and dark in your life. It may be a similar time in your life or even just as small as the seasons changing. When you are able to tell what sets you off you may be able to tell that you can avoid it all together or at least be able to brace yourself for it.

You need to remember that you are not alone. There are millions of people who suffer from anxiety and depression each and every day. Knowing the triggers can help you seek the help that you may need.

]]> http://www.managementofstress.net/?feed=rss2&p=67 0 http://www.managementofstress.net/?p=62 http://www.managementofstress.net/?p=62#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:10:13 +0000 admin http://managementofstress.net/?p=62 A panic attack is one of the most common lifestyle diseases of the modern day life. This disease grapples millions of Americans every year and it is one of the most searched phrases on the online search engines. It is a common query, how to cure panic attacks but before you move onto the cures, it is crucial for anyone to understand what panic attack is and its common symptoms.

According to the doctors, a Panic Attack is a situation where a person has sudden arousal of anxiety and fear to extreme levels. The panic attack can happen for no reason although there are underlying causes. You might be working absolutely normal and all of a sudden from nowhere a panic attack can happen.

There are two types of panic attacks; one that is triggered because of your fear of certain situations and objects while the other is spontaneous which occurs without a trigger. The symptoms of panic attacks are very much similar to those of a heart attack but the panic attack is not life threatening as a heart attack.

The common symptoms of a panic attack are rapid heartbeat, difficulty in breathing, profuse sweating, tingling in limbs, trembling of hands, stiffness in throat and extreme fear. The person experiencing a panic attack feel as if they are dying and a bout of panic attack usually lasts between 10 to 30 minutes.

Although there is anxiety medication available in the market that will subside the panic attack symptoms. But then, this method of curing the panic attack is not a long-term option. The anti-anxiety medication and drugs are addictive and have side effects on long-term use. So they should be taken only on medical prescription.

To cure panic attack one has to identify the underlying causes of the existing anxiety. It could be anything like lack of sleep, lack of proper diet, too much workload, too much stress in family life, social phobia, etc. Once the reason has been identified you have deliberately not think about that thing as it will prevent anxiety and instability from entering your thought system. This way you will be able to control your emotions and know when the panic attack is occurring.

Deep breathing exercises are highly beneficial for people who have experienced panic attacks as during an anxiety bout, your normal breathing cycle is disrupted and it becomes difficult to breathe properly. If you have a highly developed and controlled breathing cycle then a panic attack can be subsided. You can control a panic attack with deep breathing and stay calm. These are some of the common yet less followed cures for panic attacks.

]]> http://www.managementofstress.net/?feed=rss2&p=62 3 http://www.managementofstress.net/?p=59 http://www.managementofstress.net/?p=59#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:46:46 +0000 admin http://managementofstress.net/?p=59 Stress can be a real pain in your life. Stress causes you to feel tense, irritate feelings within your family, and can cause further problems down the road. There are some strategies that you can use in order to manage the levels of stress that you have in your life. These strategies include taking a step back, relaxing and allowing yourself to vent.

Many people keep working right through the stress. Not only will this cause you to increase your levels of stress, but it can cause anger to boil over into physical and emotional problems. Stress builds up over time, and without taking a step back and seeing each situation through, can come to the point where you just cannot take it any longer. While reducing stress may seem like it is impossible, try to do whatever you can in order to reduce the high levels of stress that you feel. Also, do not blame your high levels of stress on other people. Doing so will cause people to feel angry and upset at you, when the stress is just part of your life and not theirs.

In order to really manage stress in your life, you need to take ownership. Far too many people believe that they can manage their stress by just placing it off until they have time to deal with it. Sometimes, you just need to face your stressors head on and deal with them when they are beginning to cause the stress. Time is one of the worst words you can use around someone who is under heavy amounts of stress. However, time is what is truly needed in order to change someone who needs to take ownership of their stress. Finding the time to do this may not be easy, but it is what you need in order to change your life!

Exercise is one of the best ways to deal with your stress. Not only does exercise help keep your body in shape, but it allows you to think about something other than what you need to have done right this second. Having exercise as a regular activity in your life can help you reduce stress levels very quickly and effectively. There are several other tools, such as yoga and meditation to work out your stress. While all of these stress management techniques work great, you need to pick the one which you will actually repeat the most often. This will allow you to create a regular routine that will help you reduce the amount of stress in your life.

]]> http://www.managementofstress.net/?feed=rss2&p=59 0 http://www.managementofstress.net/?p=57 http://www.managementofstress.net/?p=57#comments Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:40:26 +0000 admin http://managementofstress.net/?p=57 Stress Reduction Steps

Life can be stressful and at times you’ll have to take steps to deal with ongoing stress in a positive way. Stress can have a variety of causes such as family problems, job problems, financial difficulties, poor health, mechanical breakdowns, false expectations or even the death of someone close to you. It is important to recognize the causes (some stress is natural) and, if possible, take steps to deal with the root of the problem. I will discuss some stress reduction steps in my article through which you can reduce the level of your stress.

Be Organized: Sometimes stress arises from feeling overwhelmed. Being organized and getting your priorities straight can help you break responsibilities down into manageable pieces and focus on the things that really matters.

Use positive self-talk : One of the first things you can do in facing stressful situations is to reinforce yourself to resolve the issue through positive statements such as, “I can handle this, one step at a time,” or “Since I’ve been successful with this before, there’s no reason why I can’t do it again”.

Sense of Humor: Develop a sense of humor. One of the barriers to stress reduction is the temptation to take things too seriously. It’s not easy to back off from your intensity and see the humor in life’s situations but it can help in reduction of your stress.

Use of Water: Drink lot of water and try to avoid alcoholic beverages. Alcohol raises the level of stress quickly. Caffeine is also known to raise stress levels, so you must avoid caffeine also.
You need to realize that stress can be good for you, because it can inspire you to better meet goals in life. By the same time, too much stress can harm you physically and mentally. Now it�s up to you that how you see the stressful situation. If you want to reduce the level of stress then you must follow the above mentioned stress reduction steps.