Live Longer by Coping with Anxiety and Stress

A person suffers from stress and anxiety for so many reasons. It may start from small and simple things but the effects can be serious. There are also ways in order for one to cope up with it.

1) Fear is anxiety

Anxiety is a fear of something. One who is anxious feels apprehended. Anxiousness of a certain person can be different from another persons feeling uptight.

2) Set yourself free

For some, traveling via air or sea can cause anxiety. Fear from things will stop you from exploring yourself. There are some classes that you can enroll at to help you overcome your fear. Think of it, overcoming your fear is like gaining freedom.

3) Beware of the signs

Some symptoms can be sudden movement, muscle strain, headaches, dryness of the mouth, sweating, trouble in swallowing and pain in the abdomen. These indications can occur with hasty heartbeat and breathing, sexual problems, bad temper poor concentration, low energy and diarrhea.

4) The positive side of stress

Stress can be from ones negative notion or different circumstances that make the person feel anxious, discouraged and angry. On the other hand, stress is a normal thing that one faces almost everyday.

Given its negative effects, it can be good sometimes if it is moderate because it can make a person feel motivated and help one to become more effective.

5) Scary stress

If you face too much stress, it can affect your health physically and mentally. Such things are heart disease, different types of infection, depression, and unusual and fatal diseases.

6) Farewell to a loved one

Losing someone you love can be very painful. A persons grief can become more serious. You should go out and entertain yourself. Avoid having idle moments. Think of the blessings that still comes your way. It is good to divert your attention to different activities such as sports, hobbies, joining clubs or whatever things you may be interested in.

7) Stress at work

A job can also be stressful. You probably have a lot of deadlines to meet and too many responsibilities. Never forget that you also need to give yourself at least a few minutes of relaxation. During break time, you may do some stretching and breathing exercises.

After office hours, you could go out with friends and co-workers and just have a good time.

8) From crisis to suicide

Financial crisis is one of the causes of stress especially in third world countries. Some suffers from hunger and then depression. Their financial situation eats them and sometimes they kill themselves and even their husband, wife and kids thinking that it is the only way to get out of their mess.

If you find yourself in this situation, it would help if you will communicate with your loved ones. Tell them how you feel, what you are thinking and ask for advices. If you think it is not enough, you may also seek professional counseling.

9) The sick becomes more sickly

A patients physical and mental condition can be affected when they learn that they carry dreaded diseases. They may worry too much and might cause the disease to worsen and consequently slim the chances for survival. You may help a sickly patient by telling them positive things and stories of survival.

Remember that what is inside a persons mind and how one feels is reflected on the outside. So, always smile and think positive. Keep your cool and set yourself free from unhelpful thoughts. Live healthy and live longer.

Chronic Fatigue Diagnosis

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, more commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a disorder or groups of disorders that is characterized by the onset of fatigue that persists for more than 6 months. It is characterized by a host of symptoms that range from muscle and joint pains to decreased ability to perform even the least demanding activities.

This syndrome is diagnosed by examining the symptoms of an individual against two groups of symptoms which are commonly demonstrated by CFS patients.

The first sign that healthcare professionals look for is the persisting chronic fatigue that is not related to any other condition that results to exhaustion. Tolerance to fatigue among CFS patients is very low, thus they get severely exhausted after performing even the simplest and least demanding of tasks. In fact, it is not uncommon for CFS patients to move from one place to another without feeling drained.

Most of them also get sick for several days to several weeks after performing minor activities. Most of them also exhibit flu-like symptoms after performing low intensity tasks.

The second criteria for establishing the presence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the onset of four of any of the following symptoms: myalgia or muscle pains, arthralgia or joint pains in multiple locations, head aches of more serious severity, persistent soar throat which recurs, tenderness of the cervical and axillary lymph nodes, impaired short-term memory and concentration, malaise which is experienced after physical exertion, and sleep disturbance.

Other symptoms that healthcare professionals look for are abdominal pain, bloating, dizziness, nausea, chronic cough, chest pains, shortness of breath, dryness of the mouth and eyes, weight loss, onset of minor and major psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, irritability and panic attacks, diarrhea, alcohol intolerance and skin and tingling sensations.

Diagnosis is facilitated only after all conditions that are known to produce the aforementioned symptoms are ruled out. In general, healthcare professionals encounter difficulty in diagnosing chronic fatigue syndromes due to the similarities and generality of symptoms it presents. Apart from the fact that fatigue is a common result of many diseases, it is also a very common sign of most chronic conditions. CFS also presents no symptoms that are visible and obvious enough for easy identification.

On top of these, there are also no diagnostic and laboratory tests that can help in establishing the presence of the disorder. Patients of CFS also display varying symptoms and level of severity which makes most patient experience differences in symptoms and severity. However through exclusion of the following factors, most doctors can arrive at a diagnosis:

1. The presentation of identifiable conditions that result to fatigue and decreased level of activities. Most doctors look for symptoms of hypothyroidism, a condition wherein the thyroid produces lower levels of thyroid hormones. Other notable conditions that may exhibit symptoms similar with CFS are lupus, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, bipolar disorder, mononucleosis or kissing disease, depression and diabetes.

2. The usage of medications that result to fatigue. Obviously, there are a number of medications, drugs and substances that can cause physical exhaustion.

3. Recurrence of previous diseases, disorders and illness that can produce extreme exhaustion such as cancer.

4. Substance abuse, more specifically excessive alcohol consumption.

5. Obesity which is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) or more than 45.