Tag: Stress Anxiety

Combating Stress and Anxiety through Support Groups

Studies reveal that people with good friends are more able to cope with stress and anxiety than people who dont have any companions whose shoulders they can cry on. 85% of people today are said to suffer from stress and anxiety problems one way or another and these people will be able to handle stress and anxiety better if they find the courage to talk about it and ask for help and support.

Talking about Your Problems is Not a Weakness
Many individuals are in the opinion that talking about their problems is almost akin to revealing their weaknesses or admitting to their inability to cope with their problems. They must understand that talking is completely different from whining; its a fact that the act of talking is a way of releasing our pent-up emotions. Youre just letting off steam, so to speak, and that shall not be construed in any way as begging for pity or attention. It is also not another form of complaining but simply your way of asking for empathy. We feel better when people empathize with our situations and thats why we shouldnt keep our emotions to ourselves. Its destructive rather than constructive.

Factors to Determine the Best Support Group for Your Needs
Since we are all unique individuals, its possible that our needs for a support group are unique as well. What may work for you may not be suitable for another so its best to base your decision on your preferences alone.

Individual or Group Support
As mentioned previously, some people find it extremely difficult to talk about their feelings and problems in life. If this is your case, it may be best to start out with individual consultations with your therapist. Once you get comfortable with talking openly to a stranger, you could then move on to the next level and join a small support group.

Focal Point of Support Group
There are hundreds of support group to choose from and each support group has its own focal point of interest. Obviously, Alcoholics Anonymous is for the rehabilitation of alcoholics while there are other support groups that concentrate on increasing the self-confidence of its members. Choose the support group that can truly help you cope with your problems and consequently, eliminate stress and anxiety from your life. If youre a workaholic and too much overtime is the main reason why youre too jumpy most of the time, find a support group thats specifically meant to treat workaholics like you.

Time and Location of Meetings
It is best that you choose to join a support group that holds its meetings at the time and place youre sure to be available. Choosing a support group, in spite of its great objectives and wonderful staff, thats located in the next state would be highly impractical as you may have to travel for hours every time theres a meeting.

Type of Communication
Most support groups hold meetings where members can meet each other in person. People who prefer anonymity however may opt for other means of communication like joining an online group or talking to a volunteer on the phone. While face-to-face meetings are generally more effective, the end choice belongs entirely to you so choose the type of support group that youre most comfortable and most likely to stick with for a long time.

A Stress-free Guide to Managing Stress

Anxiety is a condition that is neither welcome nor enjoyable. This condition can effectively reduce a persons productivity and ability to cope with various situations. Add to that the fact that periods of anxiety are uncomfortable and bring with it a host of nervous illnesses palpitations, cold flushes, clammy hands, and a boiling sense of dread in the pit of the stomach among others.

While it has been the subject of many studies and researches, scientists are agreed that anxiety is still not fully understood even today. However, as a result of their researches, they have been able to help people effectively manage and avoid anxiety.

1. Avoid Stress Stress is the greatest predisposing factor to anxiety attacks. If one is to avoid any anxiety-related illness, that person should reduce the amount of stressors experienced per day.

While not completely avoidable, one can at least create an environment where stress plays a lesser role on they body. Make sure you put the stressors that can be avoided away from your immediate vicinity. You could try lounging in an area that is peaceful and quiet.

You will be surprised at what a good five minutes of relaxation can do for a stressed-out body. You could also come up with good coping mechanisms for stress related issues. You could listen to soothing music, meditate, and do other relaxing activities.

2. Avoid Drinking and Other Substances Studies have shown that various substances can predispose one to bouts of anxiety. These substances play around with the normal balance of chemicals in the brain, effectively increasing the chance one acquires anxiety illness.

While some people drink or take drugs to soothe their nerves it actually has a counter-effect that will discourage those that do so. Drugs for example can increase the release of a chemical called dopamine in the brain.

Dopamine is a chemical that is associated with pleasure in the body. While activities such as sex and eating good food increase dopamine release anywhere from two to three times, drugs haywire the brain and cause an increase in dopamine anywhere from four to ten times.

While this may seem like a good thing for some people, this sudden and unwarranted increase in dopamine can actually cause havoc to the chemical balance of the brain. And while it makes those that take them giddy for some time, when a persons high wears off, the sudden loss of dopamine will induce a great amount of depression, stress, and anxiety.

3. Sleep Right People need the right amount of sleep to retain a calm, restive demeanor. If you have noticed, you are usually a lot crankier and anxious the day after you pull an all-nighter. This is because sleep is a necessity for good health physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

Not only is the amount of sleep important, but the regular schedule for it as well. If possible keep your sleep patterns regular, as an irregular pattern can cause an undue amount of stress and anxiety.

4. Eat Right The body needs certain nutrients to keep itself healthy. Not only does it need these nutrients for energy and building processes, it also needs certain nutrients to keep the chemical balance in the body at normal rates.

This makes the intake of healthy food important. The intake of the right kind of food is integral to the health and well-being of any person. Anxiety is, as studies have shown, directly related to diet.

Avoid taking food substances that can alter your body chemistry in the wrong way. Coffee and alcohol are some of the food stuffs that can play with ones chemical balance and cause anxiety as well.