eliminate_stress_and_anxiety

It seems like you hear it all the time from nearly every
one you know – “I’m SO stressed out!” Pressures abound in
this world today. Those pressures cause stress and anxiety,
and often we are ill-equipped to deal with those stressors
that trigger anxiety and other feelings that can make us
sick. Literally, sick.
The statistics are staggering. One in every eight
Americans age 18-54 suffers from an anxiety disorder. This
totals over 19 million people! Research conducted by the
National Institute of Mental Health has shown that anxiety
disorders are the number one mental health problem among
American women and are second only to alcohol and drug
abuse by men.
Women suffer from anxiety and stress
almost twice as much as men. Anxiety
disorders are the most common mental
illness in America, surpassing even
depression in numbers. Anxiety is the
most common mental health issue
facing adults over 65 years of age.
Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. $46.6
billion annually. Anxiety sufferers see
an average of five doctors before being
successfully diagnosed.
Unfortunately, stress and anxiety go hand in hand. In
fact, one of the major symptoms of stress is anxiety. And
stress accounts for 80 percent of all illnesses either directly
or indirectly.
In fact, stress is more dangerous than we thought.
You've probably heard that it can raise your blood pressure,
increasing the likelihood of a stroke in the distant future, but
recently a health insurance brochure claimed that 90 percent
of visits to a primary care physician were stress-related
disorders.
Health Psychology magazine reports that chronic
stress can interfere with the normal function of the body's
immune system. And studies have proven that stressed
individuals have an increased vulnerability to catching an
illness and are more susceptible to allergic, autoimmune, or
cardiovascular diseases.
Doctors agree that during chronic stress, the functions
of the body that are nonessential to survival, such as the
digestive and immune systems, shut down. "This is why
people get sick," he says. "There are also many occurrences
of psychosomatic illness, an illness with an emotional or
psychological side to it."
Furthermore, stress often prompts people to respond
in unhealthy ways such as smoking, drinking alcohol, eating
poorly, or becoming physically inactive. This damages the
body in addition to the wear and tear of the stress itself.
Stress is a part of daily life. It’s how we react to it that
makes all the difference in maintaining our health and wellbeing.
Pressures occur throughout life and those pressures
cause stress. You need to realize that you will never
completely get rid of stress in your life, but you can learn
coping techniques to turn that stress into a healthier
situation.
When I first got the assignment to write this book, I
immediately thought, “Sure, you can eliminate stress and
anxiety by locking yourself into a room and never talking to
anyone ever again”. But that wouldn’t make a very
informative book, now would it?
I have suffered from anxiety disorders caused by stress
for years. I have learned somewhat how to cope with that
although I’m always learning new things and dealing
mechanisms. So what I’ve done in this book is taken some
of my own experiences and combined them with advice from
experts to give you tools that will help you in stressful
situations.
I’ve also outlined different ways you can face
debilitating anxiety and panic attacks that many people
suffer from. While researching this book, I’ve come across
some amazing information and can’t wait to share it with
you. I’ve learned so much myself, so let’s look at how to
eliminate stress and anxiety from your life!