Help with Stress

Article by Paul and Denise Douglass

The word 'stress', in our modern society, is often a 'cover-all' term that is used to describe a wide range of symptoms, from anxiety to depression, from insomnia, panic attacks and plain old 'worry'.

The levels of stress in someone's life will have a huge impact on all kinds of symptoms.  The symptoms of a phobia, for example, aren't always present at the same level of intensity.  

The strength of emotion associated with a phobia for example, will vary depending on the levels of stress that the person has in their life. 

Someone with low stress levels then, could experience lower levels of effect from a phobia, than someone who has lots of stress in their life.

To give an example, someone with 'social phobia' (the fear of social interaction / the fear of being judged) may feel able to cope in some social situations for a while, only to find their 'social phobia' increasing when other stress factors come into play (such as financial difficulty for example).

How stress can affect us

The way that stress affects a given individual is dependent on a number of factors, including the person's basic personality type, conditioning, expectation and their usual response to the 'flight-or-fight' reflex.

For example, someone who regularly 'externalises' their emotions (projects the emotions outwards) might have a symptom like anxiety, panic attacks or anger, whereas someone who tends to 'internalise' their emotion (keep things to themselves) might be more prone to symptoms such as depression for example.

The effects of stress on the body

Stress can also have an effect on the body, and this again can vary depending on a person's susceptibility to these effects.  Shaking, sweating, blushing as well as sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction or vaginismus for example, can be caused, or exacerbated by the response to stress.

Causes of stress

Of course, it would be impossible to list all of the factors that could contribute to stress, but some of the main causes of stress include:

• Stressful times at work
• Unemployment
• Death of a loved one
• Sexual abuse / assault
• Changes in personal relationships (divorce / wedding / breakup)
• Birth of a child
• Financial difficulty
• Bullying

Stress levels

Of course, these things (and many more) can affect the stress levels on a day-to-day basis, but problems can arise when a person feels that they can't cope with the build-up of stress that happens from time-to-time.

When this happens, the effects of stress can escalate to the point where the person finds it very difficult to function in everyday life.

At that point, it's important to recognise that the stress is having a detrimental effect on life, and look to find help to bring the stress levels down.

It's not always possible to change the things that are causing the stress, but it is often possible to change the way that the person reacts to the stress.

How to overcome stress

The one thing we'd like to say right from the start, is don't worry, you CAN overcome stress when you know how.

What we've found over the years, is that there are a few simple techniques that you can use to overcome stress.

Sometimes, people who have stress can often feel quite out of control and negative about things, because it can sometimes feel like they're stuck with it, and there's nothing that can be done about it (which of course there is!).

So the first thing to understand if you're looking to get over your stress, is that that there IS something that can be done, and even that in itself can help you feel a bit more in control right from the start.

So, as we say, don't worry... we've found over the years, that there are a few simple techniques that you can use to overcome stress... you CAN overcome stress when you know how... it just might be that you need someone to show you how!

Next: Read our top 8 tips on overcoming stress

Related Links:

• Anxiety
• Pure Hypnoanalysis

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