Taking Care of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression:

First, and foremost, I would like everyone to know, that I am NOT, by all means, a doctor of any sort. I have spent much of my time (and money) on specific lessons, and programs that deal with Stress, Anxiety and Depression. If, for any reason, you wish to contact me for more information on this topic, feel free. I have many files and records of lessons I have learned and my goal is to share this with everyone, at no cost. As I just wish everyone to feel their best. It took me weeks (15 weeks just with ONE program) and all-in-all, it's mind over matter, but some people (like myself) have to learn at their own pace. It is time-consuming at first, but worth it in the long run. You really have to retrain your way of thinking... Read on to learn more!

For a person suffering from an anxiety disorder, the worry is persistent and habitual, often initiated by unrealistic situations or thoughts. In addition, this worry is seemingly uncontrollable and often interferes with the ability of the person to concentrate or function normally. Anxiety disorders can also coexist with other ailments including panic disorder, depression and alcoholism. It's a condition that has been misunderstood and misdiagnosed for years, affecting one out of every five people... Well over 20 million people.

Some people suffering from anxiety experience physical pain. Some do not. Many of their problems are emotional and analytical. They are learned habits that can be unlearned.

People suffering from chronic anxiety often complain of:

* strong anxiety episodes

* racing heart/chest discomfort including palpitations or "flutters"

* trembling

* nausea

* hot and cold flashes

* feelings of unreality and disorientation

* dizziness

*scary, uncontrollable thoughts

* depressed feelings

* fatigue

* feelings of helplessness

* panic disorders

* muscle tension

* migraine headaches

* numbness in various parts of the body

* strange aches or pains

People suffering from anxiety disorder often have extreme apprehensions about the following:

* dying

* having a heart attack

* fainting

* losing their breath

* going "insane"

* losing control

* embarrassing themselves in front of others

* choking

* hurting themselves or someone else

Believe it or not, there are no "safe" people or places...

You are the one scaring yourself; only you can calm yourself down.

This may be very difficult for you to accept right now. That's fine. It's not important that you agree with everything from the start. What is important, is that you understand that you can over come this step-by-step...

People suffering from chronic anxiety often share similar backgrounds. Due to the situation you may have experienced as a child, you have adopted certain personality traits. Listed below are the most common traits found in people suffering from chronic anxiety.

Do any of these apply to you?:

*Perfectionist

*Inner nervousness

* Tendency to over-react most of the time

* Low self-esteem

* Guilt ridden

* Extremely sensitive to criticism

* Emotionally sensitive

* Extremely high expectations

* Inability to make decisions

* Obsessive thinker

* Extremely analytical

* Suggestible to others problems

* Overly concerned with others opinions of you

* Tendency to worry about health problems

* Need to appear in control

Limitations are certain things you cannot do as a result of your anxiety. For example:

* not being able to be alone comfortably

* not being able to drive, alone or with someone

* not being able to go shopping

* not being able to socialize comfortably

* not being able to make decisions

Anything you feel you cannot do or any problem you are having as a result of this condition is a limitation.

Most people relate to a background that includes high expectations and overreacting family members. These personality traits are extremely important. More than likely, you will find that you relate to most of these traits. It is important for you to understand that this personality and this negative, catastrophic, over-reactive thinking is what's causing most of your anxiety.

In terms of fears, many people believe they are most afraid of dying, fainting, or going insane. Quite often however, they're most afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of others.

Examples of Common Fears:

*Flying

*Socializing

*Speaking in front of people

*Standing in lines

*Being assertive

*Taking medications

*Traveling

*Working

*Being in any situation where you are not in control

*Eating

*Fear of doctors

*Shopping

*Thunderstorms

*Failure

*Crowded places

*Not being able to get out or leave when desired

Depression

:

Abraham Lincoln once said,

"I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth."

In some ways it is comforting to know that many great, successful, learned people suffered with depression.

Depression is a condition that can be defined in various ways; its severity ranges from the "blues" or a "bad mood", to severe clinical- suicidal depression. Short descriptions of most stages follow:

Moods:

Research seems to support the idea that most "bad moods" are preventable, or at least fairly easy to repair in a relatively short period of time.

Mild to Moderate Depression:

This form of depression affects approximately eleven million Americans. It can take the form of " the blues" to feeling hopeless. Some diagnosticians are labeling this type of depression, dysthymia (dis-THIGH-mee-uh).

Clinical Depression:

Depression that is severe, to the point the client loses interest in the outside world, has pronounced and prolonged behavior changes, and at it's worse- causes separation from reality. This depression level requires professional treatment.

Suicidal:

The client sees no reason to live and evaluates that everyone would be better off without them. It is very important that you seek professional help.

It is important that you share your feelings with family, friends, and your physician. It is wise to consult your doctor if you find depression affects normal daily function. It is often reported that depression that lasts more than two months can have biological repercussions and medication may be helpful.

The picture we have of depression is often grossly distorted and therefore, even the mention of it's possible presence is enough to frighten or make us uncomfortable. We have found that a good number of program participants do not realize they are not only stressed and anxious, but also depressed.

Your goal, to begin with, should be to focus on a clear picture of depression and begin activities that will start to alleviate and uplift your well-being. The kind of depression that most often coexists with anxiety is driven by the anxiety. A large number of people who have suffered with anxiety disorders slowly become depressed to one degree or another.

There are two very good reasons for this. Number one, anxiety disorders ARE DEPRESSING! And second, over time the experience of panic, high stress levels, anxiety attacks and lowered self-esteem, seems to lead the brain to reduce the amount of serotonin it produces.

The good news is: If the cause of the depression (stress and anxiety) is dealt with and alleviated, the result (depression) should be relieved. If you can recall that anxiety preceded the depression, you have a good idea as to the cause of the depression.

Below, I am going to give you an "assignment".

If you are concerned that you may benefit from learning more about anxiety and depression, feel free to follow these simple steps, as your daily schedule allows.

1. Make an appointment with your doctor for a check up. Be sure your thyroid is tested. If your depression level is interfering with your daily life, this might be a good time to talk to your doctor about an antidepressant.

2. In a personal journal, keep track of your anxious episodes:

*Where were you?

*Time of day?

*What did you eat or drink a half an hour before the anxiety?

*What were you doing?

*What were you focusing on (thinking about)?

3. Begin to chart a plan to eliminate caffeine, sugar and any other stimulants you are using. Write a clear contract with yourself that details your daily plans for some type of aerobic excercise. Talk with your doctor about this.

4. Observe your behavior this week. Notice how much your personality traits influence your anxiety, stress and depression levels. Catch yourself over doing perfectionism. How does your body feel? What is your emotional state when you realize "perfect" isn't possible?

5. Develop a "wish list"... "If my anxiety and/or depression weren't holding me back, I would..."

6. Find a breathing technique that works for you, and use it for one full minute, ten times a day. Practice when you are not particularly stressed, anxious or panicky.

An example of a breathing technique:

When you experience your first sensations of panic, I suggest that you change your breathing right away.

First, inhale through your nose slowly for two seconds, mentally counting one, one-thousand, two, one thousand. Then exhale through your mouth to mental count of four seconds- again by one-thousands. Do this for at least 60 seconds. Next, immediately fill yourself with positive, comforting dialogue. This exercise will help tremendously in preventing a full-blown attack from spiraling.

The mental activity of counting is an extremely effective distraction. The breathing process sends a signal to the brain to relax- things are just fine. The red alert sign is turned off...

Having knowledge of your disorder can make recovery of the disorder a lot quicker. Learning the skills are important also. There is no magic switch that turns all the negative feelings off, but there is freedom in awareness. Commit yourself to learning and improving weekly, daily, step-by-step.