ELIMINATE STRESS AND ANXIETY FROM YOUR LIFE

WHY ARE WE SO STRESSED OUT?

We're living in very trying and difficult times and things

don't seem to be getting any easier. Sometimes life can

seem terribly painful and unfair, yet somehow we manage to

struggle on, day after day, hoping and praying that things

will soon get better.

But day by day the world is becoming a crazier and

more uncertain place to live in, not to mention stressful.

Nothing seems safe anymore. Millions of people are in record

levels of debt. Many are losing their jobs, their homes, their

health and sometimes even their sanity. Worry, depression

and anxiety seem to have become a way of life for way too

many people.

We seem to have entered the Age of Anxiety. In fact,

in 2002, the cover of Time magazine proclaimed this loud

and clear on one of their covers as the featured story in that

issue. The constant stress and uncertainties of living in the

21st century have certainly taken their toll, and as a result

many of us seem to live a life of constant fear and worry.

When the terrorist attacks happened on September 11,

this constant stress and worry seemed to just be magnified.

In fact, many people even now four years later report they

are still scared that something of that magnitude could

happen again – perhaps closer to them.

Turn on the news or open up a newspaper and we are

bombarded with disturbing images and stories. We begin to

wonder if we are safe anywhere. In this, the information

age, never before have we had so much access to so much

data.

The economy is another stressor. Our country is in

debt and so are many Americans. Soaring gas prices,

outrageous housing costs, even the cost of food has sent

many Americans to work in jobs that are unsatisfying and

tedious. They work these jobs because they need a

paycheck. Today, it’s more important to bring home the

bacon rather than work in a dream career.

Having more women in the workplace adds to the

stress. So many women feel the need to be everything to

everyone and that includes a paycheck earner, house

keeper, mom, wife, daughter, and sibling. The only problem

with that is some women just don’t make any time for

themselves thus contributing to their stress levels being at

an all-time high.

Even children can feel the pressure of stress and

anxiety. Teenagers who want to go to college find

themselves pushing themselves during their studies to try

and obtain scholarships so they can attend schools that have

ever increasing tuition costs.

They find themselves having to hold down part-time

jobs on top of all that to earn money for extras that their

parents can no longer afford. Add peer pressure into the

mix and you have a veritable pressure cooker!

Cell phones, internet, palm pilots, blackberries, i-pods

– we are always on the go and always reachable. We don’t

make time to relax and enjoy life any more. Why not? We

certainly should!

We feel pressure to do these things because we think

we HAVE to, not because we WANT to. All too often, it’s

difficult for people to just say “No”. Not saying that one

little word piles up un-needed expectations and obligations

that make us feel anxious.

All of us will experience situations that may cause us to

become stressed or feel anxious. The reasons are too many

to note but can include, buying a property, having guests

stay over (in-laws!), being bullied, exams, looking after

children, managing finances, relationship issues, traveling

etc.

Stress is a ‘normal’ function of everyday life. Only when

it appears to take over our lives does it then become a

problem.

Everyone will have different reasons why a situation

causes them pressure. As a rule it’s usually when we don’t

feel in control of a situation, then we feel its grip tightening

around us causing us to feel worried or ‘stressed’.

If stress is caused by us not feeling in control of a

situation, the answer is to try and reverse this, and regain

that control. The good news is: YOU CAN!

You have everything inside you that you need to

overcome your stress and the accompanying anxiety. The

problem is, often we don’t realize that we are in control

because we feel so out of control at time. But the tools are

there, you just have to use them.

Let’s first look at the barriers we put up that are

preventing us from becoming healthy and getting rid of our

anxiety and stress.