Stress & Anxiety

It’s often-quoted that stress comes and goes dependent on the situation you find yourself in (you have a phobia of spiders, see one, kill it and the stress goes away) and anxiety is permanent (you have a constant and often debilitating fear that a spider will appear from under the sideboard).

There is an element of truth to this however none of us are born with a predisposition to stress and anxiety. It’s learned and with anything that you learn to do in a particularly way, you can just as easily learn to do it another way.

What is Stress?

stress (strĕs) n. a physical or psychological stimulus that can produce mental tension or physiological reactions that may lead to illness.
The American Heritage Stedman’s Medical Dictionary

This is an easy-to-understand explanation of stress – stress is generally caused by understandable environmental objects such as working late too often, being stuck in a relationship you want to release yourself from or not having enough time to do all the things you need to do during the course of your week.

Stress is your body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, emotional or behavioural adjustment or response. It goes all the way back to our hunter-gatherer days when our reaction was limited to ‘fight or flight’. It’s now known as the ‘stress response’. It’s the way your body and mind reacts to disturbances in our equilibrium.

Stress is caused by pre-existing factors (different in all of us) known as stressors. Internal stressors are the types of stress that include those unwanted feelings you experience that cause unease, including uncertainties, dramatic changes, apprehensions and unrealistic expectations. External stressors are around you and include traumas, your everyday hassles and general life experiences.

The one constant about stress is that it isn’t constant in any of us. We all react differently. What is highly stressful to you will be of little concern to someone else. Intolerable to you may be stimulating to another and some people can handle stress better than others.

Stress is normal. We have all suffered from stress and it isn’t limited to any particular age group, gender, socio-economic or cultural background but you can reduce its overriding effects by first recognising there’s an issue and then developing the skills to deal with it.

That’s where Behavioural Freedom comes in. Please go to my Stress page to find out more about the symptoms of stress and how I can free you from the unwanted behaviours that stop you from doing the things you really want to do.

Please contact me today to start the journey back to behavioural freedom.

What is Anxiety?

anxiety (æŋˈzaɪɪtɪ) n. a state of uneasiness or tension caused by apprehension of possible future misfortune, danger, etc; worry
Collins English Dictionary

Anxiety is inbuilt into the fabric of who you are, regardless of what’s going on in your life. Unlike stress, the root causes of anxiety may be – and frustratingly remain – unknown but you have a constant and often debilitating feeling of impending doom accompanied by fear and apprehension. It can manifest itself in physical symptoms such as stomach aches, shaking, sweaty palms and panic attacks.

On one hand, anxiety can protect you from impending danger by releasing adrenalin which makes your heart beat faster; to carry the blood around your body your breathing quickens to produce the extra oxygen you need for energy; you sweat which prevents your body from overheating; more blood is sent to your muscles; your brain is more alert and your senses are heightened.

This is known as the ‘fight or flight reflex’. These physiological symptoms allow you to quickly react and either run away from danger (flight) or stay and take your chances (fight).

While this is useful against imminent physical dangers, it’s not particularly useful if you want to run away from making a presentation at work, taking exams, a driving test or going across a bridge. If there’s not a clearly defined physical threat, the ‘fight or flight’ reflex doesn’t manifest itself and your feelings of agitation continue for longer.

Anxiety comes in the form of phobias, a fear of social situations, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and panic attacks and like stress, you have different anxiety thresholds. What makes you highly anxious will be of little concern to someone else.

That’s where Behavioural Freedom comes in. Please go to my Anxiety page to find out more about the symptoms of anxiety and how I can free you from the unwanted behaviours that stop you from doing the things you really want to do.

Please contact me today to start the journey back to behavioural freedom.