Healthy Life

Because stress affects a woman's health, mental state and quality of life, it is important that women be in tune with their bodies in order to recognize the signs of stress. Stress affects different women in different ways. Some symptoms of stress are difficulty sleeping or concentrating, headache, stomach pain, depression and anxiety. Stress can stem from a range of circumstances, some of the major ones being death of a loved one, illness or injury, divorce, an accident or other emergency situation. Though these are some of the major stressors, stress can arise from any change in a person's routine. Happy occasions such as marriage or beginning a new job can also prompt stress. Other sources of stress are the everyday pressures of work and family responsibilities.
Stress can be short or long term, and it is not just your imagination. Stress causes chemical changes in the body, and the physical symptoms you experience are the result of your body's reaction to it. Under chronic stress, the body releases cortisol, a hormone that gives the body survival responses such as a temporary burst of energy and a heightened immunity and threshold for pain. This state of physiological arousal, which includes a heightened heart rate and blood pressure, is intended to subside once the threat of danger passes and the body's relaxation response kicks in. Under conditions of chronic stress, cortisol levels are heightened over prolonged periods of time, the relaxation response is hindered, and health issues can result. Chronic stress has been linked to conditions such as depression, heart disease and other heart problems, insomnia, high blood pressure, and difficulty conceiving.
Establishing a life balance that minimizes stress is important to a woman's health and well-being. The demands of juggling a family and a career often lead women to neglect their own needs. Relaxing, even briefly, is important to sustaining a healthy balance. Numerous techniques can be employed to help a woman effectively reduce the level of stress she is experiencing, some of which include:
-Getting aerobic exercise. Exercise releases natural pain and stress relievers called endorphins, and also serves as release for tension. Jogging, doing Yoga, swimming, or other activities that get your body moving are healthy ways to control stress.
-Sharing feelings. Even when there is nothing you can do to control a stressor, sharing your feelings with a friend, loved one or therapist can be a great outlet for reducing stress. Another option is writing about your situation and feelings in a journal. Putting into words the way you feel and why can help you gain a new perspective on a situation. Try to focus on the positive side of a situation and what you will learn from it.
-Saying no. Sometimes stress is the result of too many commitments. Women should take into account the level of stress they feel with their current level of obligations before taking on any new ones. A balanced lifestyle in which a woman can fulfill all of her responsibilities with some time left for relaxation is ideal.
Just as the symptoms of stress can take many forms, the methods that work best for relieving stress vary among women. Some control stress through means such as exercise, while others seek medical help to deal with high levels of stress. Finding the right treatment for your personal needs involves paying attention to your body's needs and recognizing the symptoms of stress

We all know what it's like to feel anxious and have overwhelming stress. Most of us experience anxiety when we're faced with stressful situations or traumatic events. Our heart pounds before a big presentation or a tough exam. We get butterflies in our stomach during a blind date. We worry and fret over family problems or feel motion at the prospect of asking the boss for a raise. Anxiety is part of our natural "fight-or-flight" response. It's our body's way of warning us of possible danger ahead.
I was working as a social worker for a year, I have been case manager to many different people. I worked for government agencies for twenty years so this has meant that I work in a variety of areas. I have special training in working with children and families, but there have been times when I have been transferred to work with the elderly and adult mentally ill because of agency staffing patterns. In some ways it gets frustrating being moved from one population to another, but it also helps me learn about different disorders as well as services that are available. From those experience from my job, I tend to admit to myself that I was suffering from the symptoms of anxiety panic attacks and went in to the doctor to seek professional help for this instances. I believe that the struggle was almost over. I could go in, get some medicine, and start to get better. And then I realize that it was not that simple. There are many treatments for anxiety, and some of them appear to be miracle cures, but the people selling them are pretty deceptive. Anyone who tells you the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder is easy is deceiving you. In fact, it is a difficult, involved process.
However, if anxiety is overwhelming you with fear and stress, preventing you from living your life the way you'd like to, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Fortunately, there are effective treatments for anxiety attacks and disorders. Therapy, relaxation techniques, and a balanced, healthy lifestyle can help you reduce your anxiety and take back control of your life.
Remember, that stress is one of the most common disorder among of all ages of the population. Everyone becomes anxious over different things in their lifetime. For most of us anxiety disappears when the event or situation is over, but for some people with generalized anxiety it is not this simple. They are individuals that need to be involved with a professional for treatment of anxiety. This can be done effectively in a number of ways.
And one of the common treatment for anxiety for some people is begin with individual counseling, so the person has a chance to discuss the types of things or situations that are anxiety producing them. This also gives the therapist a chance to access if the person would benefit from medication. As the person advances in their comfort level in their treatment of anxiety they may be moved into a group counseling session. Speaking and interacting in a group setting is a very common fear. Being able to address this fear with a group of others that understand and support you can be very healing. For the people that are so anxious and nervous that they cannot go out in public the treat of anxiety may need to begin with the therapist coming to their home.
Many people with severe panic attacks are rushed to the hospital because those around them assume they are having a heart attack. Anxiety may develop at any age in a person's development. Many times when it develops in adults it is following some type of trauma. This is often referred to as post traumatic stress disorder. This disorder is quite complex and takes a different approach than dealing with the treatment of anxiety. Many members of the military develop post traumatic stress disorder as a result to exposure to intense military action. For them anxiety is one of many complicated symptoms.
Keep in mind that, the treatment of mood disorder is always difficult and it requires several different stages. If you suffer from severe anxiety as I did, the first stage is to get your symptoms under control. The First stage is all I thought there was to the treatment of anxiety - the administering of medication. Basically, the doctor gave me some sedatives and an antidepressant that would help treat my anxiety. This would somewhat alleviate my symptoms and get me into a space where I could be responsive to therapy. Therapy, however, was much more involved. Treatment of anxiety to end with pills is not good. You see, treating anxiety with medication helps you suppress the symptoms, but it does not address the underlying causes. Most anxiety panic disorders stem from some psychological factor. There was something about me that was making me have severe anxiety attacks, and it was important to get to the root of it. Eventually, whatever it was that was causing the anxiety would find another way to rear its ugly head. Luckily, the treatment of stress and anxiety doesn't only consist of therapy. There were a lot of other practical steps that I could take to help treat my anxiety, steps that were immediately effective. Through exercise, meditation, hypnosis, and maintaining a healthy social life, I could keep my anxiety at bay on a daily basis. It would still come out periodically, but if I didn't let myself shut down I could keep the upper hand. I am still undergoing my treatment of anxiety, but it is better than it has been in years.