One of the main causes of the stressful life that most of us experience at some time in our lives is down to how we interpret an event, or what meaning we attribute to it. An event doesn’t just ‘happen’ to us, we respond in a specific, usually learned, way

If we see these events in a negative light it can cause a downward negative spiral which leaves us feeling stressed and exhausted and if it continues for any length of time, depressed too.

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The major cause of being stressed in our lives is the emotions we have attached ourselves to and have then found hard to let go of.  Emotional Freedom Techniques  are a newly discovered approach to release yourself from stressful reactions and the negative emotions that have taken hold and hindered your psychological, as well as ultimately your physical, well-being.

How EFT Works

Whenever we think of an unpleasant experience that we have gone through, we produce negative emotions that cause a disturbance in the flow of energy around the body.

The technique of  EFT Tapping  whilst at the same time holding your focus on the specific problem at hand helps to restore the previously disrupted energy flow.

Even though the original experience, which led to the energy disrupton or bockage, can still be accessed the link between it and a negative response has dissolved and so recall no longer leads to stress or anger.

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Benefits of EFT

From the above brief explanation, we can see that the major benefit is that EFT relieves stress and frees us from anxiety and associated physical problems. The  EFT therapy tapping technique  helps to dissipate an energy block that has led to a block in healthy flow and functioning and kept the ‘darker view’ in place. As a result of this
emotional freedom, our body can function more easily and efficiently and our overall performance in life ameliorates. We are able to feel well, relaxed and healthy

Major conditions

EFT is a technique or energy therapy that is used to help us heal from the intense emotional reverberations caused by Trauma such as forms of physical abuse, as well as treating rather specific fears like proclaimed phobias and extreme self consciousness. In this way we can become free of say, the fear associated with having a loving relationship or public speaking, or flying, or speaking to the boss about a rise and so on.

Mental Health

By the same method, EFT improves mental health as it treats distressing conditions such as depression or dwelling anger. This helps create a clearer view on life by introducing some clarity our whole system. As the anger or depression recedes, something else comes in to fill the gap and this can be more  positive feelings  and a more relaxed attitude. The result of this is a kind of ‘knock on’ effect on the body in terms of better health as the feel good hormones are released and help the body to recover from the earlier effects of stress, such as higher blood pressure, back pain and headaches.

Eliminating Stressor-related patterns

EFT also works on treating the  unhealthy physical habits  that one often forms as they undergo stressful experiences. Some of these include sleep loss or insomnia and addictive behaviours such as smoking and food cravings or nail biting.

On another note, EFT can be used alongside the treatment of physical illness to relieve stressful emotions that accompany the condition. It has been reported to help improve one’s  attitude toward illness  and has even been known to sometimes reduce the body’s need for medicine and even surgeries and radiation. This is because, as research or case studies have indicated, the body’s immunity system thrives on low stress levels so it would perform more actively toward attacking the disease and reducing or eliminating pain.

Basically the practice of EFT on a regular basis can have the effect of supporting improved mood, better health and relationships.

Although it doesn’t always work all of the time, Gary Craig, the founder of this method claims that it works about 90% of the time. EFT is a technique which brings about emotional freedom, leaving the person much less stressed and with a greater sense of, calm, self esteem and happiness.

It provides us with a simple tool that we can use to regain control over the negative emotions  that may have dominated and streesed us for some time and signals an opportunity to freely embrace the world in a way that is both enjoyable, satisfying and ultimately health enhancing too.

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Stress management is not only an urgent need in today’s fast-paced lifestyle, but an important factor in both physical and mental health.

It is a psychological approach which teaches people, skills to cope with anxiety and stress.

Also it is all about understanding where your stress is coming from, and finding ways to alleviate it, and also to manage your life so that it becomes easier and much more enjoyable.

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Stress management, when practised regularly is most effective. It is the application of methods to either reduce stress or increase tolerance to it. It is your ability to maintain control when situations, people, and events make excessive demands on you. Managing stress is a key to happiness. It is your ability to effectively manage the pressures you feel at work and at home. It is also about knowing your limits.

A complete nutritional approach, combined with proper fitness maintenance and stress management is most important. Here’s why managing your stress is important: stress wears your body out and can be harmful in the long run.

Workplace stress management is a great way of making sure that you can get through the workday in peace and then go home with little or no stress weighing on your mind. The key to stress management is to determine the right amount of stress that will give you energy, ambition, and enthusiasm versus the wrong amount which can harm your health and well-being.

One of the first rules of effective stress management is positive thinking and behavior. Exactly how exercise helps in relaxation and stress management is not clear. At work, stress management is a breeze when you let employees take on tasks that fit their skill and interest. Another strategy for stress management is to live in the moment. Fortunately, stress management is largely a learnable skill.

Stress

Stress is your response to any physical, emotional or intellectual demands. Stress management includes following a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and making time for uninterrupted relaxation.

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Nutrition is one area where stress can be reduced most effectively, because we eat every day at least 3 times a day, so even the smallest of changes could bring about significant benefits. Stress can and does also result from unbalanced and inappropriate nutrition; excessive use of socially acceptable intoxicants; suppressive drugs and vaccinations; environmental toxins; negative emotions; lack of physical exercise; genetic factors; and improper body alignment.

>>   Change your diet, change your stress

Stress is a normal part of life. It is an unavoidable consequence of life and it is not something exclusive of the human beings, because the animals also have it. Stress is the answer of the body in response to external conditions that are perceived as dangerous, worrying or irritating.

Symptoms of stress can be either behavioral or physical. And some people who have a chronic illness may find that the symptoms of their illness flare up under an overload of stress.

All you need to do is relax, get control of that stress. More recently, however, it has been argued that external circumstances do not have any intrinsic capacity to produce stress, but instead their effect is mediated by the individual’s perceptions, capacities, and understanding. The model breaks the stressor-stress link by proposing that if stressors are perceived as positive or challenging rather than a threat, and if the stressed person is confident that he or she possesses adequate rather than deficient coping strategies, stress may not necessarily follow the presence of a potential stressor.

The model conceptualizes stress as a result of how a stressor is appraised and how a person appraises his/her resources to cope with the stressor. The model proposes that stress can be reduced by helping stressed people change their perceptions of stressors, providing them with strategies to help them cope and improving their confidence in their ability to do so.

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Anxiety

Anxiety is stress, tension and strain brought onto one’s body and mind. Anxiety can be broken down into two types: Somatic -sweaty palms, pain in neck or sick to the stomach & cognitive. Anxiety may be due to not feeling that you are not in control. These symptoms may manifest themselves psychologically as irritability, anxiety, impaired concentration, mental confusion, poor judgment, frustration and anger.

We are aware that people that suffer from Anxiety Disorders have problems mixing in social gatherings and I myself have found that online chat, forums and even voice chat can be an excellent way to deal with anxieties, because you avoid one of the big things many people with social anxiety are afraid of: Meeting people. Stress-related disorders include a broad array of conditions, including depression, anxiety, dissatisfaction, fatigue, tension, aggression, substance abuse, impairment in concentration and memory problems.

Note: Tranquilizers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications account for one fourth of all prescriptions written in the USA.

Exercise can help to relieve stress, tension, and anxiety. By expelling your excess negative emotions and adrenaline through physical activity, you can enter a more relaxed, calm state of being from which to deal with the issues and conflicts that are causing your anxiety.

Exercise is one of the most important coping medium to combat anxiety and stress. Exercise may trigger a neurophysiologic surge of adrenaline or endorphins- that produces an antidepressant effect in some, an anti anxiety effect in others, and a general sense of “feeling better” in most. Frequent exercise is an effective treatment for anxiety and, according to some research, is as effective as psychotherapy in treating mild or moderate depression.

Other researchers have found that light exercise, such as walking or swimming, decreases anxiety just as effectively as vigorous jogging does. (I.e. if you suffer from physical symptoms of anxiety such as gastrointestinal problems, sweating, palpitations, pacing back and forth, etc).

On the other hand, if your anxiety is caused by psychological causes such as worrying, difficulty concentrating or intrusive thoughts, you may find more relief from mental exercises such as meditation, imagery, prayer or other form of mental relaxation.

>>   Learn how to meditate. Click here

Exercising too much may lead to a state of fatigue characterized by anxiety or depression, insomnia, and a loss of interest in personal life.

Symptoms

Symptoms of stress can be either behavioral or physical. Symptoms of despair and hopelessness may be experienced in acute stress disorder and may be sufficiently severe and persistent to meet criteria for a major depressive episode. Symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder are experienced during or immediately after the trauma, last for at least 2 days, and either resolve within 4 weeks after the conclusion of the traumatic event or the diagnosis is changed.

These symptoms may manifest themselves psychologically as irritability, anxiety, impaired concentration, mental confusion, poor judgment, frustration and anger. Common physical symptoms of stress include: muscle tension, headaches, low back pain.

Most, however tend to ignore the problem as they are unaware of the symptoms. If the stress symptoms persist during many days, it is reasonable to go to see a doctor or to request psychological support.

Lifestyle

A commitment to live a healthier lifestyle should never take a back seat. In the alternative, if stress is more the result of one’s lifestyle, eliminating the stress causing factors and/or gaining healthful insight on how to alleviate stress the right way might just be the best thing for an individual to do for themselves.

For these reasons, stress management is vital to being successful at work and living a healthy lifestyle and it is steadily increasing in importance due to today’s busy and demanding lifestyles.

Author: Pradeep Mahajan is a free-lance writer. He is an engineer-MBA and management consultant by profession & practice. Also visit http://www.health-fitness-wellness.com for more information on health, fitness & wellness.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pradeep_Mahajan

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