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Anxiety

People, especially women with high levels of nervousness, worry and nervous tension need to find more effective ways to deal with the stresses and pressures that they face each day. Although many women have a healthy emotional balance, they can become overwhelmed if their anxiety responses are triggered very easily.

These stresses can vary. Taking a ride in an elevator, going to the dentist or being in a crowded area can trigger certain stresses making the individual become extremely anxious, frightened or upset.

A person who is already feeling anxious and tense will find certain life changes such as divorce, losing a job, financial problems, death of a loved one will probably find it impossible to cope.

An inability to cope with stress can cause damage to an individual's self esteem and confidence. As a person's inability to cope with usual day to day activities can have a diminishing effect on self worth.

Even if the stresses in one's life do not alter too much, a person's ability to deal with them makes a huge difference.

A person's emotional and physical reactions towards stress are determined by the sympathetic nervous system with produces the fight or flight reaction in response to excitement and stress. This speeds up the pulse rate, muscle tension, respiration, circulation of the blood and glandular function.

Those people who have recurrent anxiety and nervous symptoms coupled with emotional problems often have an overreaction within the sympathetic system. Those who have a particularly stressful life find that their sympathetic nervous system is more poised to react to a crisis putting an individual in a state of permanent tension.

Because a person in this state, they tend to react to smaller stresses in a similar way to how they would react in real emergencies.

In order to bring the body back into its balance, the energy that accumulates in the body to meet the 'emergency' must be discharged.

Energy reserves can be depleted by repeated episodes of the above mentioned fight or flight reaction. A continuance of this will create a downward spiral which will lead to an emotional burnout and complete exhaustion. By learning how to manage stress where energy levels are protected if not increased, this spiral can be broken.

There are a number of techniques which can be used for relaxation and coping with stress more effectively. Many people also notice an improvement in their physical health.

One recommended exercise requires an individual to sit quietly and engage in an activity that is simple and repetitive. This allows one to empty the mind and provide it with rest. Another is mediation which allows one to reach a state of deep relaxation. This is healing for the whole body. Physical functions such as the metabolism, blood pressure and heart rate slow right down. The waves in the brain also slow down to a level which is present during deep relaxation, just before sleep. One can relieve anxiety by practising these techniques regularly.