Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Management

[Greg Brown]

In today's hectic world of fast paced living and competitive work
arena, it's no longer wonder that a lot of people suffer from the
negative effects of depression, anxiety, and stress. These three
issues have seemed to become a part of daily life for millions of
people around the world -every day they deal with shallow breathing,
rapid heartbeats, and the "feeling" of suffocation from the "choking
fog" that surrounds them all through their normal daily activities.
Let's take a closer look at what depression, anxiety, and stress
really are, and what they do to the body. Depression is that emotion
of being hopeless, "down", or losing interest in doing things or
activities. It may last for a short time such as several weeks, or
last longer like months or even years; it may be triggered by
significant events or biological reasons. It may disrupt one's family
life, as well as lead to alcohol and drug abuse, and affect one's
ability to work.
Anxiety disorders on the other hand, are disorders that entail
apprehension and fear about future happenings. This can result to
excessive worrying and can disrupt the life of a person -irritability,
fatigue, restlessness, muscle tension, and impaired sleep and
concentration.
Stress is the body's reaction to events that confront it; on the
whole, stress can be connected with anxiety and depression at times.
When depression, anxiety, and stress unite overwhelmingly, it becomes
a form of overstress. Overstress will take its toll on the body, both
physically and mentally, and so it is essential that one takes action
to manage overstress.
Depression, anxiety, and stress management is an important step to
reducing or eradicating the negative effects that these three factors
can entail. There are various options for depression, anxiety, and
stress management, and the effectiveness will depend on what works
best for the individual's need. Generally, the aim of depression,
anxiety, and stress management is to lessen the pressure load, help
the individual cope with their depression, anxiety, and stress and
help the person get back to being "healthy" again.
Some helpful tips for reducing one's pressure load include: lessening
the "pace of change" in one's life; reducing school or work
obligations; diminishing social obligations; saying "no" more often;
reducing environmental toxins; postponing changes in one's living
situation; and eliminating possible environmental or food allergens.
Keep in mind that the initial step to an effective depression,
anxiety, and stress management is taking action before it starts to
"take action on you".