Some good examples of avoidable stress are: having chronic insomnia, untreated depression, anger, intolerance, a lack of exercise, a poor diet, phobias and compulsions; or smoking and excessive drinking, as well as unproductive worrying. There is absolutely no doubt about it, chronic stress is the single most dominate factor contributing to premature aging and unnecessary life-shortening disease!

The Facts About Cortisol

Fear, anger, chronic pain, and depression take their toll physically and emotionally by effecting the immune system. Many diseases actually cause stress and add intense pain and depression from numerous operations. Whether emotional or physical, the result is exactly the same, your body produces the flight or fight hormone of cortisol along with adrenalin. In small amounts, cortisol is not very dangerous, you actually need it, but there is growing evidence that massive amounts of cortisol chronically produced under the affect of stress lead to premature aging and diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.

Identifying Stress

The signs of stress are obvious, even to the lay person, and are easy to treat when caught quickly enough. Left untreated, more serious disease can develop, from depression, to psychosis. The following information is not intended to replace your physicians' diagnosis, but may help you to identify areas that might be causing concern. If symptoms are severe or persist, get emergency attention.

Specific Symptoms of Stress

Insomnia, Difficulty Concentrating, Temporary Loss of Memory, Emotional (easily angered and irritated, weeping, difficulty expressing feelings), Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Fears, Phobias, Paranoia, Vomiting or Dry Heaves, Dizziness, Fainting, Shock (numb, extreme mental confusion), Panic Attack (hyperventilating, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, thinks that death is eminent).

What You Can Do To Weather The Storm

Being in denial about symtoms of stress can be disastrous, leading to depression or physical illness. You have a choice, you can protect yourself from stress negatively effecting your health. Hypnotherapy has a long history of alleviating stress, and is recommended as a safe and effective therapy by the A.M.A. to induce relaxation and behavior modification, and has no unwanted side-effects. Reiki promotes relaxation, and accelerates healing. There are also a few positive things that you can do to aid yourself, such as; Listen to relaxation tapes and learn positive visualization techniques; this is a wonderful way to start or end each day. Use the word "cancel" whenever you get negative thoughts, this really works! Take slow, deep breaths, this regulates oxygen levels, and controls panic attacks as well as everyday stress. Don't forget to eat and drink, but don't use over-indulging to self-medicate. Verbalize your feelings and thoughts whenever possible, develop a support system of caring people to talk to, and also write in a journal. Accept your feelings, and realize that this is temporary. Say positive affirmations daily. A hypnotists suggestions work quickly because they go directly into the subconscious mind. During times of stress, you are very suggestable, too. Take advantage of this by reading or repeating positive statements every day until you feel better. Most of all, don't give up; your persistence will pay off, and you will be truly amazed with the results!