What is stress?

Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.

People feel little stress when they have the time, experience and resources to manage a situation. They feel great stress when they think they can't handle the demands put upon them. Stress is therefore a negative experience. And it is not an inevitable consequence of an event: It depends a lot on people's perceptions of a situation and their real ability to cope with it.

Why is it important to learn to manage your stress?

Stress interferes with the ability of the body to heal by putting the body into a fight or flight reaction, engaging the limbic nervous system and
impeding appropriate functioning of the immune system (American Psychological Association, 2006).


 

In addition, an over-stressed lifestyle can cause negative behavior. When under pressure, some people are more likely to drink heavily or smoke, as a way of getting immediate chemical relief from stress.

Others may have so much work to do that they do not exercise or eat properly. They may cut down on sleep, or may worry so much that they sleep badly. They may get so carried away with work and meeting daily pressures that they do not take time to see the doctor or dentist when they need to. All of these are likely to harm health.

Stress and heart disease: The link between stress and heart disease is well-established. If stress is intense, and stress hormones are not ‘used up’ by physical activity, our raised heart rate and high blood pressure put tension on arteries and cause damage to them. As the body heals this damage, artery walls scar and thicken, which can reduce the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. This is where a fight-or-flight response can become lethal: Stress hormones accelerate the heart to increase the blood supply to muscles; however, blood vessels in the heart may have become so narrow that not enough blood reaches the heart to meet these demands. This can cause a heart attack.

Other effects of stress: Stress has been also been found to damage the immune system, which explains why we catch more colds when we are stressed. It may intensify symptoms in diseases that have an autoimmune component, such as rheumatoid arthritis. It also seems to affect headaches and irritable bowel syndrome, and there are now suggestions of links between stress and cancer.

Stress is also associated with mental health problems and, in particular, anxiety and depression. Here the relationship is fairly clear: the negative thinking that is associated with stress also contributes to these.

How can hypnosis help? By learning how to focus your thoughts and attention, letting outside pressures and distractions fade away, you will regain a sense of peace and clarity. I will teach you how to instantly let go of stressful, toxic thoughts and emotions throughout your day and how to gift yourself a relaxing and rejuvenating self-hypnosis session any time you desire.

Banishing A-N-T-S (Automatic Negative Thought Syndrome) from your mind will help alleviate stress and its related negative effects. Hypnosis can help lead you to a truly joyful and happy mental state.