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Origins of Stress and Anxiety

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Submitted By amijohnstone
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AMI JOHNSTONE

ORIGINS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY

The origins of stress start at the very beginning of existence when we first encounter change. – because change is full of uncertainties our subconscious does not cope very well leading to feelings of anxiety. This anxiety can be chronic, which is long term or acute, which is short term. Each depends on the circumstances. e.g., moving home, illness or divorce …would be classed as long term, and public speaking, driving test or interview would be classed as short term.
Genetics and environment also play a big part in the cause of anxiety and it is likely that if the parents didn’t cope well with stress and the traumas in life this learned behaviour will manifest itself in the next generation.
However there are many levels of stress as detailed below.

Hypostress - Caused by boredom and lack of challenge. If a job is repetitive or boring it will be difficult to be motivated in other areas in life. This lack of stimulation will also allow time to overthink and fret over unimportant things.
Eurostress - This is a performance stress which increase motivation and performance. It gives us the strength to complete tasks under pressure. I use this frequently when completing work for the deadline before my Hypnotherapy class!! It also occurs when we increase physical activity as well as creativity.
Acute Stress - This is the most common stress and our body reacts with tension and physical changes. It can be treated and the usual treatment time may extend to 6 weeks.
Episodic Acute Stress - Much more serious than Acute Stress and the symptoms can be associated with hypertension, gastrointestinal problems , migraines and even strokes and heart attacks. It often needs medical intervention to be brought under control.
Chronic Stress - A serious long term stress which aggravates the auto

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