Lots of people use the words stress and anxiety interchangeably, but they are actually two separate conditions. Stress is a reaction to a stimulus, which can be external or internal. You may feel stress when you feel frustrated with something (like waiting in line behind a slow person) or when you are worried that you will not meet expectations (such as missing a deadline).

Anxiety, on the other hand, is a feeling of dread, or nervousness and fear. It can be brought on by negative expectations and thoughts, or as a response to stress. You may experience feelings of anxiety virtually all of the time and not know why, or your feelings may be a response to something you are nervous about, like an upcoming test.

Abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain may cause generalized anxiety. Some studies indicate that anxiety can be brought on by genetics. Anxiety may also be induced environmentally, as when a child whose mother or father is often anxious learns to be an anxious person by observing the parent. But frequently, the root cause of anxiety is simply the thoughts in a person's mind!

Anxiety and stress are subjective conditions. Different people may feel stressed about different situations, and different people may react to their anxiousness in very different ways. Symptoms of anxiety can range from the mild, such as sweaty hands and tense muscles, to the severe, such as vomiting, anxiety attacks, and irregular heartbeat.

Everyone feels some amount of anxiety from time to time. All of us have felt the dry mouth and "butterflies in the stomach" before a public speaking engagement or an exam. But when does it become damaging to your health? Research has shown that chronic anxiety can lead to sleep disorders, depression, relationship problems, and high blood pressure

For sufferers of chronic untreated anxiety, there may be detrimental health consequences that have yet to be explored fully. Some studies have found a link between chronic anxiety and a number of serious health conditions including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, thyroid disease, and respiratory illness. Chronically anxious people may even be more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack.

If you suffer from what seems like an inappropriately high amount of anxiety relative to the circumstances, or if you feel anxious nearly every day, you may actually have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are chronic conditions characterized by an individual's inability to function normally because of constant anxiety. Anxiety disorders are serious conditions that should be treated to reduce the risk of long-term negative health effects.

Anxiety treatment has long been the subject of much discussion in the medical community. Some medical professionals feel that medication is the best way to handle chronic anxiety. Unfortunately, anti-anxiety medications often produce serious side effects that are just as bad or even worse than the initial affliction.

There are many natural, non-invasive ways to control negative emotional responses. Exercise is an often overlooked option, but it is highly effective in managing stress and anxiety. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, which are natural pain-killing and mood-boosting chemicals. With regular aerobic exercise, you may start to see a decrease in negative emotional reactions to situations that would have previously made you feel quite anxious.

The best way to manage tension and worry is to control it from within. Stress management and stress relief techniques are extremely useful in managing day to day stress. These techniques can teach you to relax yourself and let the tension leave your body. You make a conscious effort to slow your breathing, release the worry, and remain in a tranquil state of mind. Meditation is a form of tension control in which you practice thoughtful relaxation and deep, calming breathing.

However, if you are seeking a proactive method to free yourself of anxiety, hypnotherapy is the most effective form of treatment. When a person undergoes hypnosis, their reactions and emotional responses to events are changed at the core. This allows them to cope with typical anxiety-inducing triggers without the typical fear and nervousness.

Hypnosis can be performed by a licensed hypnotist in a series of regular sessions. More commonly today, hypnotherapy can be learned from self hypnosis programs which can be purchased in the form of MP3s, CDs, or DVDs for personal home usage. No special skills are necessary to perform self hypnosis. All that you need is a way to play the hypnotherapy program and a quiet space where you can relax and listen.

Another very successful method of anxiety treatment is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. NLP is a type of therapy that helps you retrain your body and mind to naturally react to situations in a more positive way. You can consciously decide to stay calm instead of feeling anxious, and consequently, you always have control over your own emotions.

In summary, you can see that it is very important to be able to manage our negative emotional responses in order to remain healthy. Mastering techniques to cope with fear and nervousness may even add precious years onto your life. To treat chronic anxiety, the best course of action is to use hypnosis to change your attitudes and reactions at the core. Then, use stress management techniques as needed to remain calm in everyday situations.