Distress and anxiety are believed by the medical profession to be the most ongoing illness of our time. The fear of developing heart problems or cancer alone is enough to cause tremendous stress and accompanying depression. There is a tremendous malaise circulating our world today. Both the medical profession and the media are constantly "threatening" us of the dangers and probabilities of incomparable diseases, some of which seem numerous than likely to shorten our life span. For illustration, if there is cancer in your family, you're most likely going to get it! And of course, if cancer is not threat enough there is always the West Nile virus, Bird flu, AIDs and a host of other diseases to frighten us...

One thing is for sure, we will never hear the end of calamities that are likely to beset us, whether from infirmity or some other form of challenge we may face. It seems inevitable that there will always be something that will get our blood pressure soaring.

So, what is the answer to this quandary? How can we carry-on with our lives without being constantly afraid and anxious of what lies around the next corner? Here are several suggestions about how to effectively deal with life's challenging situations:

1) Obtain interpersonal support

People need other people, and there are bountious splendid and practical ways to relieve stress and anxiety. Exercise, positive nutrition and certain thinking are tremendous antidotes. These not only a remedy to relieve the angst; they actually give us a sense of empowerment over our lives.

2) Pursue spiritual guidance about spoken words

The Bible tells us that the power of life and casualty are in the tongue. Words can both bless and curse (James 3). Negative words can evoke fear, anxiety and actually produce negative effects in a person's life.

Whenever a word is heard - any word - the mind paints a picture of it. For exemplification, when someone says "black cow" immediately you will see that cow in your mind's eye. Although words are not tangible, they have the power to bring about temperamental and tangible change! Remember - The Bible teaches that the earth was created by the Word of God! Now that's real word power!

We all have a choice when it comes to listening and what we hear. We can determine to empower ourselves by listening to certain words and encouraging thoughts or we can do otherwise. Think about the last time you listening to some of your favored music. Did your feet start tapping? Did you start to hum the melody? Didn't your mood lighten-up a bit as a aftereffect of hearing the melody and the words? Negative words almost always produce negative results, whether apparent or lurking. On the other hand, certain words instill a sense of well-being. A mere smile and a swift, jolly-sounding, "Have a great day!" can instantly produce admirable feelings and joy.

3) Develop a "gratitude" attitude.

Thankfulness is one of the greatest virtues. A clever man once said that if we divided a page in two and wrote all our setbacks on one side and all our blessings on the other, we would obtain that the blessings far outweigh the negatives. The Bible teaches us to give thanks with a grateful heart for all things. Don't look back on past hurts, nor fret about tomorrow. Live each day to the fullest to determine joy and thankfulness.

In conclusion, remember that our thoughts respond to what we feed the mind through our senses. Therefore, it naturally follows that content is a choice. This may be a foreign brainchild to quite a few of us initially, but when applied, the results can be truly amazing! Break the habit of feeling trapped in a world of negative thoughts and anxiety and form opinions to switch-on the power of affirmative thoughts today!