Stress sort of funny. Not *chuckles* funny, but *strange* funny. It can make you act heroic, or it can destroy your health and life.

How stress affects you Depends on your quantity of stress and what kinds of stress you have. It can also depend on what kinds of stress you've had in your past and how you learned to deal with it.

The biological signs of stress are meant to help you physically survive. In your world, this is rarely helpful, since most stress today is psychological.

Mental stress will come from issues such as concern about money, relationships, and your health. Your body's physical reaction to stress does not help these situations. Since these situations are common and long-lasting, your body can potentially be in a constant state of stress.

High stress can cause health problems as varied as muscle tension, sleep problems, mental confusion, depression and digestion problems. Health problems from stress eventually just increase the stress you already have.

It is obvious that managing and reducing your stress is a priority. There are thousands of people offering you advice on how to do this. You will need to find what works for you. What advice is most helpful for your situation and your way of doing things?

I believe it will help you find your appropriate stress management tools by becoming more aware of what creates your stress and how you experience it.

It can be helpful to decide of your stress is situational or behavioral - Is your stress reaction appropriate for the current situation or does it feel blown out of proportion? Figuring this out can require some brutal honesty on your part.

If it is situational, what are the causes and can they be addressed in a practical manner? Is it realistic to expect yourself to get some form of exercise and a proper diet? (I know from personal experience, if I have high stress it is when my life is too busy to work-out or get to the grocery store for planned meals)

If your stress is behavioral, spending some time analyzing the triggers may help. Look at your past and see if it is making your stress higher than it should be. Stressful memories of the past can and do effect us every day. (The stronger the emotion, the more vivid the memory. The more vivid the memory, the stronger the stress you will continue to feel from it.)

After becoming more aware of your stress, you will have a better idea of how to take care of it.

Situational stress is easier to figure out and will eventually be behind you. Behavioral stress may require outside help to get through. But, it IS possible, and IS worth accomplishing.

If you consider your stress a serious problem, seek professional help. Prescription Medicine is sometimes an answer, though many people complain of side effects and do not like the foggy feeling some medicines give. They'll sometimes say they don't know which is worse, to live in a fog or to be stressed.

Look into your options and find what fits for you. Then, make use of them. When it comes to improving your life, the only poor choice is to not make a choice.

Stress Management Products on our marketplace

Patrick Glancy, NGH Board Certified Hypnotist Stress Management Quick Hypnosis - Self-Help Hypnosis on CD and MP3 Download