Anxiety disorders are disabling conditions that take their form from irrational fears and worries. Women, in general, may go off into series of anxiety attacks in the face of increased pressure and biological changes such as monthly periods, pregnancy, or menopause.

To manage these anxiety attacks and their corresponding symptoms, here are 5 easy steps that every woman can put into practice to change her life.

1. Sweating Stress Away

Doctors often lecture about the physical benefits of exercise. But, rarely do the psychological benefits of increased physical activity being promoted. Because of this, scientists hold studies to test their hypotheses.

As a result, researchers have discovered the indisputable link between exercise and improved mental health condition. They revealed that engaging in aerobics, cycling, running, swimming, or any another form of physical activity helps relieve stress and works as well as medications in reducing anxiety. This is because exercise does not only train the body to learn new skills and new patterns of movement. It also trains the brain to become more anxiety-resistant.

The physical stress that working out puts the body into creates a lot of the same effects that mental stress does to the body. Therefore, as the body becomes more attuned to the effects of working out, such as increased heart rate, breathing pattern, blood pressure and sweating, the brain becomes more able to handle these changes as well. So when anxiety strikes, the body recognizes the changes similar to that of working out and becomes more able to handle the changes.

2. Sound Nutrition

A good diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and fish is found to act almost like medications to the brain. Experts say that with a solid foundation on good nutrition a lot of women will unlikely experience anxiety attacks and anxiety disorders.

During stressful times, proper nutrition reinforces the body’s resistance against the effects of stress. The vitamins and minerals absorbed from the diet act as buffers as well as boosters. They help support and stabilize the entire nervous system and adrenal glands from the damaging effects of stress. Moreover, good nutrition prevents inflammation to the brain and blood vessels that could lead to neurotransmitter imbalances and blood pressure spikes, common to anxiety sufferers.

With this fact, it is then absolutely important that women not only invest on their make-up but on their diet as well.

3. Soothing Aromatherapy

There is still little research to prove the truth behind the anxiety-reducing effects of aromatherapy. But preliminary researches show that this ingenious practice can alter a person’s brain waves and behavior.

Aromatherapy is the kind of therapy that uses essential oils and other scents to improve physical and mental state. The soothing scents of various essential oils like lavender, grapefruit, bergamot, ylang ylang, and peppermint help to reduce the perception of anxiety and stress. Their aroma, when inhaled or massaged on the skin, evokes pleasant memories and positive physiological responses that pave the way for the release of tension from the muscles and joints.

Aside from relieving stress, aromatherapy is also known for its medicinal benefits. It can be used as a first aid kit for minor burns and cuts. For women’s problems such as menopausal distress and PMS, these oils are particularly helpful, too. They decrease muscle spasms and enhance circulation. In addition, they are also known to induce sleep in people who have trouble sleeping or staying asleep.

4. Stabilizing Sex Hormones

Little do women know that sex hormones act on the brain to directly influence mood, cognition and behavior. With an imbalance of any of the sex hormones, women nearing menopause are likely to experience some anxiety and symptoms of hot flushes as an effect.

With low estrogen (when normally there was a surge before the menopausal stage), women are at risk for anxiety and depression. Estrogen is important to the integrity of the brain since this chemical promotes the production of neurotransmitters, particularly serotonin, which is responsible for reducing depressive moods.

Progesterone is also an important sex hormone. A drop in its levels leads to an increase risk for anxiety and insomnia.

Correcting these problems then through hormonal replacement therapy is an option worth looking at. By replacing the lost hormones, women can avoid the unpleasant effects of aging as well as anxiety.

5. Seeking Professional Help

When lifestyle changes prove to make little difference in creating a better, anxiety-free state, women experiencing anxiety attacks need to visit their trusted general practitioner and/or psychiatrist.

The expertise of a doctor can greatly shed light to the fears and anxieties that one feels. Through a complete physical examination, history taking, and symptoms checking, a doctor can eliminate any medical condition as a cause for the anxiety episodes. Once physical causes are ruled out, referral to a psychiatrist or therapist can follow.

The psychiatrist can prescribe certain drugs or perform psychotherapies that help alleviate anxiety symptoms. Over time, the combination of drugs and cognitive-behavioral therapy proves to restore the chemical imbalances in the brain, modify negative thinking, and reinforce better ways of coping with anxiety.

Anxiety disorders and its symptoms no longer have to be a problem as long as one takes appropriate measures to correct them. With the 5 easy steps of managing anxiety listed above, women can take power and rise above the troubles of anxiety.

Guest Post by Ryan Rivera:
Ryan Rivera survived his battle with anxiety using these steps and more. To learn about the other steps and techniques on managing anxiety, visit CalmClinic.com.

Ever have one of those days where it seems every thing is going wrong?

Take a few moments to step back from every challenging situation, catch your breath and calm yourself down. Remaining calm helps reduce stress from building into an unmanageable monster.

Here are  7 Tips to Calm Yourself Down and Reduce Stress …

1.  Breathe

Take 10 long deep breaths. You have probably heard this all of your life – the trick is to breather properly. You want to take a long slow deep breath in so that your stomach rises, not your chest. Next, breathe out just as slowly while your stomach descends. As you breathe in, gradually count from 1 to 10. As you breathe out, count down from 10 to 1 at the same pace. Concentrate on your breaths as you count, releasing any thoughts as they come. This is an excellent method to calm yourself down and reduce stress, regardless of where you are. It can be done sitting or standing and in front of anyone. People around you will probably not even realize what you are doing.

2.  Reframe

Reframing is the mental act of stepping back and looking at the situation from a different point of view. We all have had times where we see a person loose it at a restaurant, grocery store or other public place. I once witnessed a man having a full melt-down because the waitress served him peas instead of corn. Yet, we all have times where we become just as stressed over something trivial. Is it the end of the world if your husband is late for dinner, little Johnny puts treats in your grocery basket, if you make a mistake in your checkbook or if your boss disciplines you? Put yourself in the situation as an observer and see how it looks different. Ask yourself “On a scale of 1 to 10, how does this matter in the bigger picture of my life and my well-being?” Looking at things differently opens you up to see opportunities instead of challenges, compassion in place of anger and strengths instead of weaknesses.  To quote Wayne Dyer “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

3.  Self Talk

Be aware of what you are telling yourself and change what you are saying. Instead of telling yourself “I’m going to be fired” after your boss reprimands you, say “That was a good lesson for me to learn, and I will do better next time.” Instead of saying my husband is late because he doesn’t like being around me or he wants a divorce, remind yourself what a great guy he is and think of all the ways he shows you he loves you. Tell yourself that you are loving, worthy and capable and are ok just the way you are. Self talk can go a long way to help calm yourself down and reduce stress, because your self talk is what created the stress in the first place.

4.  Anchor

To be able to use this method to calm yourself down and reduce stress – you need to be prepared. When you feel calm and happy choose a physical action to “anchor” the peaceful emotion. This can be as something as simple as touching your ear, placing your hand over your heart or on your knee. Practice this anchoring technique as often as possible when things are going well. When you begin to feel yourself becoming stressed, use the anchoring action to help yourself calm down.

5.  Get Away

If possible take a walk, go to they gym, ride your bicycle or take in a movie. It is especially important to take breaks and get away if you are becoming stressed at work. A quick walk around the building coupled with breathing in fresh air can do wonders for your mental state. Sunlight is a natural mood booster and can be a great way to lift your spirits. The same applies at home if you feel a heated argument with your spouse on the horizon or if your children are fighting and not listening to you.

6.  Indulge

If you are at work or a public place, listen to some soothing music. Put a couple soothing songs on your phone or mp3 player that have a calming affect on you. Other ways to indulge to calm yourself down and reduce stress includes reading a book, taking a bubble bath, getting a massage or having a glass of wine.

7.  Meditate

When you begin to feel overwhelmed take a few minutes to go to a quiet place and meditate – even 2 or 3 minutes can do wonders to reduce stress! When meditating focus on clearing your thoughts, by focusing on your breathing, an object or a certain word, like wellbeing or calm. You can also use guided tapes or music designed for meditation. To remain calm and prevent stress, meditate every day.

• Money
• Spouse
• Parents
• Children
• Work
• Co-Workers
• Not enough time
• Government
• Traffic

Have you ever thought that what causes stress could be …. Yourself resisting reality?

OUCH!!!

You may be asking, how am I resisting reality?

Have you ever said the following …

• If my husband wouldn’t be grumpy I’d be less stressed.
• If my husband took out the trash or picked up after himself I wouldn’t be stressed.
• If my children would behave, I wouldn’t be stressed.
• If I had enough money to pay my bills, I wouldn’t be stressed.
• If I didn’t have so many demands on my time, I wouldn’t be stressed.
• My parents Should take more responsibility and not rely on me so much.
• My husband Should help out with the children more.
• The government Should get the economy back on track.
• My co-workers Should be team-players.

Every time you think or say “If” “Should” or “Should not” you are putting the blame of your stress on other people or events. You do not know what goes on in other peoples minds. Nope, you can’t read your spouses mind either.

Imagine that you’ve prepared a lovely meal for someone you love. You lead them to the table and they say, “Thank You, but I’m not really hungry.”  Now your thoughts go wild …. “He doesn’t like my cooking.” “I’m a horrible cook” “He doesn’t love me.”

Or

Imagine that your children are fighting over a toy. Your thoughts go wild … “They hate each other and won’t be friends when they grow up.” “They are trying to drive me crazy.” “If I was a good parent, they wouldn’t fight.” “I’m a horrible parent!”

Do you see how your thoughts can create stress out of the simplest things?

What is the likely reality of the two scenarios above?

One, He simply isn’t hungry. Maybe he had a late lunch.

Two, Both children simply want the same toy at the same time.

It’s time to take responsibility and realize what causes stress – IS YOUR THOUGHTS.

Everyone does this. You see or hear something and then your mind starts creating thousands of different stories. The more negative the stories – the more stress you feel.

You might be saying … But, WAIT … I really don’t have any money and the government is doing a poor job at recovering our economy.

Ask yourself ….

• Is this really true?
• How does it affect me personally?
• What can I do to change it?

Simply put the answer to the question “What Causes Stress” is that you are resisting reality.

So, What is reality?

Reality is accepting what is …

• The government is doing a poor job – end of story.
• The kids are arguing – end of story.
• My spouse, parents, kids, co-workers are doing the best they can – end of story.
• My husband is grumpy – end of story.
• I have too much work – end of story.

Accepting what is doesn’t mean that you like it or condone it. You are just allowing the circumstances and people to “just be” without disrupting your own sense of worth and your own inner peace.

You will reduce stress and feel more peaceful when you stop resisting reality and just dance with reality just as it is.

Sign up for a complimentary “Confidence Booster” session with Cindy.

Here are 21 simple strategies to start relieving stress today! Some stress is good for you, but too much stress causes illness and unhappiness. Reduce stress and begin your happy life today.

Enjoy the video!

In fact, you can overcome these issues with a few simple techniques!

First, acknowledge that you must take time for yourself. Being all things to all people isn’t realistic, and neither is doing everything and solving all problems or concerns in one day. No one should expect that of you! If they do, you must recognize that it’s not healthy, and you must do what’s right and best for you. Your health and happiness could depend on it.

Ways to Calm Your Mind

Meditation and prayer are two of the biggest ways to calm a restless mind, but they aren’t the only things you can do. There are many other choices to help you feel better and live a stress-free life. You might also consider:

* Volunteering or focusing on helping others
* Exercising
* Listening to music
* Using your mind for joyous pursuits that interest you
* Playing with children or pets

Everyone has different things they enjoy in life, and you should find yours and practice them when you start to feel stressed or your thoughts try to run away from you. Avoid letting your thoughts talk you out of your dreams. Your dreams are yours; embrace them!

Being busy is not the problem when it comes to your mind. Being busy with things that aggravate you and make you feel down is the problem. Instead of dwelling on things that upset you, deal with them, let them go, and move on to things that you enjoy. You can do this with your thoughts, just like you would with a physical task in the workplace or at home.

Lower Your Stress Levels Each Day

Stress begins in your mind as thoughts, but it can manifest itself physically. You may feel tense, anxious, uneasy, angry, or have aches and pains you can’t really find a cause for. If stress continues all the time and becomes chronic, your health could be compromised.

You can let stress go and feel good every day.

Try these strategies to lower your stress:

1. Focus on what matters to you. What’s important in your life? Be proactive about your goals and priorities. When you’re working toward something that you want, it makes you feel good about yourself and your future.

2. Find both physical and mental ways to release your stress. Releasing your stress every day keeps it from building up inside you. Make the conscious choice to start each day fresh, without the stress from the day before.

* What relaxes you? Music? Hobbies? Spending time with your family? Enjoy a healthy dose of relaxation every day.

* Get as much exercise as possible. Exercise refreshes your body with a surge of oxygen and releases endorphins, the “feel good” hormone. Even if there’s no time for an exercise session, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away from the building so you can walk, and play with your kids or pets.

3. Practice these strategies consistently. Work on releasing your stress every day, even on days when you don’t feel as much stress, so it won’t be a struggle when you really need it. When you’re feeling good, it’s natural to forget about letting stress go, but it’s important to avoid getting complacent.

* Keep practicing and improving, even when you feel great!

Whichever techniques you choose to calm your mind and lower your levels of stress, ensure it’s the right fit for you and your lifestyle. Only you know what you really need and what makes you feel safe and at peace.

If you practice this peacefulness each day, it won’t be long before you start to feel calmer, even in situations where you would have previously been over the edge. Your thoughts will be clearer, instead of jumbled and racing. Physically, you’ll feel stronger, too, because your body will be free from the affliction of stress and anxiety.

Is everything piling up and weighing you down?

You may have tried herbal remedies or pharmaceuticals to relieve the pressure – but they don’t seem to work.

Maybe it’s time you tried a natural therapy that’s been used for hundreds of years that has been PROVEN to relieve stress and make your feel better.

So what is this miracle cure that makes us feel so great?

It’s laughter. Laughter is nature’s way of easing tension and helping us relax. So take some time to laugh every day and you’ll be feeling better in no time.

So how does laughter work exactly?

Well, laughter works on several levels to make us feel better and less stressed.

Laughing relieves physical stress. Studies show that stress hormones in our blood (like cortisol) actually reduce when we laugh. Laughter improves our health and releases hormones that make us feel happier.

Laughing boosts our immune system. When our immune system is Strong we tend to feel better overall and are prepared to meet life’s challenges.

Laughing also eases emotional stress. We are designed to release our emotions physically through laughing and crying. Laughing releases our negative emotions.

Laughing can change our thought process – and we know our thoughts are what lead us to our emotions.

Laughing helps you to think positive, worry less and be happier. Laughter makes us forget about our negative thoughts and worries.

When you laugh with your loved ones and your friends you are actually promoting social bonding. Bonding with people promotes supportive relationships. When we feel supported we feel less stress about our personal situation.

You might be saying

• “My life just isn’t that funny, So what do I do?”
• “What if I just can’t find any thing to laugh at?”

Fake it!!! Yes, that’s right just laugh. Let out a loud hardy laugh. Keep doing and you’ll begin laughing at yourself – you just can’t help it.

A study done on forced laughterdivided participants into two groups. The first group was asked to watch a movie and not laugh at anything. The second group was asked to laugh at all the jokes – whether they thought they were funny or not. After watching the movie the participants filled out a survey on how much they liked the movie.

The second group – the participants that laughed at everything, found the movie to be significantly better and funnier.

This just goes to show you that laughing improves the you view the world and the circumstances around you. Laughter makes you happier and helps reduce the stress from your every day life.

Another benefit of laughter is that is has been shown to help people eat less, boost your immune system, increase your pain threshold, and even help you heal faster.

So start laughing! Watch funny movies, tell jokes, listen to jokes, laugh at yourself and learn to laugh for no reason …

Laughter really is the best medicine! Start laughing your way to a less stressful life today.

You may have seen comedy shows or skits where someone is practicing meditation. The person was probably sitting on the floor cross legged, eggs closed and “ohm”ing.

A second person was near by making snide remarks or imitating them. This is one of the reasons why many people used to look upon meditation as being funny, ridiculous or just plain odd. Thinking this could reduce stress was unthought of.

Over the years we have learned that mediation offers a lot of benefits. It’s commonly used to help us reduce stress, and live longer, happier healthier lives.

How does meditation help us reduce stress?

• It helps focus the mind on something that is deeply and spiritually rooted.
• By focusing on one thing you are forced to forget the stressors in your life
• You filter out sights and sounds that my stress you when you close your eyes and sit in a quiet room
• Chemicals present in your body actually change making you more relaxed and peaceful
• Meditation helps repair physical and mental damage caused by stress

The relaxing benefits from above are only the short term benefits. You are relaxed during and after mediating by filtering out stress that you have already experienced.

The REAL benefit of meditation is the long term affect.

When you make mediation part of your daily routine it can actually balance the levels of hormones and other stress related chemicals on a day-to-day basis – even when you’re not meditating. The result is that you will remain more peaceful and less stressed during your long day. Therefore to reduce stress before it starts, you’ll want to set aside a time each day to meditate.

Unlike yoga, meditation requires no special physical skills. Although it does require mental skills. Here’s how to get started …

• Find a quiet room and sit in a comfortable position. Any position that makes you feel comfortable where you can relax.
• Close your eyes and begin to relax your muscles. Focus on each muscle – tense it a little, then let it relax – mentally saying “relax”. You can either begin at your feet and end at your head or vice-versa.
• Take deep breaths in and out while you repeat your mantra. Your mantra can be anything that you choose “I am happy, healthy and wealthy” “Ohmmm” or just repeating the number one. If you are religious you can chant a prayer or something else related to your beliefs.
• When your mind begins to wander (it will – and it’s normal) just refocus on your mantra

To gain all the benefits and reduce stress you’ll want each meditation session to last 15 to 20 minutes.

Regularly practicing mediation trains your mind and your body to be more relaxed, peaceful and focused. You’ll reduce stress and gain mental focus.

Awakening Prologue by Centerpointe is a unique program using  Binural Beats that allows you to synchronize your brainwaves to achieve a desired state.  It’s TRULY Amazing!  Just pop in a CD, put on your headphones and you’ll reach a Deep Meditation state very quickly while you reduce stress and gain energy.

In today’s hectic world the pressures of everyday life weighs us down and gets us tense. The tenser we are – the more things weigh us down. It’s a vicious circle!

There is a SIMPLE remedy – Practice Focused Breathing Exercise. This will help relax your muscles and calm your mind.

Practicing focused breathing exercises can help you relax and relieve the tension you’ve built up during the day. Our everyday lives tend to weigh on use, causing us to be in a constant state of arousal, even if we have nothing to be excited about.

Stress can cause emotional problems including irritability, anger and depression.

Stress can also create physical ailments including headaches and stomachaches.

Relaxation breathing methods can relieve all these symptoms. As well as relax you prior to turning in for the night. This enables you to get a night full of quality sleep that leaves you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated in the morning.

Many techniques will suggest different positions including: the prone position (on your stomach), lying on your back, sitting cross legged, sitting on your feet with your knees facing forward, or standing.

4 Steps to Reduce Stress By Breathing

1. Find a good comfortable position – In order to completely relax you need to be comfortable. It’s impossible to relax if your not. You may also choose to change positions through out your breathing exercises.
2. Use a Proper Breathing Technique – This involves taking long deep fuller breaths. This type of breathing changes the percentage of carbon dioxide in our systems, putting us in a more relaxed state.
3. Focus on Your Breathing – Your mind can not occupy two thoughts at the same time. By focusing on your breathing you’re not allowing the hassles of everyday life to interfere with relaxing. If your mind does wander – just bring your attention back to relaxing and breathing
4. Visualize – While breathing picture each muscle in your body and focus on it feeling relaxed Once that part of your body is relaxed, you can move on to another part. You may also choose to focus on the stress physically pouring out of your body through your fingers and toes

Proper Breathing Technique:

1. Breathe in deeply through your nose
2. Pull Stomach out as you take a long deep breath
3. Exhale through your mouth
4. Pull stomach in as you exhale
5. Shoulders stay relaxed – if they are moving your breathingis too shallow
6. Allow 5 to 6 seconds for each inhale and the same for each exhale
7. Focus on technique rather than pace

You may also find it helpful to practice visualization exercises while you’re breathing deeply. Picture. Whatever method you use, deep breathing is a great way to get to sleep or simply unwind at the end of a long day.

A common yoga technique is to tighten your throat when you exhale so it sounds as if you’re whispering.

Yoga is a GREAT way to reduce stress and relax. If you are looking for Yoga CDs and or accessories -  Get High Quality Yoga Accessories at Unbeatable Prices

Have you ever noticed that you tend to get sick more often when you’re stressed out?

Scientists have known about this connection for a long time.  When you are stressed it decreases the functioning of your immune system.  This makes you more susceptible to the flu and other infections.

Short Term Stress Increases Immune System

A “Fight or Flight” response increases the immune function because your body is trying to beat the stressor.

Long Term Stress Decreases Immune System

In todays fast paced world a majority of our stress is continuous over a long period of time.  We no longer have the “Fight or Flight” response and just let the stress bear down on us.

What is Long Term Stress?

One of the largest contributing factors to long term stress is our belief that we can not control the situation or that there is no end to it.

These stressors include a debilitating accident, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, severe financial difficulties and family problems.

Often time when life hits us hard we think it’s is beyond our control and will never stop. As stress takes its toll our body feels unable to cope which causes drop in almost all immune functioning.

The longer the stressor lingers the greater the decrease of our immune function.  This means even after you feel you have gained control you may have decreased disease fighting abilities.

The decrease in immune system functioning is greater for people who are elderly or already sick. Especially the elderly who have been severely injured or have recently lost a loved one.

Regardless of how hard you try, you can not prevent many of the traumatic events that happen in our life time.  Stress can also make you more susceptible to other diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

So What Are You To Do?

Maintain a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition and exercise and practice relaxation techniques such as Yoga or Meditation.  This helps you to handle all stress with the least impact on your health.  You’ll feel better, have a clearer mind and will be able to bounce back from long term stressors a lot faster than most.

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They are a part of life. We can however choose how we react to them.

Below I have listed what I believe to be the

Top 17 Obstacles in Life:

1. Emotions
Our own negative emotions can drain us and wear us out. When we’re drained it’s difficult for us to focus.

2. Self-Esteem
Lack of our faith in our self to succeed sets us up for failure before we even start. Not believing in self often leads to self sabotage.

3. Money
If we lack money and are constantly struggling to just meet basic needs of life – it can be difficult to focus on the bigger picture.

4. Illness
All of us will face illness in our life. Some illnesses are worse than others. Sometimes it’s hard to stay positive when we feel like crap.

5. Knowledge
Sometimes we don’t have the knowledge needed. (Sometimes this can be the easiest obstacle to overcome.)

6. Grief
We will all lose people we love. Allow yourself time to grief – just don’t get swallowed up in it.

7. Perfectionism
Nothing or no one is perfect – So stop creating stress for you by trying to make it perfect.

8. Stress
Be prepared with activities that will reduce stress – such as a short walk, deep breathing, laughter etc.

9. Decisions
When it comes time to make a decision – make it and go on with your life. Don’t fret on whether or not it was the right decision or not. Only time will tell.

10. Distractions
Today’s hectic life is full of distractions. Be prepared for them and avoid them when at all possible.

11. Time
Learn good time management skills. We can make the time to do anything that we truly desire to do.

12. Conflict
Know that you will have differences of opinion. Accept the other persons point of view and learn to compromise.

13. Procrastination
Tic … … … Toc … … …. Tic … … … Toc … … …. Oh my gosh! An hour has passed while I’ve been doing nothing but surfing the web ….

14. Relationships
Disagreements are a part of life. There will be times that we disagree with our spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends and business partners. They may strongly agree with your goals and dreams – which may cause you to question your motives.

15. Addictions
Drug and alcohol addictions often cause the most harm to an individual – but any type of addiction is an obstacle; Including but not limited to, gambling, shopping, sex, smoking, eating …

16. Nature
Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, storms – you name it. It’s a part of life. Natural disasters cause stress and grief over our loss of people and personal items.

17. Belief
Do you truly believe in your goals and dreams? If you are doing something that goes against your core beliefs – You will never find happiness.

Many of the obstacles in life are due to the beliefs we have.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Napoleon Hill