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

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

Abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain can cause generalized anxiety. Some research shows that anxiety can be brought on by genetics. In addition, anxiety can stem from environmental conditions, as when a child whose father or mother is often anxious becomes an anxious person by observing the parent. But frequently, the base cause of anxiety is simply the thoughts in a person's mind!

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

Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety once in awhile. We have all experienced the dry mouth and vague sense of dread before an exam or public speaking engagement. But when does it become harmful to your health? Studies indicate that prolonged anxiety can make us vulnerable to sleep disorders, high blood pressure, relationship problems, and depression

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

If you experience what seems like an overwhelmingly 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 one's inability to function normally because of constant anxiety. Anxiety disorders are serious conditions that should be treated to lower the risk of long-term negative health effects.

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

There are plenty of safe and non-invasive ways to handle negative emotional responses. Exercise is an often overlooked option, but it is very effective. When you exercise, your body releases 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 previously have made you feel quite anxious.

The most effective way to deal with tension and worry is to control it from the inside out. Stress relief and stress management techniques are very useful in coping with 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 rate of breathing, release the worry, and maintain a tranquil state of mind. Meditation is an increasingly popular form of tension relief in which you focus on mindful relaxation and deep, calm breathing.

However, if you seek a proactive way to free yourself of anxiety, hypnotherapy is the best form of treatment. When an individual undergoes hypnosis, their reactions and emotional responses to events are changed at their core. This gives them the opportunity to handle typical anxiety-inducing triggers without the usual fear and nervousness.

Hypnosis can be performed by a licensed hypnotist in a series of regular treatments. More commonly today, hypnotherapy takes the form of self hypnosis programs which are available in the form of CDs, MP3s, or DVDs for personal home use. No special skills are required to practice self hypnosis. All that you need is a device to play the hypnotherapy program and a quiet place where you can listen and relax.

Another very successful method of anxiety treatment is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP. NLP is a type of therapy that can help you retrain your body and mind to naturally respond to situations in a more positive manner. You can consciously decide to be calm rather than anxious, and consequently, you always have control over your own emotions.

It is evident that it is very important to be able to manage our negative emotional responses in order to stay healthy. Learning to cope with nervousness and fear can even add precious years onto your life. To treat long term anxiety, the best course of action is to participate in hypnotherapy to change your attitudes and reactions from within. Then, it becomes easy to use stress management techniques as needed to remain calm in everyday situations.

About The Author: Alan B. Densky, CH has been in practice over 30 years. His Neuro-VISION hypnosis website carries a broad spectrum of stress management hypnosis CDs, and advanced anxiety elimination CDs Visit his site for the Free self hypnosis blog, and download a free MP3.