It seems like the whole world has been really stressful lately. Stressful news, stress events in the world, everything seems to moving faster and faster. Modern life is permeated with stress. Families are now typically spread out all over the country. Most require two incomes just to get by and day care for children has become the standard. Salaried people are working longer hours, bringing additional work home, hoping that they’re not next in line to be laid off. We rush here and there, trying to take care of household errands and maintenance. This is certainly a recipe for chronic stress, so it’s no wonder that most of us are in a constant state of being stressed out, drinking gallons of coffee or 3 or 4 energy drinks a day just to get everything we need to do done.

So let me ask, do you eat lots of sweets to feel better during the day or drink 3 or 4 glasses of wine to relax at night? Are you experiencing tension headaches or pains in the neck, back face or stomach? Do you wake up tired and become exhausted during the day? Does it feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Are you on edge? Do you regularly worry about the past or the future? If you are suffering some or all of these symptoms then you are experiencing anxiety and may be even suffering from chronic stress.

The problem with chronic stress is that it opens you up to developing a wide variety of severe health conditions. It’s an established medical fact that constantly being under chronic stress compromises your immune system and leads to heart and circulatory conditions. Psychologically it can lead to anxiety and depression. So to get your life in balance a good strategy would be to analyze the sources of your stress and learn how to deal with them. While all stressful situations cannot be eliminated, you can take steps to reduce or relieve your stress and anxiety.

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