Now more than ever, scientific studies are attesting the fundamental role played by stress in triggering or aggravating many physical and emotional disorders. In the June 6, 1983 issue of Time Magazine, the cover story described stress as "The Epidemic of the Eighties." The article also declared that stress is an extremely serious health issue. Indeed it is unquestionable that our world has become a lot more complicated and stressful over the last two decades since that article was written.

A lot of surveys show that almost everybody perceives themselves as being subject to a lot of stress. Authorities in this domain estimate that 75 to 90 percent of the visits to PCPs (Primary Care Physicians) somehow have to do with stress.

Most adults claim that their job is the main cause of their stress. Stress levels have also increased in children and the elderly population because of several reasons including: Peer pressures that often push people to everything from smoking to alcoholism and drug abuse; the dissolution of family and religious values and ties; increased crime rates; threats to personal safety; and last but not least social isolation and loneliness.

Stress can be responsible for conditions such as diabetes, ulcers, low back and neck pain, hypertension, strokes and heart attacks. This is because of the augmented sympathetic nervous system activity and the release of cortisol, adrenaline, and other hormones. Chronic stress is corollary of defective immune system resistance. Stress can contribute to anxiety, depression, and its different effects on one's organs.
The following definition for "stress" can be found in the American Heritage Dictionary:
"To subject to physical or mental pressure, tension, or strain"

The following is the definition of "tension" from the same dictionary:
"Mental, emotional, or nervous strain"

The following is the definition of "anxiety":
"A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties"

And the word "depression" is defined as follows:
"The condition of feeling sad or despondent"

It defines "clinical depression" as follows:
"A psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, anhedonia, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death."

One thing is for sure, our thoughts are the chief reason for our experience of stress, anxiety and depression. To put it into different words, what we think about, and our attitudes and points of view about our experiences strongly influence our feelings. That way, if we can learn how to modify our thoughts, attitudes, and points of view, then we can release our stress, anxiety, and depression and attain a more positive state of being.

Since the beginning of time, people have searched for methods that would allow them to release stress. With the pharmaceutical industry there seems to be a drug for everything. For that the industry has developed a large line of sedatives from Valium to Xanax. If you choose to use these pills for relief, please be sure to pay attention to the fine print and learn about the side effects, which often are, among others, addiction and dependency. Unfortunately, these kinds of drugs aim at curing the symptoms, but not the cause. So if one stops taking them, the symptoms can come back.

A smarter way of eliminating tension, stress, anxiety, and depression is to try to cure the root cause, which as I said above, is generally our thought processes. There is some good news. The basis of hypnosis is relaxing. The AMA accepted hypnosis in 1958 as an effective method of treating stress and stress related symptoms. And unlike anxiolytics, there are categorically no negative side effects.

Hypnosis is the Alpha level of consciousness. It's the daydream like temporary psychological mindset which we pass through as we're just about to fall asleep at night. And we pass through it once again when we wake up again. There are several different ways we can guide ourselves into this relaxed mood, from step-by-step relaxation to visual imagery to listening to hypnosis cd's.

Once in the hypnotic state, we are able to communicate with our unconscious mind, which is the center of our feelings. And it becomes easier to admit new ideas and points of view that will help us to get rid of anxiety, or even avoid it in the first place.

NLP, which is a modern sort of hypnotherapy, offers various great techniques for releasing stress. Maybe the most effective technique is called the "swish" pattern - or the "flash" pattern. After using the "swish" pattern, your unconscious will automatically use negative, stress producing mental images, to create relaxation producing mental images. Otherwise stated, your stressors will now make you feel more relaxed!

TO SUM THINGS UP
Our thoughts can cause depression, anxiety and tension. So by changing our attitude and the way we perceive our situation and what we have been through, we can get rid of these feelings at the source. Hypnosis and NLP are natural tools that allow us to change our attitude and point of view to quickly get rid of the root cause of our negative feelings.

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