Anxiety and Depression Blog

Thus, the purpose of negative emotions is to help us survive and that of positive emotions to help us thrive. Psychologists say that positive emotions promote people to see positive meaning in all events. When thinking and attention are broadened by positive emotions, a person learns to be aware that there is an opportunity behind every adversity.

Thus, people who find a positive affect during ordinary events and keep positive emotions during chronic stress or chronic illness are able to cope with all problems. In bereavement, people with positive emotions adapt quicker to loss and set up new life goals.

It is very important to bring more positive emotions into life. Doing relaxation techniques including meditation, yoga, and muscle relaxation exercises can be helpful. Also, a person should take time to rest completely because the better rested he is, the more effective he will be.

It is urgent to evaluate every situation we are in and try to find positive meaning. One of the most positive emotions related to relaxation techniques is contentment. Contentment is particularly useful for reversing negative emotions and reframing adverse event in a positive light.

Doing something we like can help us relax, and let us forget about the world for awhile. It’s very important to keep our thoughts on our own dreams and goals, and keep them off of the circumstances and people that cause negative emotions. We need to learn to preserve our emotional energy by staying calm and positive in difficult situations rather than allowing our self to be upset or angry.

All successful people are able to keep themselves calm much longer than the common person does. They are more relaxed and coped with their emotions. They remain objective and don’t take things personally. Due to fact of being aware that negative emotions deprive the energy they don’t permit themselves to become upset or angry over circumstances.

Usually people might express different combinations of emotions. Basically, emotions reflex people’s relation to life. Some people are chronically stuck in a negative emotion, like grief, while the others experience a positive one, like contentment. As a person gets aware to name his emotions, he might cope with the negative ones and replace them with positive.

Positive emotions such as joy, hope, optimism, love, contentment and gratitude promote an individual to a personal growth and improve the quality of one’s life and a sense of emotional well-being. The positive emotions entail creative thoughts which encourage people to explore the world. It has been shown that "individuals who express higher level of positive emotion show more constructive and flexible thinking".

Positive emotions give us energy. When one is excited and communicates with people he loves and enjoys, he sparkles with enthusiasm. Under these emotions people tend to think of more possibilities and options to solve any problem they face.

However, positive emotions are only one half of the equation. Negative emotions can cause a serious harm to any effect of positive emotions. While experiencing negative emotions a person might "miss the forest for the trees". Negative emotions are fueled by an underlying fear of the unknown.

However, if that becomes motivation to then learn it and deal with it that is very useful. The negative emotions such as fear or anger can motivate a person to take an immediate action against a threat or escape it.

Fortunately, effective stress-management strategies can minimize the consequences of stress. Stress is part of modern life and will always be around. Everyone experiences stress at times - adults, teens, and even kids. Responses to stress include adaptation, psychological coping such as stress management. Thus, social support among friends, family, and other group affiliations can help reduce the ill effect of stress. Also some antidepressants like Wellbutrin XL can help a little.

A psychosocial concept of stress and adaptation aim to help everyone to get health and self-mastery by successfully responding to changing issues and the problems. In fact, everyone can learn from stresses and elaborate contingency plans to reduce or manage them in the future. Some stresses can actually stimulate personality growth and biologically induced adaptive (healthy adjustment) changes.

Stress can be managed by meditation or other relaxation techniques, structured timeouts, and learning new coping strategies to create predictability in our lives. An important step in stress management is exercises' practice. Thus, exercises can help to avoid the damage to health that prolonged stress can cause. In fact, studies have found that regular exercises' practice is a potent antidepressant and aid for many people.

The management of stress is mostly dependent on the ability and willingness of a person to make the changes necessary for a healthy lifestyle. One needs to learn to consider problems as opportunities and stressors as temporary problems but not disasters. So, let a little stress motivate you into positive action to achieve your aims.

Stress affects part of the brain - hypothalamus, which signals the adrenal glands to produce more hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism.

Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to muscle groups, preparing our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to ameliorate vision. The liver releases some stored glucose to increase the body's energy. And sweat is produced to cool the body. All of these physical changes prepare a person for action (to fight or flee).

Thus, stress response enhances a person's ability to act well under pressure. But in case person doesn't react, the stress response can deteriorate health condition.

Prolonged stresses are the most damaging types of stress. Persistent stress that is not resolved through coping or adaptation, deemed distress, may lead to anxiety, social withdrawal, neglect of responsibilities and increased alcohol, nicotine or drug intake as well.

Over the long term, distress can lead to destroy the body's immune system, diminished health and propensity to such illnesses as ulcers, diabetes and trouble with the digestive system or even cardiovascular problems, along with other mental illnesses.

By the 1990s, stress had become an integral part of modern life. Because of the abundance of stress in human being, we used to think of stress as a negative response to on every unexpected situation, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience. Stress can either let us learn and grow or cause us troubles.

Stress has operated evolutionary change and natural selection. Thus, the specimen that adapted best to the causes of stress (stressors) have survived and developed on the planet.

Human being is the most adaptive creature because of the evolution of the human brain. This adaptability has been happening mostly due to the changes and stressors. Therefore, mankind can exist in any climate or ecosystem. So, is stress so bad?

Stress is created when we react to particular events. It covers a wide range of feelings, from mild irritation to drastic dysfunction. It's the body's reaction of a change or problem and preparing to meet a hard situation with alertness, strength and stamina.

There are external and internal factors entailing stress. External factors include our environment, including our job, relationships, home, and all daily situations, challenges, difficulties and expectations. Internal factors which influence our ability to react to stress include our nutrition, health and fitness levels, emotional condition, and the amount of sleep and rest as well.