Posts Tagged Anxiety

The Problem with Perfectionism

Many people, both young and old, struggle with perfectionism. Notice I said “struggle with,” not “strive for.” That’s because a desire to be perfect is not always healthy and certainly not something people should strive for.

Pursuing perfection typically focuses at looking for what’s WRONG. This can quickly put anyone in a negative state of mind.

Additionally, the desire for perfectionism often results in negative physical symptoms. For example, nail biting may arise from perfectionism. The driving force behind nail biting may not be a nervous habit but instead anxiety in the form of perfectionism. Mounting evidence shows that people who bite their nails, pick their skin, or pull their hair are often perfectionists. Their action is an attempt help … >>>

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How to Combat Stress and Anxiety

Image of a woman who looks stressed

Here is a stress management tip—but first, “Why are so many people today dealing with stress and anxiety more than ever before?” The answer may surprise you, and this stress management tip on how to relieve stress and anxiety might just help.

Stress and anxiety can affect people of all ages—whether a person is a student under stress or a person in retirement. The key to dealing with anxiety and stress is through effort and stress management, which leads to anxiety relief and managing stress levels.

Consider these two examples: There was a dentist in Duluth, Minnesota who had more patients at age 89 than he ever had in his previous years of practice. His hands were steady, and … >>>

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How to Overcome Anxiety

Image of a man being chased by a looming shadow figure

Do you suffer from an anxiety disorder? If you do, you’re not alone. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. They affect 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

You may not know exactly why you feel anxiety, but when you do, you probably think something bad is about to happen. Today’s tip will help put your anxiety at ease and reduce your stress greatly!

Since anxiety is not a healthy emotion and is difficult to ignore, the trick is to manage it and put it to your use, rather than trying to ignore it.

The first step is to acknowledge anxiety—since you cannot initially … >>>

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Self-Acceptance Reduces Stress

Piece of paper stating "your are good enough" to show that self-acceptance can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Many people struggle with self-acceptance. In other words, too many people are searching for acceptance outside of themselves when they haven’t yet learned to accept themselves. Self-acceptance means being okay with WHO you are. It means being kind to yourself even when you make mistakes, fail, or do something that you later regret. When you practice self-acceptance, you reduce your stress level greatly.

Self-acceptance is a close relative to self-esteem. It is difficult to have one without the other, and, if you have one, you will tend to have the other. There may be many reasons why people have low self-acceptance, but most fall into one or more the following areas:

  • A desire to be perfect
  • A focus on imperfections
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Overcoming Fear and Anxiety

The image displays the words “Without Stress Tips” in white against a blue background along a gold lotus blossom.

Fear and anxiety are natural emotions.

You may not know exactly why you feel these emotions, but when you do, you think something bad is about to happen—even if you don’t quite know what.

Since fear and anxiety do not naturally accomplish something positive, the trick is to manage them and put them to your use, rather than trying to ignore them.

The first step is to acknowledge these emotions—since you cannot initially change them.

The next step is to visualize them as positive sources for motivation. This can be likened to a soldier about to go into battle. The soldier uses courage to act regardless of the fear and anxiety.

My father, as articulate as he was, feared to … >>>

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