Dealing With Stress

If you're suffering from stress, depression and anxiety, you're going to encounter a myriad of stress management methods all being pushed by supposed consultants and you'll find it tough to work out who is trustworthy. As an ex-chronic sufferer myself, I know when someone who claims to be an expert in dealing with stress is actually anything but. It is vitally important to avoid techniques that actually prolong your suffering and here are three must avoid commonly promoted stress relief techniques so you don't waste your valuable time and money on snake oil.

1. Food intake and nutrition. Any individual who claims that stress and anxiety are:

Triggered by poor diet and deficient nutrition or:

Can be relieved by improving diet and nutrition

Has zero knowledge of stress, anxiety and depression and is trying to con you. Without a doubt.

Why? Ask yourself this:

Would it be true to state that each person who is stressed, anxious or depressed consumes the wrong foods and moreover, will all people whose eating habits are poor end up suffering from a stressful illness?

I've eaten the very healthy Mediterranean diet for the last fifteen years and for five of them, anxiety and depression made my life hell. My diet didn't cause my problems nor did it help in any way whatsoever with dealing with stress, anxiety and depression.
2. Upright posture and breathing deeply. If stress, anxiety or depression has blighted your life at some point, then here's something you'll know all too well: During episodes of stress, anxiety or depression, you believe that your world is crumbling, you find it so very hard to manage even the simplest of tasks, and you feel convinced that there is no solution to the problems facing you and standing tall and deep breathing are trivial by comparison. Yet "experts" and even medical professionals and counselors advise both of these as "effective stress relievers".

Look. When you're so stressed your hands shake like a leaf, you cannot sleep and you feel utterly exhausted, you can deep breathe as much as you want and walk as tall as a skyscraper but it won't help you. To treat stress and anxiety effectively, the key element involves treating the root cause and posture and breathing do not address this in any way.

If anybody ever suggests these to you to help you relieve stress, then don't pay them any attention because it is plain hogwash. Save your cash and your precious time by ignoring them completely.

3. Finally, another common "effective" stress relief technique that will fail you and could even make you feel worse. Ever heard this:

Identify circumstances that cause stress and stay clear of them.

Smart move! Shut yourself away from the world because the root cause of stressful illnesses lies in events and circumstances. Shying away from life is no answer to stress, anxiety and depression, indeed, wanting to be alone is a common symptom of them. Shying away from life and avoiding people and situations can lead to isolation which can fuel stress and anxiety and lead into an episode of depression.

Shying away from people and situations does nothing to tackle what is at the root of stress and anxiety and indeed, no event by itself can cause these problems to arise. Anyone who claims they do simply does not understand stress, anxiety and depression probably because they haven't experienced them. Don't pay attention to them, they will fail you for sure.

Steering clear of techniques that do not tackle the root cause is important in relieving stress because it will enable you to concentrate on empowering methods instead. Please use your knowledge.