Stress is a natural response of our body to conceived threats and pressures in life; while anxiety is simply a feeling of worry; nervousness or an intense apprehension of real or imagined danger. It could also be a strong wish to do something; especially if the wish is unhealthy strong such as being anxious to do the right thing. Hence, anxiety sometimes occurs as a result of lack of confidence in self.

Both stress and anxiety are normal reactions in our body in response to stressful situations in life. They are temporary events that disappear once those perceived threats and pressures are gone. However, should they stay longer than normal, then it regressed to some form of depression.

How to Overcome Stress and Anxiety to Prevent Depression? Let us first understand why do you have this feeling of stress and anxiety? Anxiety is a symptom of the presence of doubt, and when there is doubt, fear grips in. When fear grips in, anxiety comes in. All these; doubt, fear, and anxiety are manifestations of a negative mental attitude, attracting more negative things to happen. The more intense the anxiety, the more the thing that you feared of, will likely to happen. Why? Because of the Law of Attraction; the more you think and feel about it, the more you will get it; in other words, whatever you resist, persists.

So the best thing to overcome anxiety is to overcome your negative mental attitude. Have you noticed that when there is something that you do not like to happen, will more likely to happen? An example of this is when you were in school; when the teacher calls randomly for somebody to present in front of the class, you do not want to present because you are not prepared, or you are not confident to present; what do you feel? You feel anxious, anxious that you might be called. And the more anxious you become, the more likely that you will be called. And if you were very anxious enough, then definitely, you were called.

In the Law of Attraction, the process starts with having a thought of what you want, then this thought transform into desire to have what you want. Desire is an emotion, powerful enough to lead you to action until you get what you what. Anxiety is already an emotion, a powerful feeling that will lead you to your dominant negative thought-that something you feared of.

How then do you overcome your negative mental attitude? To overcome a negative mental attitude is to have a positive mental attitude. You can not overcome a negative mental attitude with a negative mental attitude. Let me give you an example: As I browsed the Google keyword, I noticed that a lot of people searched the Google about anxiety, about 4 million searches in one month, compared to happiness at about a million in a month. Both of these groups of people who searched for anxiety and happiness, are more likely to be suffering from anxiety or depression. If you are happy, why would you search for happiness on the internet on the first place? The difference between these groups of people is their approach, or how they managed their anxiety. 4 million tried to manage their anxiety by learning more about anxiety. What do they get? They end up feeding their thoughts more about anxiety, stories of people with anxiety, and so on. They end up attracting more negative forces to them and become more anxious. On the other hand, those people who tried to battle their anxiety by cultivating their thoughts with happy thoughts; happy moments; stories about happiness; and surrounding themselves with happy people; are more likely to succeed in overcoming their anxiety.

Stress and anxiety are a mental state of mind where negative thoughts are dominant, creating doubts and fears. To overcome stress and anxiety is to gain mastery over your thoughts; to change your mental attitude to a positive mentality. And one of the best ways to have a positive mental attitude is to nourish your mind with happy thoughts, lively music, happy moments, and associate yourself with happy people.

Many people with social anxiety disorder feel that there is “something wrong,” but don’t recognize their feeling as a sign of illness. Physiological effects, similar to those in other anxiety disorders, are present in social phobics. Social anxiety disorder can be so debilitating that it interferes with work, school and other routine activities. Social anxiety disorder may be linked to other mental illnesses, such as panic disorder , obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. Signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder can fluctuate over time. Physical symptoms include “mind going blank”, fast heartbeat, blushing, stomach ache. Cognitive distortions are a hallmark, and learned about in CBT. Thoughts are often self-defeating and inaccurate. Some sufferers may use alcohol or other drugs to reduce fears and inhibitions at social events. Social anxiety disorder may co-occur with other anxiety disorders as well as depression. Additionally, people with social anxiety may develop problems with substance abuse or dependence when they use drinking or drugs to “self-medicate” their symptoms. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of antidepressants, are considered by many to be the first choice medication for generalised social phobia. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may be helpful in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. MAOIs and benzodiazepines may require more monitoring than other medications. Beta blockers are sometimes used with performance anxiety, a specific kind of social anxiety.

Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder

Common Causes and Risk factors of Social Anxiety Disorder

Genes.

Biochemistry.

Fear responses.

Cultural factors.

Environmental factors.

Neurochemical and neurocognitive influences.

New social or work demands.

Signs and Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder

Common Sign and Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder

Blushing

Trembling

Nausea

Stomach upset

Confusion

Palpitations

Diarrhea

Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

Common Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of antidepressants, are considered by many to be the first choice medication for generalised social phobia.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may be helpful in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. It teaches people with social anxiety disorder to react differently to the situations that trigger their anxiety symptoms.

MAOIs and benzodiazepines may require more monitoring than other medications.

Beta blockers are sometimes used with performance anxiety, a specific kind of social anxiety.

Benzodiazepines are a short-acting and more potent alternative to SSRIs. The drug is often used for short-term relief of severe, disabling anxiety