Stress, Anxiety and Hypnosis: Find Your Calm

Stress and anxiety are your body and mind's natural responses to life's pressures - but when they linger, they can feel like uninvited guests taking over. In today's world, stress touchess many people, young and old, across the globe. 

 Stress, from a scientific perspective is a physiological and psychological response to external demand or threat ( a "stresor"). When you're stressed, your brain's hypothalamus triger's the release of cortisol and adrenaline via the HPA axis, prepping your body for action- think faster heart rate, tense muscles, heightened alertness. It's often acute, tied to specific event (e.g. tight deadline), and fades when stressor is gone. Chronic stress, thought, can linger if the trigger persist, messing with sleep, immunity, and mood. Research shows it's measurable - elevated cortisol levels are a key marker.

Anxiety, is more of anticipatory, internal state. It's not always tied to a clear external state. It's not always tied to a clear external cause and can persist even when nothing's immediately wrong. Neurologically, it involves overactivity in the amygdala ( the fear center) and less regulation from the prefrontal cortex ( the rational part) Anxiety often manifess as excessive worry or dread about future uncertainities, with physical signs like restlessness or a racing mind.

Key difference? Stress is a reaction to now (external), anxiety is a worry about later (internal).

Amygdala: This almond- shaped part of your brain is your alarm system. When it senses denger - real or imagined- it floods your system with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Research (Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2015) shows an overactive amygdala keeps you wired, amplifying stress and anxiety.