Did you know that stress occurs in different degrees? What can start with something as simple as daily concerns? What accumulates in us? What can be silently consuming our subconscious capacities? What can still be properly managed and administered?

Although stress is a fairly modern concept, Hippocrates already spoke of anxiety in the 4th century BC. It is a problem that humanity has had to deal with since the beginning of time. Despite which, we still seem to know very little about how to handle it.

In my line of work, humanology, I come across many people who experience all kinds of stress and have come to some conclusions that I would like to share with you here today, along with some tips and tricks that I hope may help you.

1. Worry, fear, anxiety, and panic can be different forms and degrees of stress.: When any of those forms of fear is present in a person’s life too often, they are likely to end up escalating to the next level in this progression.
2. Worry can also become a form of stress when the person cannot control it. Those who can’t stop worrying about things end up accumulating a lot of cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine, which are slowly released by their system every time they plan to “fix” a problem by preparing for it. They are regularly preparing their bodies for the “bad something” to come. There are certain trends at this level:
   1. Overthinking is a form of constant worry.Those who cannot stop thinking uncontrollably, whose thoughts rule them, tend to always think about problems and worries. They can’t seem to tune out their worries and therefore constantly release stress-based chemicals. Dreamers are a type of overthinker. Most dreamers also spend their time worrying, not enjoying fun or positive imaginations.
   2. The excessive need to control everything is another form of worry.Those who need to have everything under their control, the so-called control freaksthey are in a state of permanent worry about losing that control.
3. 
   When worry turns into “what if…” questions, it turns into fear. Worrying about something can very easily turn into fear. All “And if… “The questions indicate some kind of fear.”What if that doesn’t work the way I want it to? And if the other thing happens? What if that person fails…” all indicate a fear that something will or will not happen in the future. The worry becomes more focused and the feeling sharper. The person’s body secretes greater amounts of chemicals.
4. 
   Constant worry and fear have a cumulative stressful effect on us. Being in a constant state of worry or fear leads to excess chemicals in our bodies. Those chemicals, if not properly managed and released, will build up in a person’s body and could turn into silent anxiety.
5. 
   Worry, fear and anxiety can occupy a large part of our subconscious capacity. When a person is silently and subconsciously dealing with worry, fear, and anxiety many hours a day, that person’s brain is working overtime.
   
   1. The person is not aware of it. The conscious part of that person’s brain will deal with the conscious symptoms of worry, fear, and anxiety as long as it is aware of them, but the subconscious will continue to grow and multiply, making use of the person’s subconscious mechanisms and capacities.
   2. The mind is like an iceberg and our conscious mind is just the very small tip. When a person suffers from chronic worry, fear, or anxiety, the visible and noticeable symptoms will be addressed. Unfortunately, that same person will also be unconsciously working on silent stress, trying to manage it, while it gradually builds up inside them due to the lack of proper release mechanisms for the ongoing triggers. This reality is one of the main reasons why worry and fear can end up turning into anxiety.
6. 
   When the subconscious can’t handle it, the conscious mind will release it. The subconscious tries to keep up with stress, worry, fear, mostly by keeping it all bottled up inside, until the sheer amount is so great that it spills over into the conscious mind as symptoms of anxiety or panic. So all those chemicals never released end up forcing the person to stop and do something. By then, managing them is obviously much more difficult. There can be years of accumulation and poor management.

So what can we do? There are some obvious answers to that question. But maybe not so many obvious tools. Let me offer you a couple of both.

• Work with a humanologist. That is, of course, the most obvious solution J. Humanologists are experts in humans and can extend understanding and tools beyond the scope of this article. Look for one that helps you recognize your stress level, your triggers, and the personal tools you need to change that trend for yourself. In the meantime, you can also try the following tips:
• Stop accumulating. Yes, although it sounds obvious, how is it done? How can an overthinker stop thinking? How can a squeamish person stop worrying?
  • Consciousness: Fear is ALWAYS in the future. And if… always refers to something that has not yet happened. Therefore, learning to be in the here and now is key for these people. Learn to return from the future to the present. The more often you return to the present, the fewer negative chemicals your system will release. Learn and use mindfulness techniques to force yourself to be in the present as often as possible.
  • Connect with the outside world. Many people who suffer from worry, fear, anxiety, and panic spend their hours within themselves. They often spend many hours in their heads. And sometimes they forget to connect with the outside world, with their reality. The more time a person spends indoors, without a clear line of connection to the outside world, the greater the chance of falling into this stress trap. KEEP IN TOUCH WITH OUTSIDE REALITY at all times. Yeah, introspection is great… as long as you’re not disconnected from reality. Yes, meditation is great… as long as you’re not disconnected from reality. Yes, being within one’s personal sphere is great…as long as you’re not disconnected from reality. Then make the CONSCIOUS effort to stay connected to reality and the outside world, no matter what. Keep coming up for air and a clear anchor in reality.
  • time boxes. The design has a certain fixed time to worry every day. Give yourself a chance to really care, say, an hour a day. AND THAT’S IT! Once the hour is up, whenever your worry, fear, or anxiety calls back, tell it to come back tomorrow, for the next time slot.
• 
  Fight the negative with the positive. Some other happier chemicals can help you reduce the cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine levels built up in your body: oxytocin, endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and the like. Learn to release them more often and in greater quantity for two reasons:
  
  • They fight the bad guys. Good chemicals will make you feel better and help you relax almost immediately. Which means the good ones will target some of the bad chemicals.
  • When your body releases them, you can’t release them. So if your body is busy flushing out your system with the wonderful oxytocin, it can’t be producing nasty products at the same time.

  • So the positive result is twofold: there are fewer bad chemicals in you because the good ones are fighting them, and you’re producing less because you’re busy doing something else.

• 
  Let them go! Nothing will work if you keep creating more and more nasty chemicals. Learn some tools to get rid of the stress you already have inside: exercise, practice laughter, apply the tools mentioned above to counteract and release the nasty bugs, and take control of your own being.

All these tips will help you manage your stress a little better. Don’t let it grow on you until it becomes unmanageable. Seek help now instead of letting it catch up with you and control your will. Can be done.

Enjoy life… EVERYTHING,