« Articles

Stress Medicines and Natural Stress Relief

By Tess Thompson

Stress-related physical and emotional symptoms often prompt us to pop a pill to relieve these conditions. The biggest contributor to this unhealthy habit is the easy availability of analgesics, drugs and other painkillers that are available over-the-counter. There is a strong case against self -medication for any type of disease. The same holds true for self-medication for stress relief. It is necessary to understand stress in its correct context before resorting to medicines and drugs to handle symptoms induced by stress.

There is a distinction that exists with respect to mild and severe stress versus acute and chronic stress. Some amount of stress is necessary in life, as it promotes peak performance. Mild stress can motivate you to excel. On the other hand, constant stress can affect your overall health.

Daily stress, caused due to work-related issues, family pressures and relationship problems, do not need medical intervention with standard pharmaceutical therapy. These are part and parcel of daily life and should be resolved with a positive frame of mind and natural stress relief techniques. A basic principle of life is “that what cannot be cured should neither be endured”. Enduring continuous stress can be extremely harmful for your mental and physical health and therefore it is imperative to manage stress properly. Coping with stress is a far healthier option than enduring it, and can help in avoiding far-reaching adverse consequences of stress medicines.

On the other hand, there may be incidents of acute stress caused due to trauma, accidents or loss of a dear friend or relative that may leave you highly stressed. Such conditions require immediate attention and can be addressed easily with anti-anxiety drugs like benzodiazepines as a short-term therapy. The emphasis here is on ‘short term’. Benzodiazepines form a part of those drugs that are often abused, and even short-term use of such medicines can cause lethargy and drowsiness. Long-term use can seriously impair mental ability and therefore should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor.

Chronic stress is difficult to manage. The most recommended ways to relieve stress such as meditation, yoga and positive thinking can be fairly difficult to practice in order to be effective. Stressful people often feel so pressed for time that they ‘feel’ that they do not even have time to practice some of these time-consuming techniques. Positive thinking, on the other hand, requires a great deal of commitment and regular affirmations.

But who said that good things in life are easy to get? If you wish to avoid stress as well as stress medicines and the side effects that they have, you have to find time and commit yourself totally to natural stress relief. If that is asking for too much, there is always the herbal alternative.

References:

http://www.aboutstressmanagement.com/stressrelief/stress-management-medications/benzodiazepines/benzodiazepines.htm
http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/psychology/stress/drugs-for-depression.asp