Jennifer Ferguson

Now, I want you to conjure an imaginary situation in your mind in which you are experiencing the opposite, positive emotion in opposition to this negative one.

Now, I want you to conjure an imaginary situation in your mind in which you are experiencing the opposite, positive emotion in opposition to this negative one.

Add to this pressure at work, family or relationship issues, fitting in time for friends and social obligations, and caring for children, and you begin to cultivate a perfect environment for too much stress that often leads to anxiety and even depression. Stress is also a contributing factor in many chronic diseases, including those which affect cardiovascular health. The pressure to keep up and be successful is compounded in our society by the social media we feed our brains every day which show people at their best, happiest and most successful on a daily basis. It is natural to look at people like this and feel that we are in some way not doing enough, not making enough money, not working out enough, not enough of anything. This is where the low self-esteem, anxiety and depression can sneak in. So, if the stress isn’t getting to you, the constant barrage of media telling you to do better in nearly every aspect of your life surely will.