In our fast-paced, industrialized, and technologically driven society, stress and anxiety are par for the course. Almost no one gets off Scott-free when these cards are handed out, although some people are more prone to succumb to their pressures than others are. There are many reasons why some people are more resilient than others are.

If you are suffering from chronic stress and anxiety, you can feel reassured that there is much you can do to lessen the impacts of stress on your physical, mental, and emotional health. As you probably know, stress is responsible for, or at the very least, exacerbates, up to 90% of diseases. Anxiety is in fact a by-product of stress.

When you are calm and relaxed, you cannot be anxious at the same time. Stress, by definition, is the body’s survival response to a perceived threat. Adrenaline surges and gets us ready to flee or fight the danger. When this survival response does not get turned off, because we are faced with multiple perceived threats per day, our stress becomes chronic and our health inevitably suffers.

There ia a difference between stress and anxiety. Stress is your body's reaction to a trigger and is generally a short-term experience. Stress can be positive or negative and is a response to a threat in any given situation. Anxiety, on the other hand, is a sustained mental health disorder that can be triggered by stress.

In Stoicism it is the perception of situations and environments that trigger these.

Meditations 7.16 states The ruling faculty does not disturb itself; I mean, does not frighten itself or cause itself pain. But if any one else can frighten or pain it, let him do so. For the faculty itself will not by its own opinion turn itself into such ways. Let the body itself take care, if it can, that is suffer nothing, and let it speak, if it suffers. But the soul itself, that which is subject to fear, to pain, which has completely the power of forming an opinion about these things, will suffer nothing, for it will never deviate into such a judgement. The leading principle in itself wants nothing, unless it makes a want for itself; and therefore it is both free from perturbation and unimpeded, if it does not disturb and impede itself.

Emotional symptoms of stress can vary from irritability, anger, and impatience to depression, insomnia, and of course anxiety, worry, and fear.

The skill of prioritizing is a key tool in your ability to manage stress. It allows you to look at a set of tasks and determine which are the most important so that you can put your focus into completing those first. You can then give your time and energy to the most important parts of your day at the expense of activities lower on the list.

There isn’t a matrix schedule or computer in the world that can do this for you and improve your day. Technology won’t help you work faster or boost your productivity or help you use your time more wisely. It isn’t about working smarter, it’s about dedicating your time to the correct tasks.

Even if you have a list of things to do you know that you won’t have the energy (or the time) to get through them all. So, a lot of it will get left undone and you will be left feeling guilty about what you couldn’t get to.

Enchiridion 38 states ’When walking, you are careful not to step on a nail or turn your foot; so likewise be careful not to hurt the ruling faculty of your mind. And, if we were to guard against this in every action, we should undertake the action with the greater safety.”

What this means is we have to take care not to harm reasoning and faculty of choice. They must be used correctly to have a better life. Getting overwhelmed can harm us and the reasoning mind.

We must realize we cannot function on impulse. We need to do the right things for the present moment and for life in general. Doing this helps to recognize what may be damaging to us through stress. This can be worked on through repetition of action and habit. Prioritizing gives focus with this.

Have you noticed how when you are stressed your mind starts spiraling out of control? You will either be anxiously worrying about the future or obsessively remembering the past. Having a chaotic mind is pretty well normal as far as the human experience is concerned.

The Buddhist idea of the “monkey mind” illustrates this: Thoughts chattering and ricocheting all over the place, a jumble of internal noise that can feel deafening at times. Ironically, it fuels the pressure that triggers the uncontrollable thoughts in the first place.

A vicious cycle, where you end up feeling rattled, out of control, unhappy and frazzled, with your stress levels getting higher and higher. One of the key techniques you can use to dissipate these counter-productive thoughts is meditation.

To be effective the mind needs a sense of harmony and balance. This type of balance gives clear focus to our perceptions to form the right judgements and form our actions in response. Stoic philosophers recognize this.

Meditations 6. 11. When you find yourself forced, as it were into some confusion or disturbance, by surrounding objects, return into yourself as speedily as you can; and depart no more from the true harmony of the soul, than what is absolutely unavoidable. You shall acquire greater power of retaining this harmony, by having frequent recourse to it.

There are practices that can be done with daily practice of Stoicism.

Stress might be a normal part of life that affects all types of people, but when it becomes a chronic issue, it can result in serious psychological and physical health problems. Sadly, many of the typical stressors are things we deal with on a daily basis so it doesn’t take much for stress to become chronic. These stressors can’t always be resolved easily and as they build up one thing turns into another and it’s easy to see how it can spiral out of control.

Chronic stress is incredibly different from the short-term beneficial stress that we can sometimes experience. This is the type of situation that pushes you to keep going in the face of a difficult situation.

While you can manage stressors with healthy coping strategies, they are deliberate efforts. The typical strategies for coping with stress include deep breathing, reassessing certain situations, taking a break, speaking to a friend, and working through the obstacle.

Unfortunately, many of the stressors you will experience are to the extreme. Whether it’s being the sole caregiver to a family member or another type of extreme stress, it’s more difficult to manage.

How can you manage stress when it is persistent and doesn’t ever let up? Especially when there is no escape from your stressors? Firstly, know that chronic stress can be debilitating, both physically and psychologically. They can lead to anxiety and depression and the quickest way to find yourself in this position is by ignoring stressors.

Managing chronic stress takes continuous effort. The practice of Stoicism can provide a blueprint for coping with stress as it also requires continued deliberate effort to implement in your life.

Moral Letters 94.13. "There are two reasons why we go astray: either there is in the soul an evil quality which has been brought about by wrong opinions, or, even if not possessed by false ideas, the soul is prone to falsehood and rapidly corrupted by some outward appearance which attracts it in the wrong direction. For this reason it is our duty either to treat carefully the diseased mind and free it from faults, or to take possession of the mind when it is still unoccupied and yet inclined to what is evil. Both these results can be attained by the main doctrines of philosophy; therefore the giving of such precepts is of no use.

This can be true for all aspects of life. For example, we know that stress and insomnia are linked. This can impact your immune system, mental health, cognitive function, and your ability to focus.

The two fuel each other, so if you ignore that you will quickly find yourself in a serious situation that is negatively affecting your life every day.

Stress in unavoidable- that is a hard fact of life. However, it seems like some people have the worst luck when it comes to their stress burden, almost as if they are inviting it in.

Turns out, there are certain risks that are clearly associated with an increased burden of stress, even though you may not realize it. Is there anything you can do about it?

When looking at the causes of stress it is important to remember the Dichotomy of control: what is in our power and what is not.

Enchiridion 1. States “Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.”

Not sure what to look for as far as what you can control? Some of the most common risk factors should be considered.

Stress is a double edged sword, whether you realize this or not. One end, helps you cut through obstacles and makes it easier for you to move forward. However, if you’re not careful, that same double-edged sword can end up hurting you, especially if you experience stress more than the average person does.

Sadly, this is the case more often than not, when the stress hormone cortisol shows its ugly side and starts to adversely affect your health.

Regardless, stress is here to stay. It does have its utility, and can make you an efficient working individual. Remember it is not stress or what is causing stress itself but our perception of it that makes a difference. And we have the power to gauge our response to it.

Meditations 8.28 states Pain is either an evil to the body- then let the body say what it thinks of it- or to the soul; but it is in the power of the soul to maintain its own serenity and tranquility, and not to think that pain is an evil. For every judgement and movement and desire and aversion is within, and no evil ascends so high.

This is why it’s important to tell the difference between good and bad stress, and make it work for you. The reasoning mind helps to discern this and what type of action to take.

When life events turn us upside down, our stress response kicks in, causing us to want to flee, freeze, or fight our perceived threat. Of course, in prehistoric times when the situation would have been life or death, such a response was quite legitimate.

Nowadays, not so much. The stress response can be responsible for many health problems, including cardiovascular problems, fatigue, depression, anxiety and many more; learning tools to tame this tiger is a wise decision.

The physiological changes that occur when the stress response kicks in include a dilating of the pupils (to run away better), a diversion of the blood away from the internal organs to the extremities (for better fleeing and fighting purposes), an increase in adrenaline and an increase in heart rate (for running fast), and shallow, faster breathing (for the escape).

This works great in a truly dangerous situation, in the short-term, but when we perceive daily life as life threatening, and the stress response stays turned on day after day, the shallow breathing alone can cause fatigue, depression, and anxiety.

One way you can trick the body into feeling safe and thus into turning off the stress response is to practice deep breathing. A young baby, when sleeping, naturally breathes deep into its belly. This is how we are all supposed to breathe in a relaxed state, but we forget how to do this when chronic stress holds sway over us.

Breathing is so important to both the body and mind. Seneca describes the difficulties of breathing and signals its importance with his Letter 54 On Asthma and Death in describing bouts of asthma.

Verse 1-3 state My ill-health had allowed me a long furlough, when suddenly it resumed the attack. "What kind of ill-health?" you say. And you surely have a right to ask; for it is true that no kind is unknown to me. But I have been consigned, so to speak, to one special ailment. I do not know why I should call it by its Greek name; for it is well enough described as "shortness of breath." Its attack is of very brief duration, like that of a squall at sea; it usually ends within an hour. Who indeed could breathe his last for long? I have passed through all the ills and dangers of the flesh; but nothing seems to me more troublesome than this. And naturally so; for anything else may be called illness; but this is a sort of continued "last gasp." Hence physicians call it "practising how to die." For some day the breath will succeed in doing what it has so often essayed. Do you think I am writing this letter in a merry spirit, just because I have escaped? It would be absurd to take delight in such supposed restoration to health, as it would be for a defendant to imagine that he had won his case when he had succeeded in postponing his trial. Yet in the midst of my difficult breathing I never ceased to rest secure in cheerful and brave thoughts.

There are many breathing techniques you can learn to help you calm the chaotic mind and switch off the fear, flight, and fight response.

Students of Stoicism seek to achieve something described in a Greek word Eudaimonia. It is commonly defined as happiness or welfare but also human flourishing or prosperity.

The practice of Stoicism provides tranquility by letting go of suffering. It is not easy and requires discipline and focus to achieve this. But the alternative is to continue to function with possible misery.

Do you feel constantly run down? Like you are firing on only three cylinders? Do you suffer from aches and pains, stiffness, muscle tension, poor sleep, anxiety, negative thinking, irritability, or moodiness? Then you are more than likely suffering from chronic stress. You have been trying to meet the world’s impossible standards for so long that you barely even notice that you rarely experience real peace, inner calm, and relaxation.

Your long-time habit is to be on overdrive. Your cortisol and adrenaline levels have not shut off for far too long and this has become your norm. This is a not a happy or a healthy place to be. Many ailments and diseases are stress-related, cardiovascular health, blood pressure and the afore mentioned problems have been linked to stress in studies.

There is hope, however, even if you have lived your whole life on overdrive. It is never too late to change! You can find your personal tranquility by paying attention to what works for you. Find out what brings you closer to your bliss, and then, do more of it! First, you have to figure out how to achieve joy in your life and by letting stress affect you may not find the answer.

Meditations 4. 24. states “Mind few things,” said one, “if you would preserve tranquillity.”He might rather have said, mind only what is necessary, and what the reason of the creature formed for social life and public good recommends, and in the way it directs. And this will not only secure the tranquility arising from virtuous action, but that also which arises from having few things to mind. Would we cut off the most part of what we say and do, as unnecessary, we should have much leisure and freedom from trouble.We should suggest to ourselves on every occasion this question; is this necessary? But we ought to quit, not only unnecessary actions, but even imaginations; and, thus, superfluous actions, diverting us from our purpose, would not ensue.

So, to help you get started, here are some amazing stress busting tools that you can try. Think of it as an experiment along with the serious practice of Stoicism.

The ancient Stoics had a fascination about anger. Seneca wrote an entire work on it If you find yourself blowing up over the smallest thing, or over-reacting when situations get out of control, or when things don’t go exactly the way you’d like them to, it may be because you are suffering the emotional and physical burnout that is associated with chronic stress.

Life has a habit of throwing us curve balls, which by definition we never seem to expect, as they aren’t part of the plan, so to speak. But when they keep on coming, we get overwhelmed, fatigued, drained, and exhausted, and the outcome is that we are frazzled, at the end of our rope, with patience that starts to run thin. This is when we find ourselves feeling moody and irritable the whole time and when frequent angry outbursts are the unhappy status quo.

When stress is chronic, adrenaline and cortisol are constantly being released and do not shut off after a short time, as they would have done in our ancient ancestors’ hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

The fear, flight, fight response was designed to deal with life or death situations, or to provide the adrenaline needed for the hunt, and, once the danger had passed, or once the hunt had been successful, this stress response would shut down and relaxation would ensue.

However, in our modern society, stress, just like the city, never sleeps. It has us running from dawn to dusk. Our inability to shut down and relax adversely affects our sleep, our eating habits, our overall mood and, ultimately our reactions towards others. If you are habitually angry, frustrated or annoyed, you may be suffering the consequences of burnout, or adrenal fatigue, as the result of prolonged, chronic stress.

When we are sleep deprived due to stress, our bodies produce less serotonin, one of the neurotransmitters that helps keep us in a calm and even mood.

Anger is also a sign that you are trying hard to control your life and everything, and possibly everyone in it. This is an unhealthy mindset that ultimately has its roots in fear: Fear of failure, of not being good enough, or fear of loss are some of the motivating beliefs that can keep you locked into angry reactions.

Luckily, there is plenty you can do to change this behavior for the better, and that begins with understanding how to cope with anger.

Fragments 20 of Epictetus states They who have a good constitution of body can bear heat and cold; and so they who have a right constitution of soul can meet anger and grief and immoderate joy and the other passions.

You need to look at what is causing the anger. Is it something that is worth getting angry about? Is it even getting angry something to be avoided? Reacting to anger can have consequences we did not anticipate. It is a temporary madness as the Ancient Stoics called it.

It is important to remember it is not the circumstances but our impression of them that bring on anger.

There is a saying that you can make money you just cant make time. This is true given the importance of time in our lives. We are bound by time in the jobs we do and timeframes in which tasks are completed.

If just once glance at your workload is enough to set your heart racing then it’s time to learn time management skills. If every time you complete a task another one appears and you feel overwhelmed then this information was designed for you.

When you feel like you’re facing an insurmountable task with a to-do list that would make anyone squirm, then it’s time to put your efficiency hat on and tackle things differently. Learning how to efficiently manage your time is a key skill in stress management and it’s one that everyone wishes they were better at.

The skill lies in organizing your tasks appropriately and then managing your time so you can get more done every day without feeling stressed out and fatigued by the end of it. That sounds amazing, right?

But it is not just the factors of time in the present moment that can be wasted. We may fear something that may or may not happen 6 months from now. We waste time regretting things about the past.

The ancient Stoics understood the value of time. Moral Letters 1. 3 states Nothing, Lucilius, is ours, except time. We were entrusted by nature with the ownership of this single thing, so fleeting and slippery that anyone who will can oust us from possession. What fools these mortals be! They allow the cheapest and most useless things, which can easily be replaced, to be charged in the reckoning, after they have acquired them; but they never regard themselves as in debt when they have received some of that precious commodity, – time! And yet time is the one loan which even a grateful recipient cannot repay.

Understanding the value of time and making the best of it won’t happen overnight, it will take a bit of getting used to and your method for managing your time may be different to someone else’s, it’s a skill that is unique to everyone