Book explains how maintaining mental health can help reduce stress, anxiety

It took years of therapy and self-discovery for author Petra Kolber to overcome panic attacks and the anxiety of not measuring up, but her new book offers solutions.

Titled "Perfection Detox," the book explains how to lower self-imposed stress and anxiety.

Her concept is an easy one, but often difficult for many to execute.

"We are so aware of how stress is detrimental to our health and our happiness, but a big stressor are our thoughts," Kolber said.

Kolber recently took group exercise instructors and trainers through a different type of workout, one that involved giving their brains a fitness session of sorts.

"Our brain cannot tell the difference between external stress and the internal stress we are creating from our thoughts," she explained.

This stress can sometimes create physical challenges for people.

"It changes your stress hormones," functional medicine specalist Dr. Alexis Daniels said. "It changes how your body digests, so keeping that positive attitude just helps everything work better."

The enteric nervous system has an immense amount of nerves that receive brain impulses, along with the Vagus nerve, which controls enzyme production and gut motility.

"Anything that reduces stress is going to have a global impact on your body," Daniels said. "One of the things that stress drives is cortisol and cortisol is actually suppressive to the immune system."

Physical exercise, deep breathing, meditation and journaling are all ways to help reduce stress, according to health experts, even if just for 10 minutes per day.