Stress
Seriously stressed out
We all get it.
We are a nation of stressed out people, whether we live in the uptown or downtown, we're all going to get it, no matter what happens in our day to day life.
1)Take a time-out. ...
2)Eat well-balanced meals. ...
3)Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.
4)Get enough sleep. ...
5)Exercise daily to help you feel good and maintain your health. ...
6)Take deep breaths.
Severe Storms: How to Reduce Your Anxiety
Anticipating the arrival of a hurricane, tornado, blizzard, or any severe storm strikes fear and anxiety in the people in its path for good reason. Natural disasters disrupt lives in significant ways, including creating physical and mental health problems and major economic challenges. And the never-ending news about a storm’s arrival may increase your anxiety, stress, and fear.
Here are some tips to help you take care of your own mental health, as well as your family’s before and after a storm.
Prepare
It’s only natural to feel scared, anxious, and nervous. Recognize your emotions and try these tips to alleviate your anxiety.
Create a plan — A well-prepared plan for your family can help reduce anxiety and chaos before, during, and afterward. Make an evacuation plan and compile preparedness kits. Get tips from the Red Cross.
Be informed — Stay up-to-date on weather information and warnings. If you’re aware of the latest information, you may gain a sense of control over the situation.
Talk it out — Share your fears with family members, friends, a counselor, or others who can offer emotional support.
Find out more on how to strengthen your emotional well-being before the storm.
Accept what you can’t control — Nobody can control the path of a storm or its damage. And excessive worrying that one may hit you will not change anything except your emotional well-being.
Take tips from the Mayo Clinic for talking to kids about weather-related anxiety:
Be calm and supportive. Tell children that thunder won't hurt them. Explain that storms are a normal part of nature.
Talk about storms matter-of-factly. Some kids may seem afraid of storms, but they're really interested in learning more about them.
Allow children to face their fears by gradually helping them learn they can handle a fear and other uncertainties of life on their own.
Help children face their fear of storms by reading about them or watching videos of tornadoes, hurricanes, and other big storms.
If the anxiety doesn't diminish, or if it begins to create greater stress for the child or the parent, get the assistance of a mental health professional.
After the Storm
Many survivors of severe storms will experience emotional and physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, insomnia, and nausea for days or even weeks afterward.
If you are having difficulty coping, consider the following:
Do something positive: Donate blood, prepare care packages, or volunteer to help others, all of which can provide a sense of purpose in a situation that feels out of your control.
Follow your usual daily routine as much as possible.
Limit your exposure to repeated news stories, which usually increases stress.
Rest, get exercise, and eat properly. Seek out leisure and recreational activities that involve both mind and body.
Spend time with trusted loved ones for support.
Talk with others and seek support from those who have been exposed to the same or similar trauma.
Recognize that you cannot control everything.
Talk with a relative, friend, doctor, or spiritual advisor about getting help. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not of weakness.
Contact a mental health professional if symptoms persist for more than a few weeks and interfere in your carrying out your daily activities.
Prolonged Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
If after several weeks your anxiety symptoms persist, it may be an indication of posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Symptoms of PTSD:
1)Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks, and nightmares.
2)Emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma.
3)Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered.
4)PTSD is diagnosed after a person experiences symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event. However symptoms may not appear until several months or even years later.
Helping Children
A key element in a child’s or a teen’s recovery from a traumatic event is the support from parents, teachers, and other adults. Listen to this podcast about treating children with PTSD.
Here are some tips to help your child recover:
1)Anticipate needs. Take the initiative and approach children to talk about their feelings and concerns about a traumatic event before they bring it up. It is easier for children if the adults anticipate their needs and open up the lines of communication. This also sends the message that a topic is okay to talk about with adults.
2)Use candor — with discretion. This should be the theme of all adult-to-child communication on traumatic incidents. Be honest, but give details and explanations at a level commensurate with the child’s cognitive and emotional capacity. It is healthy and appropriate to begin with more limited sharing that provides a foundation for future elaboration.
3)Let kids know how you feel. While adults dealing with children in distress should maintain a moderate level of composure, it is often helpful to let children know that adults, too, experience upsetting feelings. Children need to know that adults are sometimes scared and seek support from those around them and that it is okay to hurt — but that the pain does get better with time.
4)Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Children: How to help alleviate help alleviate emotional consequences
5)Most children and teenagers are resilient and will return to normal functioning following a natural disaster. If, however, a child’s distress continues to interfere with their lives after a few weeks, it may be time to seek professional help.
Signs of distress include not sleeping or eating; excessive clinging; re-experiencing the event through nightmares, recollections or play; emotional numbing; or persistent fears about disaster. If your child is experiencing these symptoms, seek the assistance of a school counselor or other mental health professional. Find out more about treatment for PTSD and anxiety disorders.
The effects of stress
The effects of stress on your body. Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental and emotional responses. Stress is a normal part of life.
What can stress lead to?
Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can shut down your immune system, upset your digestive and reproductive systems, raise blood pressure, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, speed up the aging process and leave you vulnerable to many mental and physical health problems.
Raising low self-esteem
We all have times when we lack confidence and don’t feel good about ourselves.
But when low self-esteem becomes a long-term problem, it can have a harmful effect on our mental health and our lives. Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves. When we have healthy self-esteem, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. It makes us able to deal with life’s ups and downs better. When our self-esteem is low, we tend to see ourselves and our life in a more negative and critical light. We also feel less able to take on the challenges life throws at us.
What causes low self-esteem?
Low self-esteem often begins in childhood. Teachers, friends, siblings, parents, and even the media give us lots of messages – both positive and negative. But for some reason, the message that you are not good enough sticks. You may have found it difficult to live up to other people’s expectations of you, or to your own expectations. Stress and difficult life events, such as serious illness or a bereavement, can have a negative effect on self-esteem. Personality can also play a part. Some of us are simply more prone to negative thinking, while others set impossibly high standards for themselves.
How does low self-esteem affect us?
The problem with thinking we’re no good is that we start to behave as if it’s true. “Low self-esteem often changes people’s behaviour in ways that act to confirm the person isn’t able to do things or isn’t very good,” says Chris Williams, Professor of Psychosocial Psychiatry at the University of Glasgow. If you have low self-esteem or confidence, you may hide yourself away from social situations, stop trying new things and avoid things you find challenging.
“In the short term, avoiding challenging and difficult situations makes you feel a lot safer,” says Professor Williams. “In the longer term, this avoidance can actually backfire because it reinforces your underlying doubts and fears. It teaches you the unhelpful rule that the only way to cope is by avoiding things.” Living with low self-esteem can harm your mental health, leading to problems such as depression and anxiety. You may also develop unhelpful habits, such as smoking and drinking too much, as a way of coping.
How to have healthy self-esteem
In order to boost self-esteem, you need to identify and challenge the negative beliefs you have about yourself. “You need to look at your beliefs, how you learned them and why you believe them,” says Professor Williams. “Then actively begin to gather and write down evidence that disconfirms them.”
Learn to spot the negative thoughts you have about yourself. You may tell yourself you are "too stupid" to apply for a new job, for example, or that "nobody cares" about you. Start to note these negative thoughts and write them down on a piece of paper or in a diary, suggests Professor Williams. Ask yourself when you first started to think these thoughts.
Next, start to write down evidence that challenges these negative beliefs: "I am really good at cryptic crosswords" or "My sister calls for a chat every week". Write down other positive things you know to be true about yourself, such as "I am thoughtful" or "I am a great cook" or "I am someone that others trust". Also write down good things that other people say about you.
Aim to have at least five things on your list and add to it regularly. Then put your list somewhere you can see it. That way, you can keep reminding yourself that you are OK.
“It’s about helping people recognise they have strengths as well as weaknesses, like everyone else, and begin to recognise those strengths in themselves,” says Professor Williams.
“You might have low confidence now because of what happened when you were growing up,” he says. “But we can grow and develop new ways of seeing ourselves at any age.”
Other ways to improve low self-esteem
Here are some other simple techniques that may help you feel better about yourself.
Recognise what you are good at. We are all good at something, whether it’s cooking, singing, doing puzzles or being a friend. We also tend to enjoy doing the things we are good at, which can help to boost your mood.
Build positive relationships
If you find certain people tend to bring you down, try to spend less time with them, or tell them how you feel about their words or actions. Seek out relationships with people who are positive and who appreciate you.
Be kind to yourself
Professor Williams advises: “Be compassionate to yourself. That means being gentle to yourself at times when you feel like being self-critical. Think what you’d say to encourage a friend in a similar situation. We often give far better advice to others than we do to ourselves.”
Learn to be assertive
Being assertive is about respecting other people’s opinions and needs, and expecting the same from them.
One trick is to look at other people who act assertively and copy what they do. “It’s not about pretending you’re someone you’re not,” says Professor Williams. “It’s picking up hints and tips from people you admire and letting the real you come out. There’s no point suddenly saying, ‘I’m going to be Chris Hoy’, but you might be able to get your bike out and do a bit of cycling for the first time in ages.”
Start saying 'no'
People with low self-esteem often feel they have to say yes to other people, even when they don’t really want to. The risk is that you become overburdened, resentful, angry and depressed. “For the most part, saying no doesn’t upset relationships,” says Professor Williams. “It can be helpful to take a scratched-record approach. Keep saying no in different ways until they get the message.”
Give yourself a challenge
We all feel nervous or afraid to do things at times. People with healthy self-esteem don’t let these feelings stop them from trying new things or taking on challenges.
Set yourself a goal, such as joining an exercise class or going to a social occasion. Achieving your goals will help to increase your self-esteem.
Where to find help for low self-esteem
You may feel you need some help to start seeing yourself in a more positive light. Talking therapies, such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy, can help. Your GP can explain the different types and tell you what’s available in your area.
Read more about the different types of therapy.
You can also refer yourself for counselling or therapy. Use the NHS Choices Services Directory or visit the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy website to find a registered counsellor and therapist near you.
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear. Everyone feels anxious at some point in their life, but for some people it can be an ongoing problem.
A little bit of anxiety can be helpful; for example, feeling anxious before an exam might make you more alert and improve your performance. But too much anxiety could make you tired and unable to concentrate.
Symptoms of anxiety
Anxiety can have both psychological and physical symptoms. Psychological symptoms can include:
feeling worried or uneasy a lot of the time
having difficulty sleeping, which makes you feel tired
not being able to concentrate
being irritable
being extra alert
feeling on edge or not being able to relax
needing frequent reassurance from other people
feeling tearful
When you’re feeling anxious or stressed, your body releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. These cause the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as an increased heart rate and increased sweating.
Physical symptoms can include:
a pounding heartbeat
breathing faster
palpitations (an irregular heartbeat)
feeling sick
chest pains
headaches
sweating
loss of appetite
feeling faint
needing the toilet more frequently
"butterflies" in your tummy
Anxiety can also be a symptom of another condition, such as panic disorder (when you have panic attacks) or post-traumatic stress disorder, which is caused by frightening or distressing events.
Is anxiety bad for you?
A little anxiety is fine, but long-term anxiety may cause more serious health problems, such as high blood pressure (hypertension). You may also be more likely to develop infections. If you’re feeling anxious all the time, or it’s affecting your day-to-day life, you may have an anxiety disorder or a panic disorder.
Help for anxiety and panic
There are effective treatments available for anxiety and panic disorders, so do talk to your GP if you think you may benefit from them.
You could also consider using an online mental health service, such as FearFighter. You may be able to get this free on the NHS – ask your GP or mental health professional, or contact the service directly to find out.
