When Stress Becomes Unbearable

A soldier, just back from the war in Iraq, is haunted by nightmares of bodies on the battlefield. A woman keeps replaying in her mind the day that she was brutally raped. A man has flashbacks of the time that he was beaten by his step-father. These incidents are the result of stress—a special kind of stress. It is a stress so overpowering, so overwhelming that it is known as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The important thing to remember about post-traumatic stress disorder is that it is far more common than one might think. First brought to the public’s attention following the Vietnam War, post-traumatic stress disorder afflicts everyone from earthquake victims to survivors of kidnapping. Often, PTSD, as it is known, occurs when an individual’s life has been threatened, or the life of someone close to him or her has been jeopardized. More than five million people are believed to be affected by the disorder.
There are a number of tell-tale signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. For instance, an individual might experience continual flashbacks or nightmares. He or she may experience feelings of irritability or frustration. He or she might have an exaggerated startle response, such as jumping when hearing a noise in an otherwise quiet room. He or she may lose interest in work, relationships, or other things that used to be enjoyed. The symptoms may become especially pronounced when the anniversary of the traumatic event rolls around.
Although stories of soldiers with PTSD are well-known, women are actually more susceptible to the disorder. Also, there is evidence that there may be a genetic predisposition for PTSD. PTSD can lead to major depression, alcoholism, or drug abuse. If a specific person was responsible for the trauma—say a husband, boyfriend, or neighbor—the after-effects may be particularly bad.
It is interesting to note that a specific sound or smell can trigger a flashback for an individual suffering from PTSD. This is part of the reason that the disorder is so troubling. In essence, the individual has difficulty escaping the memory of what happened to him or her. The recurring nightmares and flashbacks are signs that the individual has not been able to process the memory appropriately.
An individual afflicted with PTSD may feel a sense of hopelessness. Since his or her ordeal seems to be repeating itself, he or she may find it difficult to come to terms with the event. This is why PTSD is such a debilitating condition. However, it is important to recognize the fact that there is hope for those struggling with this disorder. Through talk therapy and medication, an individual can learn how to properly process the traumatic memory. The nightmares and flashbacks eventually disappear, as the individual receives a new leash on life.
It should be pointed out that there is no instant fix or cure for PTSD. It can haunt people for months, if not years. It is a mental condition that is still shrouded in a great deal of secrecy. There are also many misunderstandings about the disorder. It may cause someone to miss work, or to lose his or her job entirely. It can wreck marriages and other close relationships. A great deal of additional research needs to be done in order to adequately address the problem of PTSD.
In the meantime, there are specific steps you can take to lessen the likelihood that you will suffer from the disorder. If you have become the victim of a traumatic event, seek help immediately. Discuss the incident with your family doctor and ask him or her for a referral to a therapist and psychiatrist. Don’t wait until your symptoms are out of control before you seek help. While this type of stress is not curable, it is entirely treatable. The important thing for you to remember is that you are not alone, that there are a number of mental health experts who stand ready to help you. Also, try to think of yourself as a survivor rather than as a victim. You may find you are better able to cope with the stress that way. Also, recognize the fact that the incident, though traumatic, has passed. Once you realize that you are unlikely again to go through such a horror, you may be able to put the incident into the proper perspective.

Turning a Spotlight on Anxiety Disorders

You may be restless at night, tossing and turning in your bed because of excessive worry. You may find yourself cracking under pressure, whether when preparing for a test or when you get ready to report to the boss. But does your uneasiness qualify as actual anxiety?
We seem to be an angst-ridden society. Television news programs offer us a long list of worries: from what’s in your toddler’s milk to whether your high schooler will graduate with a 4.0 average. It seems at times as if we are a nation of worry warts. We obsess about crime, the stock market, civil rights, hunger, AIDs, the SATs, and global warming. You might even nickname your local newspaper “The Worry Pages.”
In order to effectively deal with anxiety, we must first be able to define it. There are certain recognizable symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder which you should pay attention to. For instance, anxiety can be characterized by restlessness, an inability to relax, shakiness, and tics. You may feel your heart racing or feel light-headed. Your stomach might seem queasy and you may experience shortness of breath.
You might seem overwhelmed by a feeling of fear. You might dread tomorrow because you wonder what disasters will befall your family. You may experience insomnia, irritability, impatience, and an inability to concentrate. You may also feel impatient or on edge.
If any of these symptoms persist for more than a month, you have probably succumbed to generalized anxiety disorder. Your anxiety might be so severe that you also experience a phobia. This is an irrational worry about a situation—a worry so debilitating that you go out of your way to avoid a certain object or situation. While you yourself may sense that something is wrong, you may feel as if you lack the power to do anything about it. If the fear is severe, it is considered a full-fledged disorder. While phobias may not always plague those with anxiety disorders, they may accompany anxiety.
You should know that there are three major types of phobias. Agoraphobia is a fear of a public place such as a shopping mall or town square. You may have a fear that you will not be able to escape the area if you need to. Meanwhile, a social phobia is a fear of talking with or otherwise interacting with people. You may fear that you will embarrass yourself in front of a person or group. A simple phobia is a fear of a particular object or activity such as dogs, flying, or germs.
Anxiety can also lead to a panic disorder. A panic attack generally involves racing heart beat, chest pain, dizziness, perspiration, or a fear of dying. It can be highly debilitating, preventing an individual from being able to perform work or another important function. It can seriously curtail one’s social life, causing an individual to become isolated.

There are numerous causes of anxiety. These include stress, nutritional problems, and chemical imbalances. Treatment most often comes in the form of prescription drugs such as Clonidine or Clonazepam. You should be careful, however, to review the side-effects of such drugs. In some cases, patients might find themselves to be dependent on the medication.
You might also find that it helps to become part of a support group. There is a special bond which grows between individuals who are forced to combat the same demons. You may discover that you can draw strength from talking with other people who share the same struggles you do. With such support, you won’t feel so alone. It’s comforting to know that there is someone you can turn to in the midst of your pain.
Anxiety can be a painful and debilitating condition, harming one’s self-image, one’s relationship with family members, and one’s ability to perform one’s job. It can also lead to panic attacks, which lead to another set of serious problems. Fortunately, there has been a great deal of research in recent years regarding anxiety disorders. With appropriate treatment, people who suffer from anxiety disorders can learn to function effectively. However, treatment often involves a great deal of work and determination. In time, you should be able to ascertain the most effective methods of treating your condition.

Is Your Personality Causing You Stress?

It may sound hard to believe, but experts say that your personality can actually cause you stress. To a certain extent, your personality might have been determined at birth. However, there are certain characteristics that you might have developed over the years that are now contributing to your stress level. While one cannot change his or her personality overnight, it is certainly possible to change certain habits that may now be causing you stress.
To begin with, you should ask yourself if you have low self-esteem. Do you feel as if you are inferior to other people? Do you constantly berate yourself for your faults? Do you consider yourself to be the sum total of your mistakes? There is evidence to suggest that low self-esteem can lead to stressful situations. The problem is that you may be putting stress on yourself unnecessarily. Therefore, what you need to do is to begin to enhance your self-esteem. This begins by ending the “negative talk” that goes on inside your head. Instead of focusing on your weaknesses, form a list of your strengths. You might also want to list all of your major accomplishments. You might be amazed to discover just how much you have achieved. Whenever you feel the urge to downgrade yourself, think of your attributes. This should serve to end the litany of your failures which you may be repeating to yourself.
Stress can also be the result of being overburdened. Do you take on too much? Are you dealing with too much responsibility? While there are certain responsibilities at home, at work, and at school that we must carry, at times we may be overextending ourselves. List your major responsibilities and see if there is a way for you to whittle down the list. You might be surprised to learn just how much you have taken on. With a little bit of planning, you might be able to shift some of your responsibilities to other members of your household or to your co-workers. Be sure to talk with your mate and your boss if your stress level seems out of control. Together, you can work on strategies to reduce the amount of stress you feel.
Let’s face it. Some of us are control freaks. We feel as if we need to control every detail within our line of sight. If you fall into this category, you may be experiencing stress because of your controlling nature. You may also find that this weakness is negatively impacting your personal life, causing you to feel additional stress in your relationships. In order to combat this tendency, try practicing the old adage, “Let Go and let God (or your Higher Power). Recognize that there are certain things that are simply beyond your control. The sooner you recognize this, the better off you’ll be, and the less stress you will feel.
Another prime cause of stress is fear, especially fear of the unknown. You may be fearful of making mistakes or of being judged harshly. In order to counteract this, you must recognize that everyone commits errors—even major league baseball players! You must also learn to forgive yourself for your faults—otherwise, you will be putting yourself under a tremendous amount of stress. Follow the motto: Do your best and let nature take care of the rest. Try not to agonize over every little thing. In addition, learn to get over the guilt of not being perfect. Otherwise, your stress level is likely to consistently hit the roof.
You have to realize that recognizing your faults is half the battle. Once you know what personal foibles you need to work on, you’ll be in a better position to reduce your stress. Realize that it took you a long time to develop such personality flaws, so it might take some time to eliminate them. In other words, don’t expect to radically change your personality in a week. However, with the proper amount of diligence, you can alter those aspects of your personality that are causing you grief. Once you eliminate these flaws, you should feel more energetic, less stressed, and better able to take on the world. And you may just find your blood pressure decreasing as well.

Is Your Organization Causing You Stress?

We live in a society of “joiners.” We like to join churches, clubs, and fraternal organizations. We like to join classes and magazine subscription drives. We simply enjoy being with other people, and so we spend much of our lives in groups. Certainly, this is a good thing—not only for our own mental health, but also for the good of society as a whole.
And yet, no organization is a perfect entity. Organizations often breed conflict within their ranks. The conflicts may be between people on the same level, or between people at different levels of the organizational hierarchy. The conflicts may be one-time disagreements, or bruising fights which last for eons. While some conflicts can be attributed to personality clashes, others stem from the organization itself.
Whether you’re involved in parent-teacher organizations or a writers’ free speech group, you might find that you’re running up against organization-induced stress. This can come in a variety of forms. To begin with, it might be caused by the fact that the organization seems to have lost its sense of purpose. It may be wandering aimlessly and lack clearly-defined goals. As a result, you might feel a great deal of stress since you aren’t certain where the organization is headed—or even if you want to go along for the ride. If you come across this problem, the best thing to do is to air your concerns to someone in a position of authority. It is entirely possible that the leadership will ignore your concerns, but at least you’ve tried. If you fail to achieve a workable solution, you might then be forced to leave the organization. But you’ll leave knowing that you attempted to have a positive impact.
While most organizations have people in positions of leadership, many groups lack true leaders. As a result, members of the organization may experience a great deal of stress, having to deal with constant uncertainty. A true leader takes charge of an organization. He or she has a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished and promotes a team atmosphere in order to get the job done. If you are in an organization that appears to be leaderless, try to identify potential leaders. Encourage them to seek leadership, and assure them that you will support their candidacies. Such a strategy can help to alleviate the stress of all concerned.
Another problem that can lead to stress is an uncooperative organizational culture. There may be a feeling that each person in the organization is on his or her own, that each person should be an independent operator. As a result, the individuals within the organization may feel isolated and alone. The best defense against such a situation is healthy communication. Talk to other members of the group and find out if they are sensing an uncooperative atmosphere too. Then, get together and confront the person in charge. You might be amazed at what your small committee can do to effect change within the organization—and you might find your stress level subsiding considerably.
Yet another stress-inducing situation is organizational pessimism. Do members feel as if things will never get better? Are they frustrated and angry? Is there a sense of hopelessness in the ranks? If so, you and other members of the group may be experiencing a great deal of stress. You can lessen the stress by promoting a positive attitude. Make sure that you offer positive input when confronted with problems, and encourage other members of the organization to do the same. With a little bit of effort, you can turn your organization around—and lessen your stress in the process.
Organizational stress may take you by surprise. You might have joined the organization to relieve your stress, so when stress occurs in the group, you need to undergo a major attitude re-adjustment. The important thing to remember in such a situation is that you are not alone. Chances are other members of the group are experiencing the same kinds of things that you are. Trust your judgment and don’t be afraid to express your displeasure if things go wrong. The more you express your feelings, the more likely you are to reduce your stress.

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DISCLAIMER:

This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
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