20 MINUTES TO MASTER … STRESS MANAGEMENT. Vera Peiffer

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СКАЧАТЬ thing about mental overdrive is that it can be quite addictive for some. Whether you like hyperactive brain activity or not, you may be reluctant to let go of it. Just like the stuntman who gets a buzz from facing dangerous situations again and again, so some people thrive on the rush of adrenalin that comes with tight deadlines, difficult business deals and tough negotiations. Even those who do not enjoy mental overdrive often find it hard to stop thinking and worrying excessively. This may be partly due to their lack of understanding about how to stop, but they may also suffer from the almost superstitious belief that, unless they worry and fret, something is going to go terribly wrong. In this sense they do not really want to relax.

      The emotional side-effects of stress which go hand in hand with an overactive mind are usually so unpleasant that the sufferer seeks relief after a while. Among the emotional responses are mood changes, aggression and tearfulness. Even if you are experiencing these emotional symptoms you may not be aware of them because they tend to progress gradually over time. We all have a certain capacity for adapting to stress, and as long as no further stress builds up on top of the original amount we usually cope adequately even though we might find ourselves a bit more short-tempered and cynical than before. These negative changes may not be apparent to us because we are too busy dealing with the issues that are making us feel stressed. It is when the stress will not abate that our impatience and cynicism start to grow, possibly out of proportion. Whereas we were reasonable and had a generally positive outlook before, we have now seemingly changed personality.

      The way these emotional changes progress depends on your general predisposition. Some people become dejected, feel depressed and consider themselves a failure; others feel anxious or even panicky and struggle with feelings of guilt about their perceived inadequacy; still others develop phobias or tics or start suffering from nightmares. A distorted perspective often results in an altered perception of yourself and others, and always for the worse. As you feel dejected and incompetent you begin not to like yourself very much and also suspect others of feeling the same. Some people find it difficult to express their feelings about how stress is getting to them; instead they shout, cry or kick the cat … This usually results in a vicious circle, where their fear of being disliked becomes reality as a result of their behaviour. This, in turn, creates more stress: ‘I knew nobody really likes me, and here is the proof!’

      WARNING SIGNS

      MENTAL STRESS SYMPTOMS

       lack of concentration

       forgetfulness

       inability to remember recent events

       inability to take in new information

       lack of co-ordination

       mind going round in circles

       indecisiveness

       irrational or rash decision-making

       being disorganized

       making mistakes more frequently

       misjudging people and situations

       inaccuracy

       struggling with simple tasks (adding up, working simple machinery)

       paying inordinate attention to detail

      EMOTIONAL STRESS SYMPTOMS

       anxiety

       phobias

       panic and panic attacks

       feeling persecuted

       aggression

       cynicism

       guilt

       depression

       mood swings

       tearfulness

       nightmares

       feeling abandoned

       excessive worrying

       loss of sense of humour

       withdrawal

      SUCCESSFUL STRESS MANAGEMENT

      CASE HISTORY: POOR MEMORY

      Linda (37) had been working in her job for five years when her company was hit by recession. A great number of people were made redundant in order to keep the company afloat. Linda felt lucky that she had been kept on, but her workload seemed to double practically overnight. Whereas before she had felt competent and in control, Linda now described herself as struggling to keep her head above water. She was particularly worried by her forgetfulness and inability to remember conversations she had had with colleagues or issues that had been raised in meetings. Her mind seemed to run riot whenever she tried to concentrate, only to go blank when she tried to remember something, even if she’d learned the information quite recently. As a consequence, Linda made a few embarrassing mistakes at work which left her feeling inadequate and also concerned that she might lose her job after all if she did not improve.

      Linda decided to seek the help of a hypnotherapist. During her hypnotherapy sessions Linda learned some techniques to help her relax physically and mentally. In order to reinforce the positive effects of these techniques Linda’s therapist gave her a self-hypnosis relaxation tape which she played regularly in the evenings before going to bed. This, in conjunction with some positive thinking exercises, enabled her to regain a lot of ground at work. After four sessions Linda reported that her ability to concentrate and her memory had significantly improved; also, her sense of humour had returned.

      (Details of the methods Linda used can be found here [physical relaxation], here [mental relaxation] and here [positive thinking].)

      CHAPTER 7

       BEHAVIOURAL REACTIONS

      Some people, rather than displaying an overtly emotional reaction to stress, experience negative changes in their behaviour. Some of these changes in behaviour may not appear to be linked to stress at all. Most of us would readily recognize excessive smoking as a stress-related behaviour, but when someone honks his horn and gesticulates wildly while we are sitting in a traffic jam we probably don’t immediately think his problem is that he is over-stressed!

      Our behaviour and reactions are governed by three factors – our personality, our past experiences, and our present circumstances. Our personality will dictate our behavioural tendencies. If you are an introvert you are more likely to react to stress by withdrawing rather than by lashing out, as an extrovert might. A placid personality will have a much higher stress threshold than a ‘racehorse’ personality whose stress responses are triggered much earlier by more minor events.

      Our past experiences will also contribute СКАЧАТЬ