Stress Relief: What does getting upset mean?

Human beings are endowed with the ability to experience hundreds of emotions. Most of them are negative or painful emotions. Positive emotions are precious few: joy, happiness, contentment, ecstasy, peacefulness, etc. Of the hundreds of negative or painful emotions, I have listed here thirty five as the most important in our understanding of stress. I made up this list after carefully listening to thousands of stressed-out patients. When upset for whatever reason, we experience one or more of these thirty five painful, potentially toxic emotions in our mind:

Continue reading Stress Relief: What does getting upset mean?

Stress Relief: The Resurfacing Phenomenon

The resurfacing phenomenon can manifest itself in various ways.

Acute post traumatic stress disorder: In this condition, a person suddenly re-experiences various recently or remotely buried traumatic memories, say, rape, and suffers serious recurrent stress symptoms. Invariably there is a clearly identified current triggering event.

Continue reading Stress Relief: The Resurfacing Phenomenon

Stress Relief: What is inappropriate coping? – Habitual Burying

When upset about something some people say to themselves, ‘This is too upsetting to me, and so I will not think about it. I will not talk about it. I will not let this thing bother me. I will be strong. I will divert my attention to something else. I will do my best to forget it.’ Painful emotions are transferred from the mind (the balloon) to the hidden mind (soda bottle). The balloon shrinks, the brain chemicals go back to their normal state, and stress symptoms disappear. One feels calm once again. Now he believes he has coped with his stress well, when in fact, all he has done is to transfer his emotions from his mind to the hidden mind. Once in the hidden mind, the painful memories are forgotten.

Continue reading Stress Relief: What is inappropriate coping? – Habitual Burying

Stress Relief: What is inappropriate coping?- Denial

Inappropriate coping means one is not properly handling his painful emotions (fear, hurt, anger, sadness, etc.) as well as the stressful events (death, divorce, etc.) and problems (family, job, money, etc.) that are causing them. Invariably, people who cope inappropriately believe that they are handling their stress just fine. There are basically two inappropriate coping ways.

Continue reading Stress Relief: What is inappropriate coping?- Denial

Stress Relief: How patients often use persistent stress symptoms to profit

Sometimes persistent stress symptoms are knowingly (consciously) or unknowingly (unconsciously) used by us to get sympathy, support, love, attention, money, etc. This phenomenon is known as secondary gain. Since the sufferer gets some type of benefit because of his symptoms, he is not very motivated to receiving treatment or getting better. So, if I am collecting disability payments from an insurance company due to anxiety symptoms, I would report no improvement of my symptoms regardless what treatment I get, as this would mean losing my monetary benefits, and having to return to my job that I hate. Here are two interesting cases.

Continue reading Stress Relief: How patients often use persistent stress symptoms to profit

Stress Relief: How Patients Communicate by Means of Their Stress Symptoms

Sometimes a persistent stress symptom has a hidden meaning. In other words, the patient is unknowingly trying to communicate to others by means of his symptom what he is really thinking and feeling, but, for whatever reason, is unable to express in words. People who indulge in this type of communication are highly ‘unaware’ and ‘immature’ people. These physical symptoms are often referred to as ‘conversion symptoms,’ meaning that emotional expression has been converted into a physical symptom that expresses that emotion by proxy.

Continue reading Stress Relief: How Patients Communicate by Means of Their Stress Symptoms

Stress Relief: Cope with Stress by Raising Awareness

Raising awareness is the first step toward healing. Awareness is a gift. Some have it naturally, and others must struggle to acquire it. Some can never hope to achieve it. Almost all patients I treat in my office have serious problem with awareness. Cultivating awareness is essential in coping with stress as awareness evaporates emotions to a great extent. Just becoming aware how angry you are could stop you from kicking your dog or yelling at your loved one.

Continue reading Stress Relief: Cope with Stress by Raising Awareness

Stress Relief: What is the Process of Treatment for Stress Related Disorders

The first visit: In the initial psychiatric evaluation, the treating doctor takes a detailed history of the patient’s life. His job is no different than that of a detective collecting information from a witness at the scene of a crime. He begins by inquiring about various symptoms the patient currently suffers from, which necessitated the appointment with the doctor: ‘What are your current symptoms that bother you”

Continue reading Stress Relief: What is the Process of Treatment for Stress Related Disorders

Stress Relief: What are various stress-related disorders?

Seemingly serious physical symptoms but no medical findings: Paralysis, blindness, deafness, loss of speech, numbness, pain somewhere in the body, dizziness, muscle twitching, seizures, exhaustion, loss of taste and smell, fainting spells, and many other similar symptoms. Repeated physical examinations and tests reveal nothing to explain the symptoms. Many patients in this category get a diagnosis of hysteria, somatization disorder, conversion disorder, atypical panic disorder, etc. Very often these symptoms stand for something the patient is trying to communicate non-verbally as we read before.

Continue reading Stress Relief: What are various stress-related disorders?

Stress Relief: Cope with Stress by Solving problems

To solve a nagging problem, one must be aware of the problem, must be willing to admit having it, and must have the skill and relentless determination to solve it. If one does not have the necessary skill, he must enlist the help of a professional (doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc.) to solve the problem. Invariably, one will be required to take certain actions and make certain sacrifices in order to solve a hounding problem:

Continue reading Stress Relief: Cope with Stress by Solving problems