Constant rush, a huge list of tasks and a burden of responsibility from which it is impossible to hide lead to chronic stress. If a person is unable to cope with the load and daily fatigue, a nervous breakdown and depression appear. Then you have to put things aside and look for a solution to get rid of depression and stress.
Important
If overload and stress have led to depression, simple rest will not help a person - the nervous system is exhausted, it needs help to recover. The best option is a course of treatment with a psychotherapist.
Those who suffer from depression often experience the depressive triad. The mood decreases, the person is no longer able to experience joy. A pessimistic view of oneself and the surrounding reality is formed. There are almost no thoughts in the head, the person speaks slowly and moves little, strives to maintain one position (for example, lie in bed for days, weeks).
It is difficult to get out of this state on your own; recovery can take months. It is necessary to seek the help of a specialist - a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist.
Overcoming depression:
- Limit yourself. Don't expect to complete everything you were able to do before. Make a realistic work plan.
- Don't give too much importance to all your negative thoughts, such as self-blame or expecting failure. Such thoughts are part of depression. They will disappear as soon as you get rid of depression.
- Participate in activities that give you pleasure or give you a feeling of achieving a goal.
- Avoid making important decisions while depressed. If you need to make this decision, ask someone you trust to help you.
- Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and drugs. Both make depression worse, and both can interact dangerously with the antidepressants you are taking.
- Physical activity appears to cause chemical reactions in the body that improve your mood. Exercising 4 to 6 times a week for at least 30 minutes is an excellent achievement. However, even less activity can be beneficial.
- Try not to be disappointed. It takes some time for you to be completely free from depression.
What is psychotherapy?
During a psychotherapy session, you discuss with your family doctor, psychotherapist or psychiatrist certain events that are happening in your life. The emphasis may be on your feelings, hopes or relationships. You can also focus on your behavior, how it affects you, and what you can change about it. A course of psychotherapy usually lasts from 8 to 20 sessions.
Will I have to go to the hospital?
Depression is usually treated without hospitalization. Inpatient treatment is required if you have comorbidities that may interfere with treatment or if you are at risk of suicide.
How long does depression last?
It depends on how soon you receive qualified help. Left untreated, depression can last for weeks, months, or even years. The main danger of untreated depression is suicide. Treatment can help relieve depression in 6 to 8 weeks or less.
Mental Health Clinic - We Can Help
Psychologists at our clinic will conduct a professional psychological diagnosis of your condition. In a confidential conversation with a psychotherapist, you will find the true motives of your actions and be able to cope with your problems. An experienced specialist will conduct psychological training with you so that in the future you will be able to manage your emotions, know how to get out of depression on your own, feel more confident and be able to cope with life’s difficulties and problems yourself.
Stress and ways to cope with it
The acceleration of the rhythm of modern life has led to a significant increase in the physical, mental, and emotional stress on a person, caused by everyday problems, interpersonal relationships, the content of professional activities, and information overload. Quite often a person has to be in a state of emotional stress, experience a feeling of increased anxiety, restlessness, self-doubt, i.e. experience so-called STRESS . Such conditions are often accompanied not only by mental imbalance, but also by a number of negative changes in the functioning of physiological mechanisms in the human body. According to WHO, up to 40% of the world's population needs the help of medical specialists.
WHAT IS STRESS, WHAT ARE THE REASONS AND FACTORS
ITS APPEARANCE
The term “ stress ” (translated from English stress) means “pressure, pressure, tension.”
According to the Big Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language, “ Stress is a state of tension in the human or animal body as a defensive reaction to various unfavorable factors (cold, starvation, physical and mental trauma, etc.).”
At its core, stress is the human body’s response to overstrain, negative and positive emotions. During times of stress, the human body produces the hormone adrenaline, which forces us to look for a way out. Everyone needs stress in small quantities, as it makes you think, look for a way out of the problem, and in this case it has a positive meaning. But on the other hand, if there is too much stress, the body weakens, loses strength, the ability to solve problems and can cause serious illnesses.
Stress can be divided into:
- Positive and negative - according to the degree of emotional coloring.
- Short-term and long-term (or acute and chronic) - by duration.
- Physiological and psychological - the latter, in turn, are divided into informational and emotional due to the reason for their occurrence.
Sources of stress can be:
External - moving to a new place of residence, changing jobs, death of a loved one, divorce, everyday troubles associated with money problems, fulfilling obligations by a certain deadline, disputes, family relationships, lack of sleep.
Internal – revision of life values and beliefs, change in personal self-esteem, etc.
The causes and factors causing stress (psychologists call them stressors) are varied and numerous:
- changes in life (vacations, new job, marriage, divorce, etc.);
- any strong emotion;
- fatigue;
- physical injury, surgery, illness;
- noise;
- sudden changes in temperature, etc.
Changes of any kind, even positive ones, force us to adapt to new circumstances. But with all the variety of experiences and shock situations that happen in our lives, the body’s reaction to any stress is essentially the same - the body triggers biochemical processes developed many centuries ago, the purpose of which is to cope with an extreme situation. Over time, the effects of stressors add up and accumulate. The more of them in our lives at a given period, the higher our stress level will be.
The body's defense response to ongoing or repeated stressors goes through three distinct stages.
- In the first stage - the alarm reaction (in response to irritation, regardless of its nature), all body systems are activated.
- In the second stage - the stage of resistance (resistance, stability), the body begins to adapt to the ongoing effect of the stressor.
- The third stage is the stage of exhaustion, which occurs with prolonged exposure to a stressor. The energy required for adaptation is depleted, and the body’s overall resistance drops sharply. If help is not provided during this period, the exhaustion stage can result in serious illness and even death.
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS AND POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES FROM IT
Symptoms may gradually worsen or occur suddenly within minutes. Attacks of anxiety, restlessness, and panic appear, which usually do not last long and occur in the form of emotional outbursts, accompanied by a feeling of horror and body reactions such as increased heart rate and sweating. Anxiety usually develops gradually. Symptoms may also include muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, impatience, insomnia or sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating, low mood, or, conversely, overexcitement, anger, memory impairment, increased fatigue, etc.
Stress is the main risk factor for the occurrence and exacerbation of many diseases: cardiovascular (myocardial infarction, angina, hypertension), gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers), decreased immunity.
Negative reactions are caused not only by strong, acute, but also by small, but long-term stressful influences. Therefore, prolonged psychological stress and depression can also lead to illness.
Treatment of stress with medications is indicated only as prescribed by a doctor. Taking into account the patient's condition, the doctor may prescribe sedatives (medicines that reduce nervous tension and anxiety, as well as reducing feelings of fear) or tranquilizers (medicines that help relieve emotional stress).
WAYS AND PRINCIPLES OF OVERCOMING STRESS
Each of us has our own level of stress, which is determined by hereditary and other factors, and our own level of attitude and response to stress.
Different people respond to stress in different ways: some begin to absorb incredible amounts of food, others completely lose their appetite; some have difficulty falling asleep at night, while others experience sleepiness even during the day.
The basic principles of overcoming stress include:
- Distraction from a stressful situation - if what is happening makes a strong impression on a person and after that he continues to think about it, then he thereby “gets stuck” on the stressful situation and does not think about how to resolve it, but is constantly worried about the events that happened. To distract yourself from a stressful situation, you need to think about something else related to pleasant sensations and experiences (rest, a pleasant event, personal achievements).
- Reducing the subjective significance of the event that caused stress - reconsider your attitude towards what happened according to the principle: “What is not done is for the better...”.
- Active behavior - do not keep in yourself the surging feelings and emotions that caused stress, but throw out the accumulated energy by doing something even unthinkable (for example, washing a window or floor with a toothbrush, wiping clean dishes, etc.); as well as playing sports, playing football, volleyball, etc.
- Ability to relax - stress causes general tension and an increase in the frequency of brain waves. Relaxation, on the contrary, reduces their frequency, which leads to a decrease in the level of excitation of the central nervous system.
- Positive thinking - a positive way of thinking and the associated positive emotions of kindness, love, joy - is the main personal tool for ensuring health and well-being.
Other ways to relieve stress and maintain mental health include:
- In any situation, you should remain optimistic.
- Strive for reasonable organization in life, work, and everyday life.
- Learn to say no to yourself, not to take on too many problems, especially those of others, by defining the boundaries of your own capabilities.
- Learn to enjoy life.
- Don't be a maximalist.
- Don’t delve into your past, and especially don’t regret what you didn’t do once or did wrong.
- Maintain proper diet, sleep and rest.
- Do not abuse alcohol, refrain from bad habits.
- Lead a healthy active lifestyle , doing daily physical exercise and self-massage of the head, neck, shoulders, and feet.
- If necessary , slow down the pace of life and reconsider some life positions.
Remember! It is impossible to completely eliminate stressful situations from life, but you can live and work in such a way as to reduce their number to a minimum, minimize their consequences and thereby maintain health for many years.
What are the dangers of severe depression?
- Behavior changes. From simply avoiding their usual activities to changing their lifestyle, people with depression end up in sects and extremist organizations. From stopping self-care to attempting suicide.
- Loss of usual social connections: dismissal from work, family breakdown, loss of friends. What has formed around a person over the course of life, forming his environment, is destroyed by severe depression.
- General exhaustion: dystrophy, weight loss, metabolic disorders.
- The development of psychosomatic diseases: cachexia (weight loss), skin rashes, asthma attacks, gastrointestinal disorders (constipation, diarrhea), temperature regulation disorders, excessive sweating, hypotension or hypertension and many other disorders.
