SELF-HELP FOR ACUTE STRESS REACTIONS

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

So, you find yourself in a situation where you are overcome by strong feelings - heartache, anger, anger, guilt, fear, anxiety. In this case, it is very important to create conditions for yourself in order to quickly “let off steam”. This will help reduce stress a little and preserve the mental strength that is so needed in an emergency. You can try one of the universal methods:

• Engage in manual labor: rearrange furniture, clean, work in the garden.

• Exercise, go for a run, or just walk at an average pace, • Take a contrast shower.

• Shout, stomp your feet, beat unnecessary dishes, etc.

• Unleash your tears, share your experiences with people you can trust.

Avoid drinking too much alcohol, as this usually makes the situation worse.

As you can see, these methods are not psychological techniques, many people intuitively use them in life. For example, often women, when they are angry with their husbands or children, start cleaning to avoid quarrels; the men, in anger, go to the gym and beat the pear furiously: having felt hurt because of injustice at work, we complain to our friends.

In addition to universal methods, you can offer methods that help to cope with each specific reaction.

FEAR

Fear it is a feeling that, on the one hand, protects us from risky, dangerous actions. On the other hand, everyone is familiar with the painful state when fear deprives us of the ability to think and act. You can try to cope with such an attack of fear yourself using the following simple techniques:

• Try to formulate to yourself and then speak out loud what causes fear. If possible, share your experiences with the people around you. The expressed fear becomes less.

• When an attack of fear is approaching, you need to breathe shallowly and slowly - inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose. You can try this exercise: take a deep breath, hold your breath for 1-2 seconds, exhale. Repeat the exercise 2 times. Then take 2 normal (shallow) slow breaths. Alternate between deep and normal breathing until you feel better.

ANXIETY

Anxiety. It is often said that, while experiencing fear, a person is afraid of something specific (subway rides, a child's illness, an accident, etc.), and, experiencing a feeling of anxiety, a person does not know what he is afraid of. Therefore, the state of anxiety is more severe than the state of fear.

• The first step is to turn anxiety into fear. You need to try to understand what exactly worries. Sometimes this is enough to relieve tension and make the experience less painful.

• The most painful experience with anxiety is the inability to relax. Muscles are tense, the same thoughts are spinning in my head; therefore, it is useful to do several active movements, physical exercises to relieve tension.

• Complex mental operations can also help reduce anxiety levels. Try to count: For example, alternately in your mind subtract 6, then 7 from 100, multiply two-digit numbers, calculate what day was the second Monday of the last month. You can remember or write poetry, come up with rhymes, etc.

CRY

Cry. Everyone has cried at least once in their life and knows that tears, as a rule, bring significant relief. Crying allows you to express overwhelming emotions. Therefore, this reaction can and should be allowed to come true. Often, seeing a crying person, others rush to calm him down. It is believed that if a person cries, then he feels bad, and if not, then he calmed down or he "holds on". It has long been known that tears have a healing function: doctors say that tears contain a large amount of stress hormone, and, crying, a person gets rid of it, it becomes easier for him. This effect is reflected in the language - they say: "Tears heal", "You will cry, and it will feel better!" We cannot assume that tears are a manifestation of weakness. Crying is not a sign that you are a whiner; you shouldn't be ashamed of your tears. When a person holds back tears, there is no emotional release. If the situation drags on, then the mental and physical health of a person can be damaged. It is not for nothing that he says: "I lost my mind with grief." Therefore, you do not need to immediately try to calm down, "pull yourself together." Give yourself time and opportunity to cry.

However, if you feel that tears no longer bring relief and you need to calm down, then the following tricks will help:

• Drink a glass of water. It is a well-known and widely used remedy.

• Slowly, but not deeply, but breathe normally, concentrating on exhalation.

HYSTERICS

Hysterics - this is a state when it is very difficult to help yourself with something, because at this moment a person is in an extremely agitated emotional state and does not understand well what is happening to him and around him. If a person has the idea that a hysteria should be stopped, this is already the first step towards ending it. In this case, you can take the following actions:

• Get away from the "spectators", witnesses of what is happening, be left alone.

• Wash yourself with ice water - this will help you to recover.

• Make breathing exercises: inhale, hold the breath for 1-2 seconds, exhale slowly through the nose, hold the breath for 1-2 seconds, inhale slowly, etc. - until the moment you calm down.

APATHY

Apathy is a reaction that aims to protect the human psyche. As a rule, it occurs after strong physical or emotional stress. Therefore, if you feel a lack of energy, if it is difficult for you to pull yourself together and start doing something, and especially if you understand that you are unable to experience emotions, give yourself the opportunity to rest. Take off your shoes, take a comfortable position, try to relax. Do not overuse drinks containing caffeine (coffee, strong tea), this can only aggravate your condition. Put your feet in warmth, make sure that the body is not tense. Rest as much as needed.

• If the situation requires you to act, give yourself a short rest, relax, at least 15-20 minutes.

• Massage your earlobes and fingers - these are the places where there are a huge number of biologically active points. This procedure will help us to cheer up a little.

• Drink a cup of weak, sweet tea.

• Do some exercise, but not at a fast pace.

• After that, proceed with the tasks that need to be done. Do the work at an average pace, try to maintain strength. For example, if you need to get to a certain place, do not run - move at a pace.

• Do not take on several tasks at once, in such a state, attention is scattered and it is difficult to concentrate, especially on several tasks.

• Try to give yourself adequate rest at the earliest opportunity.

SHAME

Feelings of guilt or shame … Many people who have been abused or bereaved have feelings of guilt or shame. It is very difficult to cope with these feelings on your own or without assistance. Therefore, consider seeking help from a specialist, this will help you cope with the situation.

• When talking about your feelings, use the phrase “I'm sorry”, “I'm sorry” instead of “I am ashamed” or “I am guilty”. Words are important, and phrasing like this can help you appreciate and deal with your experiences.

• Write a letter about your feelings. This could be a letter to yourself or to the person you lost. It often helps to express your feelings.

Overexcitation

Motor excitement … A state, in a sense, the opposite of apathy, a person experiences an "overabundance" of energy. There is a need to actively act, but the situation does not require it. If motor excitement is weak, then most often the person nervously walks in circles around the room, hospital corridor. In extreme cases of manifestation of this state, a person can take active actions without giving a report to them. For example, after a strong fright, a person runs somewhere, can injure himself and others, and then cannot remember his actions. Motor excitement occurs most often immediately after receiving the news of a tragic event (for example, if a person receives the news of the death of a close relative) or if a person needs to wait (for example, as they wait for the outcome of a difficult operation in a hospital).

If motor excitement occurs, then:

• try to direct the activity to some business. You can do exercises, run, take a walk in the fresh air. Any active actions will help you;

• try to release excess stress. To do this, breathe evenly and slowly. Concentrate on your breathing. Imagine breathing out tension with the air. Place your feet and hands in warmth, you can actively rub them until you feel warm. Put your hand on your wrist, feel your pulse, try to focus on the work of your heart, imagine how it beats regularly. Modern medicine claims that the sound of a heartbeat makes you feel calm and protected, since this is the sound that everyone hears in a safe and comfortable place - in the womb. If possible, play soft music that you like.

SHIVER

Shiver. Sometimes, after a stressful event, a person begins to tremble, often only his hands tremble, and sometimes the tremor engulfs the entire body. Often this condition is considered harmful and they try to stop it as quickly as possible, while with the help of such a reaction we can relieve the excess tension that has appeared in our body due to stress. So, if you have a nervous tremor (hands trembling) and you cannot calm down, you cannot control this process, try:

• increase tremors. The body relieves unnecessary stress - help it;

• do not try to stop this condition, do not try to keep the shaking muscles by force - this will achieve the opposite result:

• try not to pay attention to the trembling, after a while it will stop by itself.

ANGER

Anger, anger, aggression … Anger and anger are feelings often experienced by people experiencing unhappiness. These are natural feelings. Therefore, if you are experiencing anger, you need to give it a way out in a way that does not harm you and those around you. It has been proven that people who hide and suppress aggression have more health problems than those who can express their anger. Try expressing your anger in one of the following ways:

• Stamp your foot loudly (bang your hand) and repeat with feeling: "I am angry", "I am furious", etc. Can be repeated several times until you feel relief.

• Try to express your feelings to the other person.

• Give yourself physical activity, feel how much physical energy you expend when you are angry.