A Mental Health Moment
By Bernadette Joy Graham, MA, LPCC, LLC
The Truth Contributor
Each month is dedicated to many causes and issues. The month of November focuses on many but when it comes to mental health, the greatest focus is on International Stress Awareness Day which occurs on the first Wednesday of each November. While that statement can be very misleading as we all face stressful situations in our lives often on a daily basis, it is important to bring this cause to the forefront as how it relates to mental health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines stress as a state of worry or mental tension caused by difficult situations. Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by difficult and/or challenging situations. While stress is a natural human response, health deficits and diseases can often be the outcome if not dealt with in a healthy manner. Also, many try to treat stress as ghosting a friend as if they pay no attention or respond the issue will go away.
Signs of stress often include cognitive deficits such as impaired ability to remember things, concentrating, worrying and anxiety well above one’s normative response. Other signs are emotional – being irritated, angry, agitated, fearful or moody. Then there are the physical signs such as high blood pressure, headaches, feeling sweaty/clammy, digestive problems, frequent illnesses as colds or other low immunity issues, changes in sex drive and even menstrual cycle. Behavioral signs present often as lack of self-care, not making time for things you used to enjoy or relying on substances such as drugs and/or alcohol to cope. Stress is caused by external events, while anxiety is caused by your internal reaction to stress. Stress may diminish once the threat or the situation is no longer prevalent, whereas anxiety may persist even after the original stressor is gone.
Allowing stress to go untreated or recognized can wreck havok on your mind, body and spirit. Stress will not just magically disappear. It needs to be identified. Once identified ask yourself how it is affecting you and then what is in your power to address it. Feeling stressed before taking an exam for school for example is normal. If you studied or not there will be a level of stress, but you had a choice. On the other hand, if you have been feeling stressed over weeks of pain in your left leg that does not seem to be getting better then it’s way overdue for you to see a medical provider. Again, there is a choice. Stressing over the future of your life, well that’s a bit much but fair. We all want the best for our future endeavors but again it comes down to choices. Preparing logical plans for our future will allow us much better sleep as opposed to going day in and day out hoping for the best with no plan in place.
Take a mental health moment to assess your stress. If you are having thoughts or feelings of worry that begin to affect your mind and body, take some time to address the issues. What is in your control what is not? Stress factors are the top issues for which many individuals seek out mental health professionals. Take stress seriously. Many individuals feel they have the ability to cope but when you feel unable to cope on your own, it’s time to take extra measures. Friends and family can have some good input but often contribute to one’s stress; having a non-biased and non-judgmental approach such as a mental health therapist to assist you in moving through those times of unknown will create a much healthier space.
“Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there.’” — Eckhart Tolle
For help in finding a mental therapist, you may contact your insurance provider and/or visit www.psychologytoday.com
Bernadette Joy Graham, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist can be reached via Email: graham.bernadette@gmail.com
If you feel you may be in a mental health crisis, please call 988 or go to the nearest emergency room.