Causes of stress, How to cope with stress Irina Vasilyeva The state of emotional stress is sometimes difficult to notice and be wary of in time. First of all, because for others it arises and proceeds completely differently from the way it does for you and me. And we often don’t even look in the right direction.
Good afternoon, dear reader! Admit it honestly, how many times have the experiences of your friends, relatives, and acquaintances seemed “nonsense” to you? How often, while busy with more “important” things, have you “brushed aside” obvious manifestations of deep stress in children or elderly parents? How to deal with this, how to distinguish “nonsense” from obvious signs that a loved one is experiencing emotional stress and, most likely, needs professional help?
After reading today’s publication, you will definitely be able to, if not diagnose, then at least clearly identify the presence of neuro-emotional tension in a person. And, therefore, you will come to his aid in time, without bringing the situation to a nervous breakdown.
Manifestations of nervous tension in adolescents
Puberty is almost always a continuous period of emotional stress. Remember yourself. For most of us, in just one day, for no apparent reason, several “moods” could change: from deep sadness to immoderate delight.
It is impossible to ignore manifestations of negativism, impulsiveness, sudden mood swings and emotional lability. But you shouldn’t “sound the alarm” or suspect a teenager of mental disorders either.
Treat such manifestations as an inevitable age-related stage of growth and development. Teenagers always require more gentle, careful treatment, despite the apparent “maturity” and “prickliness”.
Manifestations of nervous tension in a teenager can have both childhood and adult characteristics. And this is not surprising. After all, puberty is precisely the process of transition from the “period of carefreeness” to harsh reality.
Also, do not constantly put pressure on the child; remember that in addition to emotional instability, this age is characterized by increased fatigue, especially from monotonous actions.
Psychotechnicians for behavior correction tasks
Decreased arousal
Effectively use:
- distraction and switching of attention;
- goal setting (consider different options);
- physical relaxation;
- psychomuscular and autogenic training;
- breathing exercises for relaxation.
Resource Activation
Effectively use:
- autogenic training for mobilization;
- increased motivation;
- breathing exercises for activity;
- plot performances;
- memories of active emotional states and the situations that caused them;
- mental and sensory stimulation;
- heterosuggestion.
Mental desensitization
Effective:
- presentation of successful behavior;
- self-hypnosis of confidence and neutral attitude towards harmful factors;
- deliberate passive attitude.
Effective:
- listening to music;
- relaxation;
- substitution;
- rationalization;
- fantasy.
Effective:
- meditation;
- suggested dream;
- self-hypnosis for quick recovery.
Symptoms of experiencing emotional stress in an adult
- Feeling of endless tasks, difficulties in distinguishing between time for work and time for rest.
- Loss of interest in other people, a feeling of irritation with them and a simultaneous fear of solitude, fear of loneliness.
- Ready to “explode” at any moment.
- The feeling that I don’t “trust” anyone, the feeling of hostility in the world around me.
- Loss of the ability to laugh, lack of a sense of humor, inability to express positive emotions.
- Decreased concentration, memory problems, rigidity of thinking, inability to be creative, create new ideas and images.
- Fear of the future, constant expectation of failure, a “rainy day,” a feeling of personal inadequacy.
- Fear of showing true emotions, feelings, thoughts, fear of being misunderstood.
- A feeling of one’s own unattractiveness, a feeling of shame for one’s appearance.
- Fear of getting sick.
- Constant feeling of guilt.
- Loss of interest in life.
If you find yourself with three or more of the above signs, it’s time to think about your own well-being.
Reflect on the symptoms indicated: are there any typical situations after which such feelings arise. Does your lifestyle meet your expectations and needs? Do you often allow yourself to rest? And is there any increased emotional and intellectual stress in your life?
Or maybe it’s time to take your stress tolerance more seriously?
For those who want to change their emotional life for the better, I wrote the book “How to Allow Yourself to Strong Experiences, Emotions and Feelings Without Destroying Yourself and Others.”
Symptoms
With nervous tension, symptoms do not appear immediately - signs of muscle neurosis appear in response to a chronic, prolonged stay in a state of stress. At the beginning, people notice periodic, local tingling in a certain part of the body, or numbness in it. With this “bell”, muscle overstrain makes itself known. With timely provision of medical assistance, it is possible to quickly cope with such a health disorder.
If the psychological state does not improve - the situation remains emotionally unstable and difficult for a person, then emotional tension is transformed into muscle tension. Its symptoms:
- myofascial pain – a person accurately indicates the most problematic area;
- burning with tingling gradually increases in intensity of manifestations;
- the level of anxiety and nervous excitability increases;
- when the neck muscles are overstrained, headaches appear - diffuse, dull;
- various problems with sleep appear - with falling asleep, or intermittency, as well as a feeling of weakness in the body in the morning;
- if the facial muscles become tense, then facial expressions are distorted - involuntary twitching of its different parts;
- on the part of the cardiovascular system, manifestations will be in the form of tachycardia or cardialgia - pain in the heart muscle when muscles tense in the diaphragm area.
In a severe mental state, tension in the head with neurosis alone does not end the matter - convulsions and epilepsy form. Treatment tactics will require a comprehensive and long-term approach.
Relaxation for adults
We are accustomed to mental and muscle tension and perceive it as a natural state, not realizing how harmful it is to health. The school year is in full swing, and it's time to think about the emotional state of teachers and students.
If you do relaxation exercises with students and teachers (especially during preparation for tests and exams), this will help restore strength and relieve increased anxiety.
Relaxation (from Latin relaxatio - reduction of tension) is a state of relaxation, stress relief, achieved spontaneously or during special exercises.
These exercises are a universal remedy and make it possible to better concentrate after relieving tension and excitement. Having mastered relaxation, you can learn to regulate tension and relax at will.
Mastering the ability of muscle relaxation has a positive effect on the formation of motor skills, improves coordination and endurance, and has a positive effect on the development of flexibility and mobility in the joints.
Relaxation exercises are best performed in a lying position and with eyes closed, since the tone of the central nervous system in this state decreases, and this creates good conditions for muscle relaxation.
Colors of rainbow
Sit comfortably, relax. Close your eyes and listen to my voice. Imagine that you are relaxing on the seashore. You sunbathe lying on your back, on fine, warm sand. Your arms are so heavy that you are unable to lift them. You are relaxed, liberated, you feel free and comfortable. Your body is resting. You well.
Pay attention to the sun. It just blinds you with red rays
You look at the sun for a long time, and it takes up all your visual space. You see nothing but this red canvas.
A small orange dot appeared in the upper right corner. You peer at it carefully, it becomes more and more, and now the orange canvas has completely covered the red color. You see a beautiful rich orange color. Against this background, the outlines of an orange pumpkin emerge.
Its color changes and it becomes yellow. This bright sunny color makes you happy. You feel the soft, gentle touch of the yellow rays. You are bathed in these warm rays. The yellow color slowly, slowly fades, turning into a delicate salad color.
The longer you look, the more saturated this color becomes. And here in front of you is a green meadow. You walk into it and feel drops of dew, the smell of grass and wildflowers.
Take a deep breath of this fresh, invigorating aroma. It makes you think about the poetic, the sublime, the unearthly.
You enjoy walking on the grass, but your gaze is distracted by a bell. So small, blue, and tender.
You love this color and you can't take your eyes off it. And this color fills your entire visual space. The blue color is getting darker and darker.
Dark blue smoothly turns into purple, which gradually goes into the distance and becomes just a horizon line.
Flight
Sit comfortably, relax. Close your eyes and listen to my voice.
Imagine that you are in a green meadow. Above you are blue skies and warm sun. You are pleased to admire this beauty and inhale the aromas of summer grass. You feel easy and comfortable.
Imagine that you are a big beautiful bird. You rise high into the sky and soar among the airy white clouds. You fly further and further. A warm breeze blows across your wings. The movements of the wings are light and graceful. Enjoy the feeling of free and smooth flight in the air.
Now, slowly flapping your wings, approach the ground.
Walk
Sit comfortably, relax. Close your eyes and listen to my voice.
Imagine that you are walking through a grove. You are surrounded by the fresh smell of herbs and flowers. You can hear grasshoppers chirping, bees buzzing, and birds singing joyfully.
You feel the gentle touch of the sun's rays. The rays warm your body: arms, legs, face. One ray touched your lips and gave you a smile. You feel very warm and pleasant from these touches. You can hear the babbling of a stream nearby. You put your hands in the water and feel the coolness.
You love being in this grove. I like the blue sky, the playful rays of the sun, the aroma of flowers, the singing of birds, the murmur of water.
Admire the picture that surrounds you. All this fills you with a charge of vivacity and energy. You feel a good mood, joy of life. The exercise comes to an end. On the count of three, open your eyes.
How to relieve muscle spasm
There are many recommendations and useful tips to relieve nervous tension in the muscles. Most of them are based on a reflex change in the nerve innervation of muscle fibers. So, if possible, it is better to completely stop communicating with those people who cause a lot of unpleasant emotions in a person - colleagues, boss, relatives. Of course, this step is radical and requires the application of certain efforts - dismissal from work, divorce from your spouse.
Less “extreme” ways to relieve muscle tension:
- prepare a soothing tea, for example, with chamomile, lemon balm or valerian and a drop of honey - drink in small sips, while still warm;
- turn on your favorite music and enjoy it until you feel like your muscles have relaxed;
- completely turn off all appliances, close the curtains and lie on the sofa with a wet cold towel on the back of your head - 15–20 minutes is enough to relieve mild tension;
- light an incense stick with your favorite scent and sit in silence;
- For those who are used to actively dealing with stress - how to relieve tension in the head, the best option seems to be a long walk in the nearest park or a visit to the pool.
Each person chooses for himself how to deal with muscle tension due to neurosis - just postponing events for a certain period of time is not worth it. Otherwise, medication will be required.
Massage for muscle strain
An obligatory component of complex therapy, how to relieve tension in the body during neurosis, is one of the massage techniques. The main movements are soft, stroking pressure. Tapping and pinching are unacceptable. It is recommended to perform the procedures in specialized rooms, where an experienced specialist, even with a cursory examination, will identify tense muscle areas - blocks.
Objectives of massage:
- reduce the influence of the autonomic nervous system;
- restore the patient’s psycho-emotional state;
- improve sleep;
- relieve hypertonicity of muscle groups;
- restore metabolic processes in tissues;
- increase lymph flow and blood circulation.
However, massage for neurosis is not always possible. Absolute contraindications are hyperthermia or severe psycho-emotional disorder with hysteria.
At home, it is permissible to perform self-massage - use soft stroking and pressure to knead the tense muscles of the back of the head, neck, face, and limbs. This will reduce the negative impact of stress and restore the emotional background. Whereas to relax your back muscles, it is better to use the services of a professional massage therapist.
Stress and psycho-emotional tension
Stress is a state consisting of a complex of negative internal processes. Tension is individual moments that arise due to stress factors and entail serious consequences for the further development of a person.
These concepts indicate the psychological state of a person. Psycho-emotional stress causes physical and mental stress, characterized by a partial loss of control: in this state, a person overcomes difficulties without being sure of the result of his actions. Stress is the body’s reaction to factors that, for a number of reasons, the human mind perceives as overwhelming difficulties that cannot be overcome.
