The stresses and strains of everyday life can bring with it a variety
of emotional health problems. These can include depression, anxiety,
insomnia, irritability and panic attacks. In this article I write about
each of these potential problems and suggest solutions to overcome them.
Depression
I am sure that we all become depressed at different times of our life,
I certainly do. It is easy to let things and people get us down. We can
start to feel sorry for ourselves and to think that the world is
working against us.
The brain has two halves, positive and negative. In these periods of
depression the negative side assumes control and it can become very
hard to get out of this rut.
I see the positive side of my brain as an apple and the negative side
as a pear. If I only ever eat pears, I will not be able to experience
the joy of eating apples. In short I have to give the positive side a
chance to help me to reach a state of happiness and I need to learn to
ignore the negative.
Anxiety and panic attacks
At times people start becoming anxious about their future or even about
their present situation. This can in certain cases even lead on to
panic attacks.
In my opinion worrying does not help the situation, it only makes
things worse. I have to say that I do worry and that the cloud of doom
does descend over my life at regular intervals. When this occurs I try
very hard to break the cycle and I even talk to the demons in my head.
I have a battle of wills with them. I tell them that they will not win
and that I will not stress anymore. This is not that simple but is what
I try to do.
Insomnia
Having trouble with sleeping at night can happen for a number of
reasons, the main one of which is stress. Other causes are snoring, an
intake of too much caffeine, a noisy environment or depression.
I have written about stress and depression already, it is also time to
cut down on the coffee. A simple suggestion in potentially solving
insomnia, is to read a book in bed before attempting to get to sleep.
This book should help you to get your mind away from any anxieties you
may have, it should relax your body and should also tire your eyes.
Irritability
When people lose sleep or work to hard they can become over tired and
this can lead to irritability. This can cause people to have a higher
pulse rate, making their muscles feel tight and can leave people also
feeling anxious and lethargic.
It is important to therefore ensure that you obtain a good amount of
hours sleep per night (at least seven)and that you only work a certain
amount of hours per week. Money is important to people, however in my
opinion health should be the priority.
Solutions to these emotional health problems
I have come to realise that I need to treat myself from time to time. I
have always found it difficult to relax and would often feel stressed
and under pressure.
I now use various methods at different times of the year to help me to
chill out a bit and to reward my body. These include aromatherapy,
using herbal products, attending tai chi lessons and I have even tried
Yoga. I must admit I could never get to grips with Yoga, however have
heard it can prove to be very beneficial to people who can.
Meditation
My favourite form of relaxation is by meditating. I do this by sitting
on a straight back chair and by basically concentrating with my eyes
closed. I pay particular notice to my breathing and it has certainly
helped me to see things in a much clearer way.
In conclusion there are many ways of reducing emotional health problems
and with determination you are able to see your way to a better and
brighter future.
Steve Hill
