We live in a stressful world. No matter how hard we try to circumvent stress and anxiety, our rendezvous with them is as sure as death and taxes. Encountering distress is an undeniable reality. Understanding that stress and anxiety are always present in one’s life should be accepted…but that does not necessarily make it easier. For example, have you ever been picked on by a boss? Who can ever forget that ill-fated day that you became the “official office target” of the boss? Have you ever been accused with a blunder that you never committed. Not contented with what he did, the boss startled you with words that you have never even heard of before. To top it all, he did it in front of the whole work unit. Left with no choice but to keep your mouth shut, you just allowed your boss to unreasonably splatter his saliva all over your face. Still, you manage to fake a “cherry grin.” These kinds of situations is just a normal office scenario but tends induce stress and anxiety. Stress first was attributed to external pressures like workloads, competition and other stimuli that could induce a distress one’s body. Recently, however, stress was described not only as external stimuli but it may very well be the reaction of a person to another individual’s negative perception, capacities and understanding. Meanwhile anxiety is described as an overwhelming fear, worry, or apprehension. These intensified feelings are always accompanied by bodily manifestations like chronic sweating, uneasiness, heart palpitations, nausea, shortness of breathing, and headaches. Work-related stress and anxiety, and chronic cares of same sorts can affect one’s work performance. Anxiety induced by a past negative encounter with an officemate, worrying on multitudes of paper works labeled “urgent,” and apprehensions to confront a boss can affect indeed office performance. The apparent effect of it to a professional is not only depressing but could also be a one- way ticket to unemployment. No one wants to be fired right away right? And companies don’t give into excuses like, “Sorry sir, I’m just stressed.” So wise up see the practical anxiety treatments. Start with a proper diet. Others might raise their eyebrows with this practical self-help tip but actually it has scientific explanation. Anxiety conditions are the avenues for the usual response of “fight or flight.” This is a condition where people who are confronted with anxiety challenge or flee from anxiety. With a healthier diet, the body becomes more stable, and eventually, event the anxiety reactions are lessened. Have a proper attitude. Don’t put unnecessary stresses to your life by going through unnecessary notions. Yes, your boss may have shouted a couple of times but harboring resentment would do no good either. Focus your strength and energy where you really need it most – on the work. Anxiety would be gradually obliterated by taming one’s mind. Instead of using your energy to backstab a tyrant boss or get even with a co-worker with hideous attitude, learn to channel those energies to a more worthy cause. Proper attitude is an excellent anxiety treatment. Life’s full of stress and we can’t afford to add insult to the injury. Greater stress would entail greater risk for anxiety.
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Corporate life can take a serious toll on the mind, particularly if you happen to be the one caught amidst the company’s hustle and bustle. There are a thousand things that need to be done any given shift, and you’d need at least a shift just to get one of those tasks to be done properly. There are also the occasional added duties of the typical employee, such as the meeting with the boss, rant sessions with fellow employees, and the pressures and responsibilities that the typical worker adds to his already overwhelming set of problems. The need for stress relief is most commonly seen among people who are doing the dry grunt-work of a company, the ones working the trenches at the front lines of the “corporate war.” Of course, a company employee may not necessarily be fighting a “war” against the company’s enemies, or business rivals, as the case may be. For anyone who has ever read the novel “Catch-22,” the rather daunting concept of a soldier fighting the rigid bureaucracy of his own army is a humorous, unpleasant yet all too realistic storyline. Unfortunately, for some corporate employees, the Catch-22 is an everyday ordeal. They find themselves willing to fight even their own corporate bosses. Even worse is when there is no convenient or regular source of stress relief, which tends to wear down a person’s mind and makes the situation much worse. Once a person thinks the situation is getting worse, it inevitably really does become worse, through some dismiss it as a mere quirk of fate. Yes, this sounds terribly pessimistic, but there are several people who go to their jobs day after day — resigned to go through the daily drudgery. The fact is, there are always a few disgruntled, disenfranchised, and disillusioned employees who will look at the corporate power structure and only see the Catch-22 bureaucracy. They literally see policies leading them around in circles, with stress relief being just a pipe dream — with each step leading to the path of madness. Of course, madness is not included as a job skill requirement although in some lines of work that involve creativity, being somewhat “looney” is an unwritten prerequisite. Dealing with a Catch-22 bureaucracy can be taxing on your mental health, whether you’re fighting it or you’re trying to work with it. There is ample anecdotal evidence to show that attempting to work within a bureaucracy that keeps on going around in circles can drive employees to develop frequent bouts of nausea. Besides the nausea, chronic fatigue also seems to be a growing problem among employees that attempt to survive in a Catch-22 environment. Mental fatigue is also a problem, as some people tend to spend hours upon hours trying to figure out how to get out of the mess that the company’s policies have gotten them into, all the while realizing that any attempt to get out is likely just going to get them deeper into the problem. Naturally, from a realistic point of view, the above situation is hardly feasible, but if work-related stress and anxiety are not dealt with in a timely and effective manner, it can lead to some unpleasant situations. For the most part, the common reaction when the situations get extreme is to simply try and find a way to escape, or at least get into a position where the bureaucracy is less constrained. In a corporate environment, the former is little more than just removing yourself from the company’s employ, and the latter means working within the constraints to get into a position of power. Of course, working twice as hard just to get away from the bureaucracy means the company will be getting more work out of an employee, but not have to pay more. Why does that sound like exactly what your typical corporate slave driver actually wants? If it does start sounding that way, then it is a safe assumption that your stress and anxiety at work has gone past being an anxiety disorder and developed into a full-blown paranoia. Next thing you know, you’ll start thinking they’re all out to get rid of you.
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The average person associates sleep problems with things like stress and anxiety, such that they do not immediately believe some groups can have trouble sleeping. However, it isn’t merely the pressures of work, society, and relationships that can take a toll on a person’s ability to get good sleep quality and quantity. Other things can play a role, such as mood or behavioral problems, food intake in the immediate hours preceding sleep, and a whole milieu of little things. Recent studies show that children are just as likely to have problems getting to sleep as adults are, though the reasons are not quite the same. What’s worse is that this lack of sleep may bring about a problem more serious than being sleepy in class: obesity.
Recent studies have shown that children below the age of six can experience difficulty in getting to sleep and staying asleep. The study was prompted by some statistics that show children are getting less sleep, with the aim of finding out why this was happening. The results showed that children who watched certain types of TV shows, particularly police dramas and news broadcasts, had difficulty getting to sleep at night. The study found that the longer the child spent watching shows of that nature, along with other violent or disturbing programs, the longer it took for them to get to sleep. In some cases, the data was also correlated with the child experiencing breaks in sleep. The more they watched, the more frequently they woke up in the middle of the night.
Background TV exposure also seemed to play a role. According to the research, sleep problems can also appear if the child is not directly watching TV. The types of programs remained the same, but the nature of exposure was changed. Background TV exposure, such as hearing bits and pieces of a broadcast but not being in front of the TV itself, caused the same sleep problems that directly watching programs did. However, the research also revealed that the risks were lower than with direct viewing. Not by much, but they were noticeably lower. However, a lack of sleep caused by this can cause a child to eventually become overweight and obese as part of the side effects, according to another study.
The study recorded the Body Mass Index (BMI) and the sleep patterns of children in both the third and sixth grade. The results were that, as the children obtained less sleep for a variety of reasons, their BMI also went up, with some skirting the risk of obesity as early as the fifth grade. Factors such as genetics, environment, medical history, and sex, race, and education were eliminated to ensure that the results were as accurate as possible. The results showed that BMI did experience an increase as the hours of sleep decreased, though there could have been some variables that were not taken into account while the study was being planned. These factors include things such as personality and financial status, along with the inevitable lack of physical activity due to the lack of sleep.
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When a marriage turns into a complete wreck and nothing can ever fix the problem anymore, divorce is the only best option to take. Millions of people prefer to leave their partners when certain aspects of the relationship are no longer smooth sailing as they were before the marriage. Although divorce may sound and appear easy for some, it actually requires a lot from both parties. Each one needs to get divorce consultations from lawyers and financial specialists to help them in the process. Hence, divorce is not easy, especially for the children. Endless fights for custody are usually the toughest moments not only for the separated couple, but also for their children. The children are generally the ones who suffer most when their parents separated. Effects of divorce on children According to studies, the children of a divorced couple often take the blame on themselves as the reason why their parents need separation. Some kids tend to think that they are the ones responsible for the failed marriage, thus, resulting to stress and anxiety. One of the most notable effects of divorce on children is the sudden change of attitude towards activities and friends that they enjoy before. In addition, divorce can also cause detrimental effects to a child’s perspective on relationship and marriage. Some children may regard divorce as a betrayal of their patients, hence, compelling them to be afraid and withdrawn from building or developing future relationships. Also, children of a divorced couple often find it hard to trust anyone as they grow up. Lessening the effects of divorce on children It is really up to the parents how they want to make the situation easier for their children. For starters, it is important for separated couple to have their children understand that the divorce is not, in any means, their fault. Another important thing is that the children know that they are safe, secured, and loved by their parents even if they are not together as a family anymore. Divorced parents should also always be around or available for their children every time they are needed. When it comes to the welfare of the children, the separated couple should still work together in providing for their kids’ emotional and financial needs Role of a child specialist In the process of divorce, collaborative lawyers may suggest to their clients the need for the children to have a child specialist who will basically act as the children’s voice and guide in the entire duration of the divorce process. A child specialist is the one responsible in explicitly explaining the role and rights of the children. Having a child therapist helps in the sense that the children will not be caught in between their parents during the process of the divorce. Choosing between two adults is hard for any kid. Having a child specialist in the process can also help minimize the emotional difficulties of the children as they cope to accept and try to live a normal life despite having a broken family.
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“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?” Gandhi could have not been more right when he said his piece about the futility of a war that brings bloodshed and chaos. Nobody really wins but everyone is a losing victim of man’s atrocities and evil doings against each other. Sometimes, it would have been better to be dead than to survive and face the almost life-long trauma one has to deal with after going through the harrowing experience of war. War is a complex web of violence, loss, and human tragedy. Aside from the destruction of lives and properties that is inherent in any armed conflict, violations of human rights is also prevalent. Torture, oppression, sexual abuse of women, abductions, and massacres also occur during times of armed conflict. Surviving the horrible memories of war is a victory in itself yet the survivors often still need to deal with stress and anxiety long after the fighting has ceased. For many war survivors, the shooting may have stopped but the battle against psycho-emotional distress and serious medical conditions are still on-going struggles. Everyday, military personnel and civilian survivors relive the catastrophes of war. Men and women, young and old alike, still cannot remove the images and sounds of battle from their minds. For a long time, they will vainly try to deafen the sounds of gunfire and bomb explosions ricocheting in their heads day in and day out. They find it extremely difficult to erase the painful memories of witnessing their beloved families, relatives, and friends being gunned down to death or dismembered. Scenes of burying their own dead in open trenches continue to flash back in their minds. Soldiers are haunted by episodes of being forced to shoot innocent civilians, including women and children —- all in the name of duty. Most war survivors suffer from emotional and psychological disorder such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Though PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans or survivors, it can also result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as rape, torture, being kidnapped or held hostage, child abuse, vehicular accidents, plane crashes, even natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. It is considered to be one of the most severe forms of emotional disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs when a terrifying ordeal involving physical harm or the threat of physical harm happens to a person. The person may have been the one who was harmed or the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a traumatic event that happened to loved ones or strangers. Most war veterans or survivors get easily startled and can become emotionally numb especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close. Like other people who are suffering from PTSD, they tend to lose interest in the things they used to value and enjoy. They have a hard time showing affections, can be easily irritated and may become more aggressive to the point of being violent. It is possible that a traumatized person may not develop a full-blown PTSD. For a case to be considered PTSD, symptoms should last more than a month. Usually, these symptoms appear within the first three months after the traumatic incident, or it could manifest several years later. Recovery from the condition may vary as some individuals may need at least six months to deal with PTSD, while others may need more time before they fully recover. War veterans and survivors with PTSD experience severe headaches and anxiety attacks. Aside from having crying spells, they also tend to sweat heavily, get easily depressed, experience sustained bodily pains. They develop phobias or irrational fears that may or may not be related to the actual traumatic event. PTSD patients are often afraid of being alone in the dark or have trouble sleeping at night due to recurring nightmares about war. Some war veterans even develop a fear of heights due to terrible memories of parachute jumps. These painful memories are called flashbacks and may consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, which are often triggered by ordinary occurrences. The popping of firecrackers, the startling sound of a slammed door, a car tire explosion, and other sudden, loud noises can trigger flashbacks resulting to panic attacks. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again. Treatment of PTSD involves regular therapy and the use of medications. Health care professionals may prescribe antidepressant drugs to help PTSD patients to relax and find relief from the aching physical and emotional wounds of war. These medications may also help induce sleep in those who are suffering from insomnia, aside from making it easier to deal with daily stress and anxiety. Various psychotherapy programs are being studied and developed not just to bring modest relief from stress and anxiety but to effect noticeable changes in the lives of these emotionally battered and perhaps physically disabled survivors of war. While there is yet no cure or formula to totally stop wars, there is available assistance and medication for those who inevitably become traumatized by armed conflict. As long as there are bitter, armed struggles in the world, these medications and therapy sessions will be in high demand.
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Meredith, 30, had been married to Ralph, 32, for more than six years. She was a stay-at-home wife and he was a top business executive. Ralph’s work has kept him so busy that he really thinks that he has no time to start a “family.” His frequent business travels have kept him away from home several days, and even weeks at a time. Like a typical workaholic, Ralph has made same mistake committed by many career-driven husbands — neglecting his wife. This situation has even made Meredith think that Ralph and really married to his career and not to her. Meredith and Ralph had been fighting more than ever before and it was pretty obvious that there was already a serious problem with their marriage. She accuses him of being cold and indifferent, and he accuses her of being a nagger. All their marital woes have caused them enormous stress and anxiety. Aside from financial trouble, infidelity, and problems with the in-laws, many marriages suffer from the simple lack of communication. Like Meredith and Ralph, many couples fail to resolve their problems early on. As a result, couples grow further apart and are left to struggle with their respective anger and frustration. Instead of speaking with each other as adults, many couples resort to withdrawal or the “silent treatment.” In many cases, couples have already formed the way they communicate based on how their own parents communicated with each other. A person who grew up with parents who constantly fight has the tendency to be argumentative too. A person who was raised by parents who ignored each other whenever they had problems may have the tendency to ignore his partner and his own problems in marriage. It is said that it takes two to tango and it takes two to argue. But many marriages end up in separation or divorce precisely because the couple even evades quarrels and just chooses to ignore their problem. With mutual “silent treatment,” a couple denies their own opportunity to discuss and hopefully resolve their problem. And when they do talk, the couples would often just exchange accusations and even hurl invectives at one another. Many women complain that men are so cold, indifferent, and insensitive to their needs and to the issues that affect their relationship. They say that men spend too much time at the office and neglect their duties as husband and father. Women feel angry when men go home only to spend time in front of the t.v. or go out to have drinking sprees with their friends. Men, on the other hand, complain that women are so boisterous, jealous, and nag all the time. So, how can men and women in marriage deal with their marital problems? The first step that couples should take is to improve the way how they communicate with each other. Shown below are some of the ways how couples can improve their communication skills in marriage: 10 Ways to Communicate Effectively 1. No name calling and don’t make any threats. 2. Don’t interrupt when your spouse is still speaking. 3. Don’t dominate the discussion and stay on the same topic or issue at hand. 4. Listen and pay attention to what the other is saying. 5. Respect each other and be prepared to make changes in the way you think, feel, and behave. 6. Avoid mentioning or bringing up past mistakes and old resentments. 7. Don’t assume too much that you know what your spouse is thinking or feeling. 8. Don’t presume that you’re always “right” in any argument. 9. Try to meet half-way or compromise. 10. Be honest and acknowledge the validity and importance of each other feelings. Many couples forget that simple affirmation or small acts of love and kindness can do wonders for their marriage. A warm hug or attentively listening to your spouse can bring back a semblance of peace, love, and respect in your relationship. Indeed, one of the keys to a lasting marriage is effective communication. Given enough time and lots of patience, any couple on the rocks can revive their marriage. It just takes a lot of listening and kind words to make your marriage a real match made in heaven.