Stressed out? Identify cause first

A 30-year-old public relations (PR) professional was suffering from frequent headaches, when she realised that the root cause behind this ailment was her tremendous stress levels. Long working hours, meeting deadlines, shunting between clients and family and other responsibilities left her with hardly any time to rest. And before she realised it, her body had started to show signs of chronic stress levels.

Rita Schiano, a reputed philosophy and stress management instructor defines stress as the body’s reaction to a mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition; to adverse external causes and influences that are capable of affecting our physical and mental health. There can be several reasons behind developing stress – it can be due to erratic work timings and paramount work pressures; heartbreaks that culminate to various insecurities and finally depression or several other reasons. In fact in today’s day and age, it is creditable for a person to not be stressed out, given the lifestyle that one has.

“Nowadays, stress has no age bar. I have a lot of young boys and girls who come to me, complaining of stress, anxiety and depression. The mad, materialistic rush is the root cause of this ailment,” says Dr. Biswaroop Dey, a consultant psychiatrist. But if one were to easily identify the cause behind the stress levels to soar and address it in time, then a lot of physical, mental and behavioural breakdowns can be prevented.

Says clinical psychologist Swapna Salunke, “When a patient comes to us, first and foremost, we try to identify the cause and level of stress through various tests like Hamilton Test, Rorshark Test and the like. Once we get to know it, it gets easier to treat the patient.”

Identification of the cause of stress is the primary phase of any line of treatment. There are several symptoms that can give one an indication of being in stress.

“There are a lot of symptoms – physical, psychiatric and behavioural. Most common of the symptoms are headaches, loss of appetite, low concentration levels, lack of interest in taking responsibilities and others. If one is facing these symptoms, then he/she should pay cognizance to it and find ways to ease it, one of which is to approach a doctor, if need arises,” says Dey.

But, how a person copes with stress is highly dependent on his/her personality.

Elaborating on it, Salunke adds, “Once the cause is identified, the treatment to be followed depends on the person’s personality. How a person is, defines how he/she will be able to cope up with the stress.”

Signs of stress among people
Psychological
Memory lapses, easily distracted, less intuitive and creative, perpetually worrying, negative thinking, depression and anxiety.

Emotional
Frequent irritable mood, mood swings, extra sensitive to criticism, being defensive, feeling out of control, perpetually angry and frustrated, lack of confidence, lack of self-esteem.

Physical
Aches/pains and muscle tension / grinding teeth, frequent cold / infections, allergies / rashes / skin irritations, constipation / diarrhoea / IBS, weight loss or gain, indigestion/heartburn/ulcers, hyperventilating / lump in the throat, dizziness / palpitations, panic attacks / nausea, constant tiredness, menstrual changes / loss of libido / sexual problems, heart problems / high blood pressure.

Behavioural
No time for relaxation or pleasurable activities, prone to accidents, forgetfulness, increased reliance on alcohol, smoking, caffeine, recreational or illegal drugs, becoming a workaholic, poor time management and / or poor standards of work, absenteeism, social withdrawal, relationship problems and insomnia.