Personal and psychological

The 21st century has been marked by several scientific inventions, a drastic transformation of the lifestyle of the populace, and a multitude of changes in society. With these changes, the world has also witnessed a proliferation of mental health issues. As many as 970 million people are suffering from some kind of mental health disorder or substance abuse disorder currently across the globe. These are the statistics about the reported cases, there are still cases that are not mentioned anywhere. The prime reason is lack of awareness.

 The following could be the personal and psychological issues one might face:

  Anxiety is one of the most prevalent psychological issues across the world. As mentioned by the World Health Organization, about 3.6 percent of the world’s population which accounts for nearly 264 million people is suffering from anxiety. Anxiety refers to the excessive, irrational fear and worry which is beyond the normal stressor of everyday life. This irrational and excessive worry and fear can result in physical and psychological symptoms. In some cases, the symptoms are very intense and cause impairment in the daily routine of an individual. Anxiety can result in an increased heart rate, palpitations, intense feelings of nervousness, sweating, trembling, fatigue, and many more symptoms. As many as 19.1% of US residents have had anxiety once in their lifetime. But the good news is that effective treatment for anxiety is available in terms of psychotherapy and counselling. Several other practices which can help in relieving anxiety symptoms are – 1. Changes in lifestyle 2. Doing yoga 3. Doing meditation 4. Breathing exercises 5. Listening to music 6. Keep physically active 7. Avoid alcohol and drugs 8. Get creative 9. Practise self – care 10. Meet a counselor   Anger is categorized under the negative emotions of an individual. Excessive anger can lead to a loss of control over decision-making skills, interpersonal relationships and lead to several ill effects. Excessive anger is one of the most prevalent issues among teens and young adults. It is also prevalent among other age groups and sections of society. Anger in the long term can cause deep negative impact not only to the relationships but also to your health. Chronic anger may cause you to develop illness and ailments. For this reason, the techniques and strategies for managing anger effectively are practiced in psychotherapy. Psychologists teach several measures for anger management. Some of the measures to control anger which one can start are – 1. Evaluate Your Anger before jumping to some actions 2. Do deep breathing 3. Start journaling 4. Engage in exercise 5. Understand impact of anger on your health and relationships 6. Practise assertiveness 7. Practise better communication skills 8. Practise time – out strategies 9. Identifying triggers help 10. Talk to a therapist Often used casually, Depression (major depressive disorder) is a widespread and significant medical condition that has a negative impact on how you feel, think, and behave. An individual with depression has a constant low feeling and sadness. There is a loss of interest in general activities, withdrawal from social situations, sleep problems, loss of appetite, and unexpected weight loss in some cases. The constant fatigue even after doing minimal or routine physical activity is prevalent. The good part is, there is treatment available for this problem too. Yet, many people live in unfortunate inaccessibility of information and services. Depression is often tied with the stigma against poor mental health. According to the World Health Organization, as much as 3.8% of the entire world’s population is affected by depression. Yet, the facility of treatment reaches only a few. Reaching out for help from a mental health professional is the first step towards getting rid of depression. Also, it a good idea to remember that you are not alone, though depression may make you feel like that. Some methods to cope up with depression are – 1. Challenge negative thinking. 2. Do some outdoor activities. 3. Talk to a friend, don’t be alone. 4. Get a pet. 5. Keep off from drug and alcohol. 6. Try to relax and indulge in self – care. 7. Talk to a therapist, if nothing else works. Among several disorders falling under the heading anxiety in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, social anxiety is quite widespread. In USA alone, 7.1 % of adults are going through a difficult phase because of social anxiety. Feelings of fear, worry about something worse happening when in a social situation are often seen in the age group of 11-25 years of age. What others consider normal becomes a deadly take for a person with social anxiety like starting a small talk. Before they could even speak, overwhelming thoughts encircle and entangle the mind of an individual with the disorder. Social anxiety takes a toll on people whether they are a home maker or a working professional The most difficult part is asking for help. It can include symptoms like that of general anxiety disorders but specifically in social situations. For treatment, various mental health professionals use psychotherapy and certain relaxing techniques. Some measures for managing social anxiety symptoms are – 1. Practicing yoga, 2. Listen to music 3. Meditate 4. Get a massage 5. Learn relaxation techniques 6. Learning assertiveness 7. Realize anxiety is natural 8. Shift your focus 9. Try to practise realistic thinking 10. Talk to a counsellor Nervousness before or during an appearance before an audience is commonly known as stage fright. Just imagine – Standing below the podium and it’s your turn to step up on the stage. You feel terrified at the thought of it. A much and so bad that your hearts race up, you begin to sweat aggressively, your legs tremble, and boom! Now you cannot see anything, it’s a blackout. This is what stage fright in action looks like. Having stage fright could be a result of underlying anxiety. Anxiety can normally occur to anyone before a performance on stage, before an exam, before a presentation or a deadline. This is commonly referred as a by-product of stress. But stage fright which leaves an individual appalled is not right to be ignored. Paying heed to this behaviour and symptoms is crucial to make sure that there’s no impairment in the future. The good news is that the stage fright can be taken care off. Some effective strategies are – 1. Turn that negative talk into positive thinking. 2. Practise belly breathing. 3. Focus and let go of intrusive thoughts. 4. Visualize a successful outcome. 5. Meet a therapist. A hasty event of severe fear or anxiety coupled with overwhelming physical symptoms due to a perceived threat rather than an imminent threat is what a panic attack is. People experience a panic attack in the most unexpected situations such as while being in a car or a joyful social surrounding. The physical symptoms listed below are includedbut not limited to cover the full spectrum of symptoms – 1. heart pounding 2. difficulty in breathing 3. shivering 4. chills 5. weakness 6. dizziness,etc. Sometimes, it can go worse up to a point where the individual feels nauseating,chest pain, an ache in the stomach, or even numbing of body parts such as hands and feet. Some helpful measures for managing the panic attacks are – 1. Deep breathing practices 2. Regular physical exercise 3. A diet low in sugar 4. Avoiding much caffeine 5. Avoid alcohol and smoking 6. Seeking help from a mental health professional can help curtail the intensity and frequency of panic attacks. Through counselling, coupled with practice and constant efforts, panic attacks can be brought down to zero. Commonly known by its actual name, Insomnia -Sleeplessness is very prevalent among a large populace. Around 10-30% of people suffer from this condition. The cause of sleeplessness can vary from person to person. Yet, the most commonly lying cause is anxiety. Experiencing a sleepless night before an important event is quite common. But it becomes a psychological condition if the situation goes out of control by becoming frequent and impairs the daily functioning of a person. Obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, delayed sleep phase disorders are all categorized under insomnia. Some helpful measures for managing/reducing sleeplessness are listed below – 1. Use your bedroom only for resting and sleeping.If it’s not possible restrict this rule at least for your bed. Use your bed only for sleeping or resting. 2. Avoid screen time (laptops/mobile phones/TV) before going to bed, at-least an hour before. 3. Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol, Nicotine, and other chemicals that interfere with sleep. 4. Go to sleep when you’re truly tired. 5. Nap early—Or not at all. 6. Maintain a consistent wake time. 7. Take help from a counsellor. “Nobody wants to be lonely,” may be a line from a pop song, but it’s also a fairly universal truth. Aloneness and loneliness are used interchangeably about the similarity in the concepts. The difference between the two terms is often ignored. Loneliness is a common issue and is dealt with normally in our society. People often turn a blind eye toward the seriousness of the condition. Loneliness is what feels like being sad about being socially isolated. To make the distinction, loneliness can also be felt while being with a bunch of people. Being alone is a physical situation or state while loneliness is a mental feeling. Loneliness leaves a person isolated, makes it very hard for the person to connect with others around him/her, overwhelm with the feeling of isolation. It often leads to a downfall in the self-worth of a person thereby proliferating self-doubt. Loneliness has increased with modernization, since people are engrossed in virtual social communities and networks and don’t have the urge to attend social gathering or stay in touch with family and friends. But, with time, loneliness and lack of companionship makes people vulnerable which affects physical and mental health to increase the chance of mental health disorders. Chronic loneliness is a term to describe loneliness that’s experienced over a long period of time. While loneliness, and chronic loneliness, aren’t specific mental health conditions, they can still affect your mental and general health. Common causes of Loneliness are usually the below – 1. Break – ups and heartbreaks 2. Moving to a new city 3. Work from Home 4. Change of school/college/job 5. Inability to fit – in. 6. Death of a loved one. 7. Divorce. 8. Abused and/or rejected by others. 9. Excessive use of social media. 10. Depression . 11. Aging. 12. Living alone for the first time. 13. Lack of meaningful connections. Symptoms of chronic loneliness involves – decreased energy, feeling foggy or unable to focus, insomnia, interrupted sleep, or other sleep issues, decreased appetite, feelings of self-doubt, hopelessness, or worthlessness, a tendency to get sick frequently, body aches and pains, feelings of anxiousness or restlessness, increased shopping, substance misuse, increased desire to binge-watch shows or movies, etc. If you’ve been feeling lonely and experience unexplained symptoms such as the above signs of loneliness, talking to a mental health professional could help. Common complications with long bouts of loneliness are many, to name a few – chronic illness, high cholesterol, emotional distress, diabetes, depression, lower quality of sleep, stress, cognitive decline, etc. Some tips to help you with loneliness are – 1. Rule out depression as a cause of your loneliness by talking to a doctor or a counsellor. 2. Try out a new hobby 3. Become a volunteer and participate in events happening nearby. 4. Adopt a pet. 5. Stay in touch with a near and dear ones. 6. Make time for exercise. 7. Be in touch with the greenery. 8. Talk to a mental health professional, if you are unable to cope up with Loneliness and work out on the root causes and moving forward. Fears and Phobias have the potential to ruin our life, if you allow them to. Some of the common phobias are – 1. Fear of spiders 2. Fear of heights 3. Fear of water 4. Fear of flying, 5. Fear of animals, etc Fear and phobias are put exceedingly apart on the anxiety spectrum. While phobias are all about extreme and dreadful fear. Yet, stating a phobia as a mere fear of something would be very unfair. Phobias are excessive fear or anxiety related to a specific object, situation, or entity which grows out of proportion compared to the actual danger they represent. While a limited fear can be controlled and managed, phobias are nearly impossible to get a hold of while in the episode. They can cause dysfunction due to the avoidance behaviour in a person’s life. Phobias are characterized by a persistent, irrational, and reasonable fear of an object, situation, or entity. Exposure to such a thing can elicit intense fear, powerlessness to control, and impairment in working. Helpful tips – It’s difficult to understand but a truth, that you do have a certain control over the way you feel. While this is difficult to understand but you can learn to change the way you feel about your fears / phobias. Challenging your fears and phobias and checking them out as a fact on a reality scale helps many people. When you are dealing with your fear, remember, its only you who has given the power to your fear. Your negative thoughts are like a fuel for your fears. But its important to let go of your fears sometimes, especially when you are dealing with things like – stuck in a meaningless relationship, stuck in a not so good, unhealthy job, feeling crippled after your phobia episode. Fears can make you face sadness, stress and tears but once you deal with them, the outcome is only happiness, improved confidence and pure joy!! You can opt for counselling too, if you wish to go ahead, address your fears and phobias and live a better life