"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
As
my academic semester continues, I've had an increasing amount of
papers due and presentations to give. On top of that, I now have the
opportunity to work as an intern. That on top of family and church
responsibilities —
well, you get the picture.
Life
is a great and moving along at a swift pace. The stress can be heavy.
I tell you that, not so that you'll worry, but to let you know that
stress can really affect your mood and mental state. The key is to
recognize the effect and know your limits.
People experience
stress in different ways. Some people get ulcers. Some people get
rashes or hives and some people (who have a mental illness) get a
stronger influx of brain chemicals. This can affect a number of
things including, but not limited to the following:
a) Anxiety will be
kicked up a notch (or four).
b) There may be
difficulty sleeping or
feeling like sleeping till the cows come home wouldn’t be long
enough.
c) Some may lose the
desire to eat. Others can’t seem to stuff enough in their
mouths.
d) Textures of
clothing, socks, blankets or even a couch become so annoying that it
occupies a person’s entire focus.
e) It's harder to
breathe.
f) A
person may become hypersensitive to noise —
even the ticking of watches.
g) There may be
hyper emotional sensitivity. (Things that usually roll easily off a
person’s back, don’t. In fact, it may appear he’s
getting skinned alive!)
Stress
causes a countless variety of symptoms among people with mental
illness. Oddly enough, many people are unaware of how their body
reacts to stress. Some of these reactions to stress catch innocent
bystanders off guard. However, and this may surprise you, but often
times these stress reactions catch the person diagnosed with the
illness off guard, too.
I’m
not kidding. Brain chemicals can make things turn weird fast. I’m
not going to excuse behavior, but I will tell you that your ability
to adapt is crucial to not only to those living with mental illness.
It is just as crucial to those who love, work and serve someone with
a mental illness.
Adapting
is important for those who love, work and serve someone with a mental
illness because expecting the normal, standard reaction to stress (if
there is one) simply isn’t an option. Things can change at a
moment’s notice because unless you know the person is stressed,
his reaction may be out of left field. Let me take that back. Even
if you know he is stressed, the reaction may be out of left field.
Adapting to stress is crucial for a person with mental illness.
Recognizing
stress and how it affects your body and mind is the first step in
adapting. Without this recognition you can’t do anything.
We
could all learn a little more about lowering our stress. There are a
lot of things we cannot change in our lives. Having stress is one of
them. However, if you can't lower the stress in your life, you really
need to do whatever you need to do to help your body properly process
it.
Maybe
helping yourself or your loved one includes forcing yourself to turn
off the TV, computer, radio, games, and just finding a quiet spot
to breathe. Maybe it means asking others to step in for an afternoon
or day to help with responsibilities. Maybe it means calling into
work and asking for the day off.
Perhaps
it means calling your doctor, nurse, counselor, parents or friends,
simply to let them know you are starting to unravel and need someone
with whom to talk. Maybe it means calling an emergency hotline. Maybe
stress overload requires hospitalization to rein in the symptoms.
People
can't read our minds, and unless we share with others what's
happening, they can't know how to help. In some cases, speaking up
will help someone else find help of their own.
Whatever it
means, unless you advocate for yourself, others won’t know what
you need. Maybe you don’t know what you need! It's hard because
sometimes we don't know how to help ourselves.
Sometimes
what works for me won’t work for you; and what works for you
won't work for me. However, you really need to be persistent and find
out what does work for you. If you want to get better, it’s up
to you to find help. Make up your mind. Take care of yourself.
Eat
well. Sleep well. Be well. To do so, you have to speak up and do it.
You can do it. I know you can.
Sarah Price Hancock, a graduate of San Diego State University's rehabilitation
counseling Masters of Science program with a certificate psychiatric
rehabilitation.
Having embarked on her own journey with a mental health diagnosis, she is
passionate about psychiatric recovery. She enjoys working as a lector
for universities, training upcoming mental health professionals.
Sarah also enjoys sharing insights with peers working to strengthen
their "recovery toolbox." With proper support, Sarah
knows psychiatric recovery isn’t just possible — it’s
probable.
Born and raised in San Diego, California, Sarah served a Spanish-speaking
and ASL mission for the LDS Church in the Texas Dallas Mission. She
was graduated from Ricks College and BYU. Sarah currently resides in
San Diego and inherited four amazing children when she married the
man of her dreams in 2011. She loves writing, public speaking,
ceramics, jewelry-making and kite-flying — not necessarily in
that order.