Your Mind Your Body

APA released its annual Stress in America survey yesterday, and we have again found that our nation is under pressure. Yes, average stress levels have declined somewhat from their max in 2007 and 2008, but that was at a time of extreme economic uncertainty when the housing crisis began to bubble, and the nation’s economy was on the cliff, about to take a deep fall.

But even as the nation’s economy begins to improve, we found that yet again, the majority of people surveyed said they are experiencing very high degrees of stress at levels that are higher than they consider healthy.

Our snapshot of stress is even bleaker for those who said they are caregivers or living with a chronic condition. Caregivers reported higher levels of stress, poorer health and a greater tendency to engage in unhealthy behaviors to alleviate their stress than the general public. They report feeling overwhelmed by the amount of care their aging or chronically ill family member require of them.

And those with chronic conditions, such as depression, obesity and Type 2 diabetes, are also caught in a vicious cycle. They said they were unable to take necessary steps to reduce their stress and engaged in unhealthy behaviors to manage their stress, thereby reducing their ability to appropriately manage their illness.

We have said for years that people need to be more aware of their stress levels; need to recognize what triggers stress for them; need to recognize how stress can damage their health; and need to manage their stress more effectively.

But while the majority of Americans know this is true, let’s face it, change isn’t easy.

There are a lot of reasons that Americans aren’t taking better care of their stress and their bodies. I believe, along with many others, that while we’re all responsible for our own health, change cannot happen in a vacuum. Aside from individual efforts, supportive social and community networks, as well as a responsive health-care system are needed to help individuals make the changes needed for better health.

We all need to think differently about health and illness.

Most chronic conditions can be prevented by better managing our stress and making better choices about our nutrition, activity level, alcohol and tobacco use, and our strategies for managing stress. By understanding the relationship between stress and chronic illness, we can all take steps to make better choices.

Psychologists working side by side with physicians—as part of someone’s personal health-care team—enhance the possibility that health care focuses on the whole person, not just an illness. Access to the right kind of care from the right kind of health-care provider must be assured in our evolving health care system. More focus on prevention will save lives and health-care dollars in the long run.

We need big changes in our evolving health-care system.

I believe they can happen. They need to happen.

Until then, do your best to make small changes and practice better stress management strategies.

• Engage understanding people who support the changes you want to make for yourself.
• Increase your activity level, and make better food choices.
• Set realistic expectations.

And if your efforts aren’t paying off for you, consider talking to a psychologist who can help you identify and remove those barriers that are standing in the way of the changes you want.

Photos by hradcanska and yourdon (via Flickr)

Filed under: Being in Therapy, Chronic Illness & Disease Management, Stress | 1 Comment »

Stress affects all of us, and there’s no way to always avoid it. Stress can help us thrive, but it can also make us sick. The difference often rests in how we handle it.

For the sixth year, the American Psychological Association has again asked Americans about their stress for its annual Stress in America report and findings. We found out what is causing people stress, how they are managing it, and what effects stress has on their bodies and lives.

This year, we also focused our survey on caregivers and people with chronic conditions, such as depression, obesity and diabetes. We wanted to better understand what stressors they face and how they manage it.

What did we find out about stress this past year? Join on us tomorrow (Jan. 11) at 10:30 a.m. EST. We’re releasing our report at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., with an expert panel discussing the report.  You’ll be able to read our findings at www.stressinamerica.org and watch our event webcast at that time.

You can also get involved and ask questions. Here’s how:

Watch our webcast — This year, for the first time ever, we’re showing our release event on the Internet. We’re hosting a town hall, and hope you’ll participate by asking our own questions about our stress, health, and what it all means to you. You can view the webcast on our main page, www.stressinamerica.org.

Twitter – Follow @APAHelpCenter, where we’ll be live-tweeting the town hall and discussion on the report. Use the hashtag #stressAPA to make a comment, ask questions or pass along a retweet. If you ask a question, may pass it along to one of the panelists for an answer.

Facebook – “Like” the page for the American Psychological Association and follow our updates there. Post your questions for our panelists during the webcast.

This blog – We’ll be updating throughout the week, explaining more about information that’s in our report. The psychologists writing for this blog will post updates that provide more context and tips to our findings. This is your chance to ask questions in the comments.

What do you think you know about stress? Do you pay much attention to it? Do you manage it in healthy ways? We want to talk about stress with you.

Photo by TK_Presse (via Flickr).

Filed under: Lifestyle & Behaviors | 1 Comment »

Imagine if you’d spent as much time learning to understand your emotions as you did learning to read, write and count. Unfortunately, like most of us, you likely received very little education or guidance in this area, surrendering your emotions to chance.

That often doesn’t work out too well.

Life is complicated and people are even more so. The chances are that at some point, we are faced with some difficult and emotionally challenging situations involving loss, conflict or rejection. These stresses (all too common in this ongoing economy) can often cause us to feel anxious or a bit down. If you don’t have the emotional skills to understand and manage these feelings, and this cycle goes on long enough, it can lead to feeling depressed or out of control, causing major problems in everyday life.

But here’s the really good news. Even if you weren’t blessed back in the days of the 3 Rs in school with learning how to understand and manage your emotions, it’s not too late!

Psychotherapy is a remarkably effective technique that helps you take back emotional control of your life and live better. Through the context of the therapeutic relationship, the therapist teaches you important skills for understanding and managing difficult emotions in your present life, but also helps you to retain these skills so you can apply them in future situations. Psychotherapy has the power to not only make you feel better, but to positively change the course of your life. As a practicing psychologist, I see evidence of this every day in my office.

Recently a group of psychologists produced a video for the public, which beautifully and evocatively illustrates the powers of psychotherapy. Take a look for yourself.

If you are unsure of how to find a good psychotherapist, you can start with talking to your primary care physician. (Psychotherapy is covered by most major insurance providers, as well as Medicare and Medicaid.) You can also check out the APA’s Psychologist Locator Service for a list of psychologists–doctors trained to listen and help–in your area.

Don’t leave your emotions to chance. Consider psychotherapy–take control of your emotional life now, and learn to hold on to it forever.

Photo by room_onfire (via Flickr)

Filed under: Being in Therapy, Stress, Women | No Comments »