Anger (04/03/2022)

Anger is an emotion we are all familiar with. It can be described as an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. It can potentially lead to destructive behaviours like bullying, vandalism, threats, vengeance and physical violence.

Like the stress response, anger is an evolutionary adaptation that once helped us to survive adverse conditions. Typically, the anger response is triggered during periods of perceived threats to our lives or a sense of unfairness of something happening to us. Once triggered, the amygdala (an old section of the brain) kicks in, prompting the release of two key hormones – adrenaline and testosterone – which prime the body for physical aggression by increasing heart rate and elevating blood pressure. As such, anger has been considered to be part of the “Fight or Flight” response.

Therefore, it should be noted that anger is a normal and natural emotion. However, it is how we express that anger that will determine if it is constructive or destructive to others or ourselves. The fact that it’s normal and natural has also lead psychologists to point out that suppression of anger may have harmful effects. Studies exist linking suppressed anger to medical conditions such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, and cancer. In women, suppressed or repressed anger has also been found to cause irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorders, and depression. In addition, if anger is supressed it can often manifest in explosive outbursts at inappropriate times and aimed at innocent parties.

The question then becomes, “If anger is normal, and shouldn’t be repressed, how can it be used/managed in a positive or constructive way?” Like many other physical and mental health conditions, one of the first steps is attaining a level of self-awareness. This will allow you to acknowledge its existence and that it’s a problem. Self-awareness also helps you recognize the signs and symptoms of anger before becoming gripped by an uncontrolled anger response. These signs and symptoms may be different for each individual but may include being able to identify the types of things and situation that trigger your anger. Other symptoms may include feeling flushed, increased breathing and heart rate, butterflies in the tummy and muscle tremors.

Once you can recognise you are becoming angry, then it is this same self-awareness that will help enable you to de-escalate the situation and take a more measured approach to any response. Here are four simple steps you can take to de-escalate anger:

  1. Acknowledge your anger and take a moment to be aware of your feelings
  2. Perform deep breathing exercises (this will give your brain time to re-engage)
  3. Examine the situation that triggered your anger again with fresh eyes
  4. Think of a way to express yourself / anger in a way that won’t antagonise others

If you find that your anger has become detrimental to your life and relationships, then seeking the aid of a counsellor can also be of benefit. Together you can examine your anger and develop strategies to better identify and manage your feelings and outcomes.

If you feel counselling could be of benefit, click here to contact Rob at CUE Counselling WA.

Sleep and mental health (30/12/21)

One of the biggest mysteries in science is “Why do we sleep”? The short answer is; nobody yet truly knows. However, several theories have been put forward. For example, it has been theorized that much of our neural reorganization and new neuronal connections occurs during sleep. This is the reason why babies and teenagers (during puberty) sleep a great deal of the time, as this is the time their brains are undergoing the biggest changes and growth.

However, one thing can be agreed upon, sleep is very important and a lack of sleep can be detrimental to both your physical health and mental health. In the short term, lack of sleep is equally as dangerous as driving while drunk. In longer studies, rats totally deprived of sleep die within two or three weeks. Similarly, research has found evidence that insomnia precedes the development of not only depression but also bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders. Researchers have also found a link between insomnia and an increased risk of suicide. Further studies have also shown an association between sleep problems in early childhood and the development of psychosis and borderline personality disorder in adolescence. Consequently, sleep disturbances are also a common feature of most mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

It’s not just the amount of sleep, but also the quality. Sleep can be broadly divided into two categories within a cycle, REM and NON-REM, with REM constituting approximately 20% of the cycle time. Each cycle takes about 1.5 – 2 hours to complete and we typically need 4-5 of uninterrupted cycles. This all adds up with needing a minimum of about six to eight hours of sleep per night. However, it has been shown that there is no upper limit.

The good news is that there are effective ways insomnia can be treated. One method is the use of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), with research showing that on average people went to sleep 19 minutes faster and stayed asleep 26 minutes longer after CBT-I (for more information, click HERE). This is similar to the effects of sleeping tablets, but without the negative effects and the effects persisted long after treatment finished. Another way is to practice good sleep hygiene, tips for which can be found HERE.

So, enjoy your sleep and enjoy improved mental health.

The Stigma of Mental Heath (17/10/21)

Mental health–related stigma is a catch-all term that includes social (public) stigma, self-stigma (perceived), professional stigma, and cultural stigma.

Social stigma refers to the negative attitudes toward a person experiencing mental health illness. This is usually rooted in the misperception that people with a mental illness have a weak character. This can lead to discrimination, avoidance, and rejection and is usually the type of stigma discussed most often.

Self-stigma is the internalisation of social stigma, in that the person with the mental illness feels shame about his or her symptoms.

Professional stigma assumes that health professionals transfer and reinforce stigmatisation of their clients, while cultural stigma comprises the various ways that individual cultures interpret mental illness (Cerully et al., 2018; Hack et al., 2020; Holder et al., 2019).

There is a link between the level of stigma one believes they face and the attitude that their disorders should be kept secret. Secrecy becomes harmful in terms of hopelessness and social isolation, which is associated with suicidal ideation. The solution is simple, and that is to stop the stigma. As individuals we need to develop a better understanding of mental health issues and start to dispel the myths surrounding people that have a mental health challenge. As we would not think less of a person with a physical health issue, so we should not think less of those with a mental health issue.

Support is on hand.

Know the Signs Of Male Depression

Mental health disorders are a widespread problem. However, only one quarter to one third of people with a diagnosable problem will seek help. This issue is particularly prevalent in men, who seek help at about half the rate as women. Compounding this, statistics show that women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, but men are four times more likely to die from suicide. This suggests that many men may also have mental health issues that go largely undiagnosed. Furthermore, there are also indications there exists an unconscious gender bias in diagnostic judgment between men and women with the same diagnostic test score for depression.

One factor that also cannot be ignored is the differences in how men and women manifest symptoms of depression. It has been shown that various factors, such as socialization, may lead to men exhibiting depression through “male-typical depressive symptoms”. These can include aggression, irritability, violence, substance abuse, risky behavior, or somatic complaints—none of which are included in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnosis criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. Furthermore, there are no standardized instruments addressing these male-typical symptoms, which further contribute to the under-diagnosis of depression in men. However, it is not just the men themselves who suffer. As male-typical depressive symptoms are often externalized, others within the individual’s social circle, such as children and spouses, will also suffer.

So, know the signs of Male-Typical Depressive Symptoms:

  • Aggression
  • Irritability
  • Violence
  • Substance Abuse
  • Risky Behaviour
  • Somatic complaints (pain, dizziness, digestive problems etc)

Don’t wait till your “standing of the ledge” to take action. Talk to your GP or seek help from a counsellor or other mental health professional.

For information on counselling, please email me on robmarano@cuecounsellingwa.com.au or click here.

Information for this article was obtained from:

Jarrod B. Call, BS1 and Kevin Shafer, PhD1: “Gendered Manifestations of Depression and Help Seeking Among Men”; American Journal of Men’s Health 2018, Vol. 12(1) 41–51

Posted 10/08/21

Man feeling stress

The Science of Stress

We have all heard about it, we have probably all experienced it at some point in our lives. But what is it, and why does it occur. In this post I will try to explain the purpose of stress and its consequences in modern day life.

Stress is a naturally occurring biological process that is triggered when there is a perceived threat to our survival. It is an evolutionary process that is designed to help keep us alive and consists of a complex cascade of hormonal, biochemical and behavioral processes. Presently, this may sound contrary to what we know about stress today and its roll in adverse negative physical and mental health. So, how did a process that once facilitated improved survival, become the cause of a host of diseases? To answer that, we must go back to the abovementioned cascade of biological events.

When the cascade is triggered, the hormones and biochemicals released facilitate a number of processes. It causes hyper-arousal and vigilance, to make us more wary and alert to possible threats, which is useful if we are under predation. It also stimulates reproduction, feeding and growth, as well as increased respiration, oxygenation, metabolism, water retention and detoxification. Again, these are all useful processes for survival if food or water becomes limited for a time and we need to preserve our physical status.

However, in a modern society, these sorts of stressors are no longer the main issue. Our main stressors today are in the form of financial pressure, family issues, work related stress etc, none of which can be considered a true threat to our life. However, the body cannot differentiate between those perceived threats and true threats to our life. Consequently, the same cascade is triggered. In addition, the modern day threats are generally constant, causing the stress response to remain permanently “on”. It is this “chronic stress response” that is the cause of our ill-health. Consider if you will, the stress response that makes us hyper-vigilant, if turned on permanently it can lead to anxiety, insomnia, social withdrawal and depression. Increased feeding will lead to obesity, and increased metabolic processes, that once helped improved wound healing and tissue integrity, will now lead to pain and fatigue syndromes. These are just a few examples.

Therefore, it would seem quite clear that stress reduction, combined with diet an exercise, is an important part of maintaining a healthy life. The question now becomes, “How do I reduce my stress levels”. This I will make the subject of my next post. Stay tuned.

If you would like to know more or make a counseling appointment, please click here.

Stress Relief

I will try to break this down into two sections, the “Short-Term” and the “Long-Term”. The benefits of short term stress relief is that it is typically fast acting, can be done anywhere, requires no special skills and is free. Long terms stress relief will lead to a more permanent solution, but will require a level of routine and commitment to maintain. However, the benefits can be enormous.

Short-Term

  • tsTake controlled deep breaths – Increases your oxygen flow and calms the mind
  • Take a quick walk to release any nervous energy
  • Hug a loved one – releases oxytocin
  • Count backwards from 10 – refocuses the mind

Long Term

  • Exercise – The choice is yours but exercise will have many health benefits
  • Meditate – It’s a way to reconnect mind and body
  • Have a health balance diet – Like exercise; it will have many health benefits.
  • Sleep – Adequate sleep is extremely important for good mental health
  • Leisure Activities – go out an do what you enjoy, perhaps with a friend
  • Reduce the things that cause stress – not always possible (unfortunately)
  • Support Network – Friends and family can always help and if necessary, seek the help of a professional.

If you would like to know more or make a counseling appointment, please click here.

Posted 29/07/21

RETIREMENT / REDUNDANCY – Retirement, especially involuntary retirement, bears the risk that some retirees will suffer from the loss of daily routines, physical and/or mental activity, a sense of identity and purpose, and social interactions. This can often lead to a deterioration of both mental and physical health due to the lack of all or part of these beneficial aspects of work. Counselling can be a valuable part of a strategy to help retiree’s find new purpose leading to a more fulfilling and enjoyable life of retirement. For more detailed research regarding the impact of retirement on health, CLICK HERE.

SEPARATION – Going through a separation or divorce can be very difficult. It can turn your world upside down and make it hard to get through the work day and stay productive.

It’s normal to feel sad, angry, exhausted, frustrated and confused, and these feelings can be intense. You also may feel anxious about the future. Even if the marriage was unhealthy, venturing into the unknown can be frightening.

Sharing your feelings with friends and family can help you get through this period. Or, you could consider joining a support group where you can talk to others in similar situations. Isolating yourself can raise your stress levels, reduce your concentration, and get in the way of your work, relationships and overall health. Don’t be afraid to get outside help if you need it.

To more about coping with separation, CLICK HERE.