What do we do when we are not feeling well? We stay home, rest, sleep, take medicine, etc. If that doesn’t work, we go to the doctors and get a check-up. We do this to make sure everything is alright and if something is wrong, hopefully it won’t be very serious.
This is normal for us to do and it’s the smart thing to do. Sometimes when we put off going to the doctor for too long we end up regretting it. However, many times we visit the doctors and they run all the tests they can think of. Yet, they can’t find anything wrong with us. Why is this?
Well, it could be that our ailment is due to our mental health. No, this doesn’t mean that we are unstable; it means that we may be overloaded, mentally. Think of it, right now what is happening to this country? Right now the economy is bad and it’s not getting better anytime soon. Not only that, we have to hear how many companies are still down-sizing or closing their doors. We also hear about people are losing everything and in some cases end up taking their own lives.
Many will say that this is not true; we are not that bad off. Well, if you aren’t, good for you. But what about those people that are hurting financially? Right now, many families are finding hard to make ends meet. When they get paid, they have to sit there and wonder which of the bills is more important to pay. Many of us are behind on our bills. Some of us don’t have had to cut down on our grocery bills drastically. Instead of three meals a day, maybe two and for some lucky if they get one meal a day.
So what do all of these problems cause us? It causes us to suffer from high levels of stress. Stress is a silent killer. It can cause a person to feel exhaustion, achiness, headaches, sleeplessness, chest pains, high blood pressure and depression. If a person is suffering from some type of illness, it will cause them to take longer to heal or may cause them to suffer even more from that illness. When the stress level goes higher and higher, it can cause a person to suffer from a heart attack.
Now, in addition to our financial woes, we have our emotional problems to deal with. At home, things may not be going well. When money is tight everyone gets angry. It’s hard to explain to others why we can’t go to the movies, we can’t have snacks, we can’t go on vacation, etc. Not only that, but then there are the arguments where a couple begins to blame each other for their financial problems. It’s even worse when only one is working and the other partner, that is home all day, expects them to solve the issue. This adds even more stress to our lives.
What does the person, who has the weight of all the problems on their shoulders, do? They hold it in, they don’t say a word. All the time this is building up inside of them and they are feeling worst as each day goes by. Their attentions span is less, they are more forgetful, they desire to do anything at all is less and less each day, they start to suffer at work, etc. Basically, their live begins to spiral downward and it gets out of control quickly. They find themselves depressed, lost, anxious and begin to suffer from anxiety attacks. The person at one point or another will lose total control. Either they will be as mad as hell and destroy all that is around them or have a panic attack that will take them straight to the hospital.
When this is happening to us, we need to face the facts and find help, quickly. It’s time to consider therapy. Right now, it’s not odd at all to know that many that are around you are in therapy. Of course, if you look at some of them, it seems like they need to go more often. Well, if we think they look bad now, wonder how they looked before they decided to go? Many will avoid this thinking that it’s a sign of weakness or that many will consider they suffer from some type of mental disorders. Well, first of all, who cares what others think of us. This is about our health and our own well being. That should be our only concern and nothing else.
Once in therapy, we will have to make changes in our lives. It may be that we will have to let certain financial situations go, maybe consider bankruptcy even though we don’t want to. We may have to let things go to collection and pay it off slowly. Another thing we have to look at is our home. If we are in a relationship where we are the sole bread winner and our partner is home doing absolutely (and are capable of working) except sucking the life out of us. It may be time to tell them to take a hike. It’s bad enough we have our own problems to deal with, why should we carry their burden on our shoulders too? If in a relationship, living with friends or have a family, everyone has to work together. These are not times to take advantage of each other. Instead, these are times to help each other.
We have to start considering what is really important. It’s true we need money to pay for shelter, food and transportation. If we have enough for this then we are better off than you think. In time, everything else will come along. It may be hard to accept but it’s these problems are not worth it, especially at the expense of our health. It’s time to get rid of this stress and calm down. Think about it, there are those that want us around for a long period of time and need us for support. The support is not always financial. If we have a job and wish to keep it, we have to be in control of our emotions and mental health. In this case, it’s okay to be selfish. It’s time to put ourselves first. Once we are better and more in control, we can help others.
It’s time to listen to our bodies, pay attention to our moods, behavior, etc. Since we know things aren’t going so well in the world, let’s turn off the news. Tell those with whom we live with that we don’t want to argue and if they begin to argue, get up and leave. At work, let’s do our work and avoid getting involved in problems that don’t concern us. It’s time to cut out anything that can cause us more stress and aggravation. This is the perfect moment to balance our mind and body. Don’t wait until it’s too late and we then can’t do anything about it. Consider taking up meditation or yoga. This along with therapy sessions will reduce our stress level and teach us how to keep it under control.