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Stress and Anxiety

Nothing can be as isolating and discouraging as an experience of profound stress or anxiety. It can literally overwhelm one!

Stress is the maladaptive physical, psychological, and behavioral response that occurs with the discovery of a situation in which one does not possess adequate resources for coping. The situation is the stressor and the "overwhelming responses" are the stress. The problem of stress occurs with a host of circumstances, including physical illness, ongoing interpersonal conflict, and job burnout.

The very thing that is most helpful can also be the most difficult to do. That is, the person needs to slow down, process, and discover coping strategies. In many cases, a pastoral counselor with holistic sensitivities will be just the right person with whom to speak. On the positive side, stress is the organism´s invitation to face one´s finitude and live within one´s self. It is, then, an opportunity to make needed changes at an opportune time, and its presence holds the potential of translating individual suffering into serviceable adaptations. In more cases than not, having a companion-especially a professional one-is an exercise of hope, for it is the realization that "no one is an island." Rather, we need the genuine, thoughtful reflection of another to help us steward our strengths and our weaknesses.

Anxiety is the psychological response of dread or fear to an undetermined threat. It can be constructive and destructive. It may be constructive when one has the wherewithal to confront it. There is a normal anxiety associated with the awareness that we are not God, and that we are creatures who are not omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. It is destructive when one "loses it." That is, one loses the self to the experience of fear.

In anxiety disorders, one may experience an accelerated and pounding heart, sweating, trembling, sensations of shortness of breath, feelings of choking, chest discomfort, nausea, dizziness, fears of losing control, fears of dying, numbness, helplessness, and chills. In some cases the anxiety may become focused on certain objects like snakes or dogs, or on certain events like storms, or on certain situations like proceeding through a tunnel or seeing blood. One can also experience debilitating embarrassment and fear in certain public situations, like speaking or even leaving the house. There are times when a traumatic event has occurred, and one has not yet been able to fully adapt to that occurrence. Symptoms appear, indicating the ongoing need for further adaptation. Anxiety problems can present as persistent thoughts and worries about some life problem, and a repetitive behavior, like hand washing or magical praying, can develop in an effort to comfort the fear of the life problem getting out of hand. A panic attack is a terrible experience in which one can feel a sense of imminent danger, impending doom, and a desire to escape, and once it occurs one can be preoccupied with a recurrence.

Certified pastoral counselors may include repetitive diversions, cognitive and behavioral coping techniques, psychodynamic talk therapy, and medication in a treatment plan. It is important to speak candidly about these experiences and not permit one´s embarrassment to incarcerate the sufferer in further fear. Such experiences seldom are directly related to faith stances, but one´s faith can be a resource for coping and growing through the anxiety states. There are levels of anxiety. When one is not able to carry on with normal work, relating, and free movement, anxiety has gotten out of hand, and one needs professional help, especially when symptoms have been present for a week or longer.

Call one of the pastoral counseling centers and make an initial appointment to assess the problem and determine a suitable treatment response. Assessment can be done in 2 to 6 sessions, and treatment can be focused over a period of weeks or months, until the anxiety has diminished. For more information on anxiety, try these web sites:
www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety
www.paems.com

To contact the nearest Pastoral Counseling Center in your area click here.