Preventing stress in older people. Ways to prevent stress

INTRODUCTION

Stress is present in the life of every person, since the presence of stressful impulses in all spheres of human life and activity is undeniable. Stressful situations occur both at home and at work. From a management perspective, we are most interested in the organizational factors that cause stress in the workplace. Knowledge of these factors and paying special attention to them will help prevent many stressful situations and increase the efficiency of managerial work, as well as achieve the goals of the organization with minimal psychological and physiological losses to personnel. After all, stress is the cause of many diseases, and therefore causes significant harm to human health, while health is one of the conditions for achieving success in any activity. Therefore, the work also examines personal factors that cause stress. In addition to the causes of stress, the first chapter analyzes the stressful state of the body - stress tension, its main signs and causes.

The main attention is paid to ways to deal with stress, some exercises on relaxation, concentration, and autoregulation of breathing are given. It is very important to overcome yourself and do these exercises; in the future, if a stressful situation arises, the effect of doing them will more than compensate for the initial efforts to master the exercises. The fundamental principles of using various methods as a preventive measure against the onset of a stressful state are also outlined in detail.

Stress is an inevitability that we should be aware of and always remember. Stress is predictable. It is imperative to prepare for his arrival and try to cope with him as best as possible. Some stress can be avoided altogether. You cannot allow stress to overcome you. We must patiently and willingly prepare ourselves for difficult life situations that we will certainly encounter both at work and in our personal lives.

1. HISTORY OF STRESS

The phrase “all diseases from nerves”, widespread at the beginning of the century, was transformed into “all diseases from stress.”

According to the World Health Organization, 45% of all diseases are associated with stress, and some experts believe that this figure is 2 times higher. According to a study conducted in the CIS, 30-50% of clinic visitors are practically healthy people who only need to improve their emotional state.

The situation is little better in developed, relatively stable countries outside the Soviet Union. For example, according to the American magazine Psychology Today, approximately 40% of Japanese teachers, a fifth of UK workers, and 45% of US wage workers suffer from stress. Frequent complaints include depression, anxiety, and headaches.

Maybe we need to beware of negative emotions at all costs and run away from stress? Should I leave big cities if possible, worry less about worries and anxiety, and not set any serious goals for myself? This is always associated with search, uncertainty and risk - therefore stressful. Maybe you just need to live quietly, protecting your health?

But the author of the doctrine of stress, Hans Selye, believes that stress can be useful, increasing the body’s strength, even calling it “a spicy seasoning for the everyday food of life,” arguing that only under certain conditions does stress become pathogenic.

Yes, common sense and everyday observations also confirm that constant “escape” from stress is not a solution, not a panacea for diseases.

Everyone can easily remember among their acquaintances those who maintain good health, cheerfulness and responsiveness, despite continuous, numerous stresses. And others are painful and distrustful, although they avoid stress and seem to live without tension.

It is usually believed that a person is healthy and joyful, despite frequent

stress, or often gets sick and depressed, despite good living conditions and lack of stress.

Or maybe it is thanks to stress that people can acquire resilience, optimism, and health? And depression and anxiety, perhaps, sometimes arise precisely in connection with complete well-being and stability, due to the complete absence of stress?

It is known that during the war many suffered from such an undoubtedly stressful disease as a stomach ulcer. Maybe stress is sometimes not only not harmful, but even beneficial? Who is he - our enemy or friend?

It can be both, and it depends to a large extent on ourselves, on our ability, in particular, to turn our enemies into friends, to learn from mistakes, and not to lose heart.

The word "stress" in English means a state of pressure, tension, effort, strain, as well as the external influence that creates this state. In the meaning of “pressure”, “tension” it is usually used in technology; in life more often denotes the pressure of circumstances in expressions like: “under the yoke of poverty”, “under the influence of bad weather.” It is assumed that the English word stress comes from the Latin stringere - to tighten. This word first appeared in 1303 in the verses of the poet Robert Manning: “... this flour was manna from heaven, which God sent to people who had been in the desert for forty winters and were under great stress.”

The word “stress” entered the literature on medicine and psychology half a century ago. In 1936, in the journal Nature, in the section “Letters to the Editor,” a short message was published by the Canadian physiologist Hans Selye (then unknown to anyone) entitled “The syndrome caused by various damaging agents.”

While still a student, Selye drew attention to the obvious fact that various infectious diseases have a similar beginning: general malaise, loss of appetite, fever, chills, aches and joint pain. Experiments confirmed the young scientist's observation. They showed that not only infections, but also other harmful influences (chilling, burns, wounds, poisoning, etc.), along with consequences specific to each of them, cause a complex of similar biochemical, physiological and behavioral reactions. Selye suggested that there is a general nonspecific reaction of the body to any “harmfulness” aimed at mobilizing the body’s defenses. He called this reaction stress.

What does it mean - nonspecific reaction? Different influences on the body usually cause different reactions. On a frosty day, we try to move more to increase the amount of heat generated in the body, and the blood vessels of the skin narrow to reduce heat transfer. In the hot summer, the desire to move is reduced to a minimum; Reflex sweating occurs, increasing heat transfer. As you can see, the reactions are different (specific), but in any case you need to adapt to the situation. This need for restructuring requires, according to Selye, non-specific “adaptive energy”, just as “various household items - a heater, a refrigerator, a bell and a lamp, which respectively provide heat, cold, sound and light, depend on a common factor - electricity.”

Selye identified three stages in the development of stress.

The first is an anxiety reaction, expressed in the mobilization of all the body's resources. This is followed by the stage of resistance, when the body manages (due to previous mobilization) to successfully cope with harmful influences. During this period, increased stress resistance may be observed. If the effect of harmful factors cannot be eliminated and overcome for a long time, the third stage begins - exhaustion. The adaptive capabilities of the body are reduced. During this period, it is less resistant to new hazards, and the risk of disease increases. The onset of the third stage is not necessary.

Selye later proposed to distinguish stress And distress(English distress - exhaustion, misfortune). He began to view stress itself as a positive factor, a source of increased activity, joy from effort and successful overcoming. Distress occurs with very frequent and prolonged stress with such combinations of unfavorable factors, when it is not the joy of overcoming that sets in, but a feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, awareness of excessiveness, unbearability and undesirability, offensive injustice of the required efforts. This distinction between stress and distress is not always strictly made even in scientific, much less in popular, literature. Scientific articles on stress tend to begin with complaints about the lack of clear definitions, and dictionaries give not just one, but many definitions. The Concise Oxford Dictionary has 5 definitions of stress , among which are the following: motivating or coercive force, effort or large expenditure of energy, forces that have an impact on the body.

Whatever definitions are given by different authors, their meaning becomes clear from the context. The same nonspecific reaction of the body identified by the young Selye, which, regardless of the cause of stress, has its own patterns of development, is always assumed to be the central element of stress. It is important for us to understand this central physiological and biochemical link of stress in order to understand how mental experiences and emotional reactions “transform” into bodily disorders: diseases of individual organs or general physical malaise.

The complex physical and biochemical changes that occur during stress are a manifestation of an ancient defensive reaction, formed during evolution, or, as it is called, the fight or flight reaction.

Stress is a condition that can affect everyone from babies to the elderly. In psychology, this concept denotes a state of mental stress that occurs in a person in difficult conditions, both domestic and professional. Stress can affect the body not only from a negative, but also from a positive side, but most often its influence is still caused by the disorganization of human activity.

Since stress is always a certain physiological reaction to any extreme situation, it is almost impossible to avoid it. However, in psychology, this condition has two opposite sides: periodic stressful situations help a person to mobilize his strength and energy, learn to quickly make decisions and maintain the balance of the internal environment of the body. Without this, life would seem very boring and static. A negative impact appears when stress and the tension associated with it are constant and pronounced, because this contributes to a decrease in immunity and the development of somatic and mental illnesses. The consequences of chronic stressful conditions can be quite dire, so it is extremely important to try to maintain some kind of balance in life.

Historical background: the original concept of stress was described in the works of C. Bernard, a famous physiologist originally from France. It was his concept and classification of this condition that became publicly available over time. In the scientific community, this topic began to develop especially actively after the publication of articles on this topic in the journal Nature in 1936.

Predisposing factors

The causes of stress include a very extensive list of various factors. Starting from infancy, a person experiences stress. Young children can suffer due to even short-term separation from their parents, lack of a clear daily routine, etc. The causes of stress in older children often lie in poor relationships with peers and an unhealthy family atmosphere. The triggering point for the occurrence of this pathological condition can be any traumatic circumstances, for example, the death of a pet, parental divorce, bullying by classmates, or academic failure.

The causes of stress in modern teenagers are not much different from those in adults. Factors that provoke stress include excessive stress at school and at work, failures in professional and personal life, loss of loved ones, financial difficulties, and dissatisfaction with oneself. We cannot exclude physical fatigue that occurs as a result of chronic lack of sleep, past illnesses, poor nutrition, and excessive sports activities.

Classification

As already mentioned, a stressful state is not always harmful, since there are also beneficial types of stress, which in psychology are called eustress. The reasons for its occurrence lie in certain positive experiences and emotions. This state helps a person to collect himself and better control the situation. In some cases, eustress can develop into distress - destructive stress, the impact of which can only be described from a negative side.

The types of stress that affect the physiology and psyche of any person can be as follows:

• Physiological stress. It occurs due to exposure to any external factors, be it unfavorable climatic conditions, a strict diet, etc. Stress can also arise when the body leaves a similar physiological state;
• Psychological stress. In this case, the stressful state is caused by some strong emotional experiences, which can also be positive;
• Nervous stress. This condition is, as a rule, a consequence of prolonged, chronic stress, as well as anxiety neurosis and other disorders of the nervous system;
• Short-term stress. The natural state of the body of every person, which is a kind of protective reaction to external stimuli, rarely presenting any serious danger;
• Chronic stress. If we consider all existing types of stress, it is chronic that poses the greatest threat. Severe depression and nervous breakdowns, exacerbation of many somatic diseases and even suicide - this is not a complete list of consequences that long-term, chronic distress can lead to.

A stressful state does not arise instantly, but goes through certain phases in its development. The following stages of stress can be distinguished: anxiety and general tension, which contributes to the mobilization of all the body’s defenses, resistance, in which the body either fights with an unusual situation or adapts to it, and, finally, the final victory or exhaustion. As for the last phase, it is quite possible to overcome a stress disorder on your own if the body has enough resources necessary for this. Otherwise, at the last stage of stress, a person can fall into the deepest depression and experience all the manifestations of nervous and physical exhaustion of the body, which sometimes has disastrous consequences. This can be avoided only by competent and timely prevention of stress.

Symptoms

Before describing the main signs of stress, you should understand how exactly human physiology is connected with such a condition. When an unusual situation arises, the brain receives a kind of danger signal, resulting in a surge of adrenaline and the mobilization of all the body’s resources. Childhood, professional and any other stress is characterized, first of all, by a sharp increase in muscle tone, increased heart rate, and slowed digestion. Due to the fact that blood drains from the brain, a person begins to think worse, nausea and fainting may occur.

In young children under two years of age, stress manifests itself as moodiness, refusal to eat, and sleep disturbances. At an older age, behavioral disorders are added to these symptoms, in which the child behaves inappropriately for his age, becomes demanding, irritable, and unsociable. Also, signs of stress in preschoolers include the appearance of previously unusual phobias, speech defects, and aggression.

Children of primary school age, finding themselves in a stressful situation, exhibit increased fatigue, which negatively affects their academic performance, complain of headaches and stomach pains, and can intentionally harm themselves. All this is usually aggravated by aggression towards others, low self-esteem, unstable mood, deterioration in memory and attention. Children often experience nervous tics and speech disorders.

As for teenagers, their stress also manifests itself in quite a variety of ways. Typically, typical signs of this condition are disobedience, challenging behavior, aggression, unsociability, loss of appetite, and sleep disturbances. The child may think about suicide, consider himself misunderstood, or lose interest in previously favorite activities.

In adults, the manifestations of stress disorder are almost the same. These can be either psycho-emotional symptoms associated with increased irritability, decreased memory and attention, depressed mood, etc., or somatic symptoms - migraines, intestinal pain, muscle pain, skin rashes, etc.

Thus, stress inevitably has a certain impact on the behavior, physical and mental state of people, regardless of gender and age. The following general signs of stress can be identified:

• there is an inadequate reaction to any non-standard and difficult situation;
• irritability, causeless laughter and other manifestations of increased excitability;
• uncontrollable behavior;
• decreased physical and mental activity, leading to failure in school or work;
• sleep and appetite disorders;
• criticality;
• depressed mood self-pity;
• a decrease in general immunity, resulting in the development of various diseases of the body and exacerbation of chronic pathologies, such as peptic ulcers, gastritis, etc.;
• headaches;
• possible addiction to alcohol or drugs;
• At the same time, a person experiencing stress claims that he is unable to somehow change the situation and refuses to make any attempts to improve his own life.

Preventive measures

Preventing stress is actually nothing complicated, which means that every person is able to avoid its negative consequences. There are a number of methods available that, if used regularly, will benefit the entire body. Frequent walks in the fresh air are an excellent stress prevention accessible to everyone.

Keeping a diary and making lists is a method that will allow you to structure your own thoughts and quickly find the optimal solution in the current situation.

In case of overwork and emotional exhaustion, a short trip, a hike, or communicating with pleasant people in an informal setting can restore the energy and strength of the body. Stress prevention will be especially effective if you regularly use special relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, and relaxing baths. It is very important to find an interesting hobby to combat stress.

Moderate but regular physical activity can also be a great help. And, of course, consultations with a psychologist and the use of auto-training techniques.

All these measures will allow you to avoid severe stress or at least reduce its negative impact. If you cannot overcome the disease on your own, it is best to turn to professionals who will teach you how to find positive aspects in any situation and control your own emotions and behavior.

Psychic therapy. Problems and stressful situations in old age. Each stage of life development has its own specific loads. In later life, especially often, the cause of loss and changes in familiar connections is the death of a life partner or friends, poor health, physical disabilities, financial difficulties or other life challenges that we have already mentioned. It is clear that these depressing events cause painful mental reactions.

Old people who, due to current life circumstances, feel depressed or depressed, should be informed that psychotherapeutic consultations can help them overcome difficulties and cope with unfavorable stressful situations. They need to be given confidence that they are not only able, like young people, to endure difficulties and adversity, but that their realism and life experience helps them endure losses and illnesses more courageously and with greater composure.

Problems and stressful situations in old age. Somatic diseases and age-related biological changes

Among the stress factors that old people suffer from, somatic diseases can most often be identified.

The health status of an old person changes in various ways. A general slowdown in biological processes is normal. Vision and hearing deteriorate, metabolism slows down. The senses become dulled, especially the sense of smell and taste. Muscles lose their elasticity, which makes it difficult to move and dexterity when performing habitual actions. To maintain itself, the body needs less nutrition and sleep than before.

Although most old people are not very concerned about the physical changes associated with their age, they suffer from many chronic ailments that limit their mobility and cause stress. Chronic illnesses change a person's life and affect their emotional life. Irritation and frustration are the most common reactions to illness-related limitations, as are feelings of helplessness and vulnerability. Even a healthy person can be paralyzed by fear of illness. This fear destroys the image of oneself as a strong and productive person. For many people in later life, illness gives rise to the disturbing idea that illness is the “beginning of the end” and that sooner or later they will be forced to go into a nursing home. Such fears encourage older people to hide their painful symptoms. In this regard, before the necessary help is provided, a minor problem can develop into a serious illness. Psychotherapy, combined with exercise therapy and occupational therapy, can help reduce the severe effects of chronic illness by teaching patients strategies to cope with their physical and mental problems.

Sleep problems

Sleep disorder is one of the most common problems of late life. Some people have trouble sleeping as they get older because their bodies change how they process food and medications. A single cup of coffee, for example, can cause a sleepless night due to the delayed elimination of caffeine. Likewise, many medications that are commonly used by older people can cause drowsiness or insomnia. Physical illnesses can cause frequent awakenings and limit the ability to get adequate rest at night. Severe snoring and breathing problems become more common as people get older, which also prevents them from sleeping normally. Disorders can also develop due to depression and fear.

As people age, their sleep becomes shorter and more shallow. The importance of sleep and the consequences of its disruption for the elderly are underestimated. Insufficient sleep has a negative impact on the ability to function normally during the day, leading to falls and other accidents, for example, and promoting confusion in thinking. Although taking many sedatives in the evening can be helpful in some situations, avoiding long-term use of sleeping pills (the use of which increases in people over 65 years of age) can be a problem. Sleeping pills can cause many side effects that aggravate this problem for a long time.

Problems and stressful situations in old age. Sexual behavior and sexual difficulties

The need for physical intimacy, sexual feelings and desires persists throughout life - this is a normal phenomenon in old age. Although such needs are gradually limited in old age, the sexual behavior of old people is usually similar to that in younger years: those who were active in their youth retain a high probability of having a sexual life in old age, and vice versa.

There are no norms for appropriate sexual desire or sexual activity in later life - just as in young years it is normal what two people feel towards each other.

Old age causes changes in sexual responses. Old men need a longer time to have an erection and ejaculate. Their ejaculation is less quantitatively than that of young people. These changes are normal and reflect a general slowdown in physiological processes. Deterioration in the ability to have sexual intercourse is not at all a sign that a man has lost his potency.

For women, changes in sexual functioning are primarily associated with a decrease in the concentration of estrogen hormones in the blood. The vagina becomes drier and less elastic, and therefore sexual intercourse is sometimes perceived as unpleasant and painful. Sexual activity remains, for example, in the form of masturbation, which helps a woman maintain her ability to vaginally slide. A water-soluble cream (not petroleum jelly) can give a dry vagina some needed moisture. Women with severe problems of this kind may benefit from taking estrogen or using a cream containing estrogen.

Certain organic diseases are a common cause of sexual problems in old people. In men, a common cause may be diabetes, which causes impotence, as well as prostate disease. In most cases, these problems can be eliminated with appropriate treatment for the condition. Although myocardial infarction does not affect sexual function, fear of sex is a very common reaction to it due to the fear of another heart attack. However, it should be noted that, despite the fact that sexual activity increases blood pressure and causes an increase in heart rate, it has not yet been established that the risk of myocardial infarction increases during sex.

Medicines used for both physical and mental illnesses can cause problems. Drugs that inhibit ejaculation or cause impotence include many antihypertensive drugs, heart medications (such as digitalis), and antidepressants and tranquilizers.

Sexual arousal can be reduced due to a number of mental disorders. It is depression that is the most common cause of such sexual problems as sudden impotence, a reference to which may indicate the presence of depression. People who suffer from depression later in life often believe that their sexual problems are due to age. As depression heals, sexual arousal also returns.

Inappropriate sexual behavior such as lewd remarks, attempts to entice others to have sex, and fantasies about it may be associated with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Dementia also leads to inappropriate sexual behavior, especially in people who have been hospitalized for a long time. However, sometimes an attempt to establish ordinary human contact is mistakenly regarded as sexual assault or attempted rape.

Sexual activity in old age should be favorably perceived by public opinion. Most older people want to live an active, enjoyable sex life and are able to fulfill these desires. Problems encountered should not be regarded as inevitable. They are usually caused by reasons such as illness, disability, side effects of medications, or mental stress. Psychological or medical treatment can significantly improve the situation.

Isolation and loneliness

Old people need heartfelt human connections and a sense of being needed and important. Research shows that a person who has at least one boyfriend or girlfriend whom he can confide in experiences significantly more enjoyment in life and fewer problems than someone who lives an isolated lifestyle.

Isolation threatens older people more than any other age group due to restrictions on social activities and interpersonal connections. Therefore, old people often feel lonely and many of their “diseases” are rooted in the problem of loneliness. We emphasize: the importance of social connections for health is often underestimated! However, not all old people living in isolation complain of loneliness. Some people truly prefer to lead an independent life - they adapt well to solitude, and their mental well-being does not suffer from living alone. In some cases, isolation can even lead to the restoration of lost self-care skills.

But more often than not, social isolation is a major contributing factor to mental disorders, including depression and paranoia. It has been established that when living alone, the risk of somatic diseases, alcoholism and suicide increases. Isolation increases a person's sensitivity to other stressors, including reactions to the death of loved ones, chronic illness or poverty, i.e. for all those reasons that usually cause mental problems.

Relatives and friends who show concern for a lonely old man should tell him about what surrounds him, what opportunities for a full and interesting life there are where he lives. Some German cities offer special programs for the elderly in the fields of culture, creativity, psychology, and even sports within the framework of the People's High Schools (People's Universities). Group physical exercise and intellectual pursuits have a particularly beneficial effect and are a significant precondition for improving well-being. They also increase energy levels, help relax and normalize sleep, improve appearance and self-confidence, and support social activity.

If an old person complains of loneliness, a series of psychological consultations can be recommended. Psychotherapy not only replaces the human need for contact, but can also help you reorganize your life and establish new connections. First of all, group psychotherapy is recommended. In addition to achieving specific therapeutic goals, it can simultaneously become a convenient reason for establishing and improving social contacts.

Death, grief and loss

Late years are characterized by numerous losses - a life partner, brothers and sisters, long-term girlfriends and friends, sometimes adult children. Most old people do not experience excessive fear of their own death. Excessive fixation on it can be a symptom of depression and can be completely eliminated with the help of psychotherapy.

Grief work is the process of overcoming the reaction to the death of a loved one. Both young and old people usually go through various stages of grief. Older people often take longer to experience these stages. This process can last from 6 months to two years.

The immediate reaction to the death of a loved one is often “mental deafness” or disbelief in the finality of the separation. Emotions then range from almost complete insensitivity to irritation and severe depression. Problems with sleep and appetite often occur.

In the normal course of the “grieving process,” the initial feelings of depression and disbelief in the finality of the departure pass within the first few weeks, giving way to a rational understanding of the loss. Then depression appears with crying, feeling tired, loss of interest in usual activities and relationships with other people. Those experiencing this process may experience conflicting feelings in which the desire to reunite with a loved one is mixed with anger against his departure. Sometimes close relatives experience aggression against those who took part in caring for the deceased, blaming doctors or nurses for not saving their loved one. Some individuals blame themselves, believing that they could have done more to prevent the death.

It is important for the grieving process that this feeling can be expressed externally. This could be conversations with other family members, friends or a confessor. If the mental pain does not subside or the elderly person is fixated on his grief, a psychotherapeutic consultation may be useful. Prolonged grief, depression, persistent feelings of guilt, weight loss, self-deprecation, excessive identification with the deceased (sometimes so strong that the living person experiences the same physical symptoms that the deceased experienced before death) and urges to harm oneself (including giving away gifts). valuable possessions or excessive financial spending) can ultimately lead to suicide. In such cases, assistance to protect physical and mental health is necessary. Sometimes men, after their wives pass away, actually become seriously ill and die. Perhaps this is due to the fact that men maintain social contacts less than women.

In recent years, numerous groups have been created in Germany in which people have the opportunity to talk about their feelings and work through grief after the death of a partner. Information about these types of offers is available from local folk universities, churches and psychosocial centers. If resolution of the problem associated with the loss of a loved one is delayed, qualified consultations will help you correctly assess and analyze your feelings and thereby contribute to the beginning of recovery.

Retirement and other changes in goals and lifestyle

Changing goals and lifestyle is a significant component of old age. Some are quite normal about becoming grandparents, about ending their active careers and retiring. However, the loss of truly serious and important life goals harms a person's identity and self-esteem.

The transition to retirement or taking an annuity is a turning point in later life. Work gives meaning and direction to many people's lives. Many of them have difficulty adjusting to the loss of an established structure of life, as well as parting with the company of friends and co-workers.

There are very interesting studies that show that the transition to retirement is not a common cause of depression. Of course, this does not mean that the decision to leave work never causes depression, but only indicates that the percentage of people for whom this circumstance is a reason for therapy is limited. Thus, the indicator of depression caused specifically by retirement may be clinical manifestations, rather than short-term and transient problems.

The transition to retirement can have a depressing effect on marital ties due to the fact that the couple suddenly begins to spend more time together, and often due to a completely new environment that lacks previous social contacts. A couple who have until now led virtually different lives often become convinced that they have little in common.

The transition to retirement can also affect your relationship with your children. Some older people find it difficult to lose parental authority. They complain that their children abandoned them to their fate and feel hostility towards them. This role change can be a source of conflict. Children, as well as their parents, often feel uncomfortable and embarrassed by the fact that a newly grown child suddenly has to provide help or care for an impoverished parent, especially if this child was previously deprived of independence and tried to leave all decisions to the father or mother.

Psychotherapy can help an older person find a new role for themselves. Marriage and family counseling, primarily aimed at younger people, may also be useful for resolving role conflicts later in life. Self-help groups and retirement preparation groups can also be helpful.

Onset of addiction, placement in a nursing home

One of the most difficult experiences of old people is the fear of losing their independence due to illness, financial and other social circumstances. Moving into a nursing home or home with children takes a toll on self-esteem, which in turn can have a negative impact on physical and mental health. Common reactions to such forced dependence are depression, fear and aggression. There are also behavioral disorders and, above all, escape from the institution where they were sent. If a person is not voluntarily moved into a nursing home, the risk of illness and death increases.

When choosing a nursing home you need to:

Make sure that you are comfortable with the invitation and whether the person organizing the invitation or the manager of the nursing home is sufficiently qualified. Find out if the property has any violations of applicable regulations. Ask who in your local administration you can contact if necessary.

Get information about the extent to which you can qualify for medical care and care, what necessary measures can be taken in this house in case of emergency. Find out how the mental health and medical services are provided in this home.

Find out what types of programs in the areas of rehabilitation, culture, creativity and communication can be offered to you.

Get an idea of ​​the quality of food and general equipment. You can easily obtain detailed information about caring for the helpless, wheelchairs for their mobility and chairs. This can help achieve greater independence and mobility and reduce the likelihood of depression and running away.

Talk to other people living in the house and their relatives. Make one or two unscheduled visits, perhaps in the evening, to get a feel for the staff and service at the facility.

Conditions for respecting privacy are very important. Find out if you can have a private room and how much it will cost you. If you can only get a room for two, find out if you can arrange a roommate for yourself in that room.

Some people, traumatized by nursing home conditions and loss of independence, feel hopeless. They often react to the situation with behavior that psychiatrists call “infantilization” (a return to childhood forms of behavior), i.e. deliberate helplessness, which intensifies if they are approached by friendly administration or care staff. This behavior goes away when the old person becomes convinced that he can solve his problems himself.

One of the ways to make the decision to move into a nursing home easier is to have the freedom to choose one. Each such institution is required to provide information about daily routine, services, free time activities, etc.

If an elderly person associates his mental problems with placement in a nursing home, it is necessary to ensure that he receives psychiatric consultations and therapy.

Family members often place excessive demands on the care of their physically or mentally ill relatives. Due to feelings of guilt, they delay the relocation process, sometimes even to the detriment of the old person or the entire family. Often there is deep conflict between siblings over who should care for the father or mother, who even raised the issue of moving them into a nursing home, or who should bear the costs of care.

Psychotherapy can help relatives normalize their feelings and conflicts and support them in discussing these issues. She can also help make decisions about either nursing home placement or outpatient or home care.

Sleep problems in a nursing home

Many elderly people living in nursing homes complain of difficulty sleeping. Numerous factors can contribute to this problem: unfamiliar, new surroundings, new, uncomfortable mattresses, noise made by staff and other occupants of the home, lack of physical exercise, prolonged naps during the day or going to bed early at night, boredom or irregular daily routine associated with taking medications.

There are often complaints that the inhabitants of this house impose an unnatural daily routine. Many nursing homes have few night watches, which can affect the safety of those older people who have to get up at night.

To make your acclimatization easier, you need to:

Before you or a loved one enters a nursing home, talk to the staff about the home's daily routine and traditions as they relate to ensuring a good night's rest. If the rules in this house are at odds with your habits, try to find other options that suit you.

Check out the daily program. Decide to stay in a nursing home that provides daily opportunities for physical activity, creative groups, and participation in educational programs.

Bring pillows from home with you. Find out if they can provide you with foam or board coverings if you find the mattresses hard or soft.

Bring a night light and perhaps a cassette tape of soothing music or noise that you are used to - sometimes people wake up because they need this soothing background background.

Make sure that the medications you take during the day do not cause side effects that affect your sleep.

Stress is a series of nonspecific reactions of the body that arise as a result of exposure to unfavorable factors of various natures (physical, psychological), which disrupt its normal functioning, as well as the state of the nervous system.

As a result of exposure to various factors associated with danger or surprise, the body begins to produce specific hormones (adrenaline), which stimulate energy sources.

Thanks to this reaction, people cope with difficult situations. But, if this helped primitive people survive, such situations are easy for modern people. The whole point is that it is not so much the stress itself that is scary, but its intensity.

Stress in a limited amount is good, but in the modern world this human condition does not go away even for a day, and this leads to exhaustion of the body, and, accordingly, to...

Causes of stress - know to avoid

It is difficult to list all the causes of stress, since each person is individual and everyone will perceive the same situation in their own way: for one it will be the norm, but for another it will cause stress. Be that as it may, one thing is important: a stressful state occurs in cases when a person feels danger, a threat to life, or he himself invents this threat.

Factors influencing the occurrence of stress include:

Prevention of acute stressful situations

In order for acute stress not to take you by surprise, you need to prepare yourself for such situations and be able to adequately accept them, thereby avoiding the destructive effects of stress.

The main task of preventing acute stress is to learn to manage it and respond to the influence of stimuli in a relaxing way.

Relaxation as the main method

Considering that stress consists of three phases (impulse, stress, adaptation), the use of the relaxation method allows you to intervene in this process and stop the impact of the impulse, weaken the situation itself, accelerating adaptation. This will help avoid the development of psychosomatic disorders, and therefore the diseases to which they can lead.

Relaxation, by activating the nervous system, helps regulate the degree of arousal and mood.

Consequently, muscle and mental tension is weakened or completely relieved.

“Reworking” the day in the fight against stress

The habit of bringing into your home the negativity accumulated during the working day can cause stress not only for you, but also for family members who are unwittingly drawn into the abyss of events that do not concern them at all. In order to avoid stress yourself and not transfer it to your household, you need to rearrange your day:

• after you have crossed the threshold of the house, do not say a word about work;
• sit comfortably in a chair and forget about what happened during the day for 10 minutes;
• turn on your favorite music and completely immerse yourself in it;
• prepare strong tea and drink it either alone or with family members;
• fill the bath with warm, comfortable water (you can add sea salt or lavender essential oil to it), lie in the water for 10 minutes.

Also, when choosing this method, do breathing exercises: closing your lips tightly, take a deep breath. Place your face in the water and exhale slowly for as long as you can.

Each method lasts only 10 minutes. During this time, you will have time to switch to a positive wave and relieve stress.

Aromatherapy in the fight against negativity

The beneficial effects of aromatic oils on humans have been known since ancient times. Their effect is that vapors, entering through the membranes at the base of the nose and into the brain, affect mood.

So, using bottles, aroma lamps, massage, using ether and spraying it around the room can relieve stress. For this purpose, the following oils are used: basil, orange, spruce, jasmine, cedar, lemon balm, mint, rosemary, rose, tangerine, lavender.

How to prevent chronic stress conditions

In order to improve your life and avoid chronic stress, you can use a lot of methods to prevent it, but for each specific case a person will find the most effective one.

Conflict resolution

Conflicts in the family, at work, and other places are one of the most common causes of stress. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to meet their opponent halfway and this is completely in vain, since in order to get rid of a stressful situation more quickly and prevent stress, resolving the current situation will be the most effective method.

There is no need to argue for a long time and clarify who is right and who is wrong. Just meet each other halfway, take the first step and the situation will be resolved, and at the same time the stressful situation itself will be resolved, accordingly, you will be able to avoid all the negativity.

Reading books

Reading books will help you take your mind off reality and avoid stress. It doesn't require too much time or money to improve your emotional state.

Take a book (not a laptop or a computer, but a book) and immerse yourself in a world of fantasy, wonderful novels that switch thinking to a positive way and stimulate its normal functioning.

Prayer

For believers, the ideal option is to read a prayer. It suppresses the effects of stress-forming factors and helps avoid nervousness.

Physical activity

To remove excess steroid hormones from the blood, it is worth using physical activity.

In addition to the fact that a person takes care of his figure and physical health, he also improves his psychological state.

After playing sports, you can relax as much as possible, getting rid of stress.

You can choose a set of exercises either independently or with the help of a trainer.

How to Stop Stress At the First Sign

As soon as a person notices the approach of stress: frequent headaches, palpitations, unexplained tension in the morning, frequent mood swings, it is necessary to immediately stop this condition.

You need to select the appropriate method:

1. Pay attention to your breathing and do gymnastics: Inhale deeply and very slowly. This simple exercise relieves anxiety and stress levels.
2. Visualize a nice picture. The brighter it is, the better. Let your imagination draw only pleasant moments, completely unrelated to the stress factor.
3. On a piece of paper, sketch out the situation that worries you at the moment.. This simple task will help reduce tension and free your thoughts from stress.
4. Admit that you have stress. Just say, “Yes, I feel anxious, but I can handle it.”

Prevention of professional burnout

The work of any, even a very well-coordinated team is associated with conflict situations that arise from time to time for a number of reasons. Dissatisfaction with your position, salary, relationships with employees - all this can provoke professional stress.

How to avoid stress at work:

Anti-stress approach to life

Emotional stress is one of the causes of the development of various diseases. The ability to deal with situations that cause such disruptions is the path to a healthy lifestyle and a strong body. In order to avoid emotional stress, you first need to learn to adapt and not “savor” your problems.

Engage in physical exercise: evening walks, jogging, Chinese gymnastics will allow a person to relax and unwind as much as possible.

Remember that nutrition should be complete and rich in various vitamins, enzymes and mineral salts. Drink carrot juice, sprouted grain products, fish oil, and brewer's yeast more often.

The use of medicinal plants is widely used in the prevention of stress. Help to relax and calm: sage, valerian, peppermint, chamomile, motherwort.

Allow yourself to relax for 10-15 minutes in a warm bath, after adding essential oil (melissa, lavender, geranium, orange, rose, chamomile) to the water. And if you add any of the listed oils to the massage cream and perform a self-massage procedure, relaxation will come even faster.

To calm the nervous system and prevent stress, drug treatment in the form of medications can be used. The most commonly used are: valerian (tablet form and tincture), motherwort, hawthorn, Novo-Passit, Persen.

Stress is the cause of various somatic diseases, so its prevention is the key to human health and normal performance.

The concept of stress has become a part of our lives. Modern medicine has recognized that every person is susceptible to stress, regardless of age, position or material income, and therefore it is necessary to learn to cope with this condition and competently resist it.

Minor stress does not harm the body, although we encounter it almost constantly. Another thing is persistent or incredibly strong stress, which causes serious harm to health and can become a trigger for many serious diseases. By the way, in our country more than 70% of the population is under constant influence of stress, which means that for all those who want to live a full life and feel healthy, it is important to know the reasons why this dangerous reaction occurs and take all necessary measures to develop stress resistance .

Why stress occurs

First, let's look at the concept of stress itself. In essence, stress is the body’s response to negative emotions, physical or emotional stress, as well as monotonous bustle. In this regard, we are more often exposed to stress when engaged in professional activities, developing and trying to self-realize. As a rule, prolonged stress is caused by an unhealthy atmosphere in the team, constant quarrels and squabbles, overtime work, excessive demands and pressure from management, as well as work in a highly competitive environment. This also includes night shifts, constant noise in the workplace and the need to perform monotonous, monotonous work.

These are the main causes of stress. However, even if you don't work or your work life is enjoyable, stress can lurk in your home. This is facilitated by intra-family conflicts, dissatisfaction with social living conditions, internal fears, complexes and experiences, as well as the unrealization of one’s potential. All these negative factors leave a negative imprint not only on mental, but also on physical health.

Mechanism of stress development

You need to understand that the negative consequences of stress do not arise out of nowhere. Our body responds to stress through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or simply the HPA axis. That is, in the event of a stressful situation, the hypothalamus sends an impulse to the pituitary gland, which in turn redirects information to the adrenal glands, and the adrenal glands begin to rapidly produce glucocorticoids - stress hormones, which in a second mobilize the body's defenses to combat stress. It is under the influence of adrenaline, cortisol, testosterone and aldosterone that in a stressful situation our blood pressure rises, our pulse quickens, our blood becomes thicker and our reaction speed increases. However, if a stressful situation drags on, becoming chronic, the adrenal glands do not stop producing stress hormones for a long time, which leads to undesirable consequences for the body.

Physiological manifestations of stress

First of all, prolonged stress takes its toll on a person’s physical condition. In case of excessive levels of cortisol and adrenaline in the patient’s body, the following unpleasant symptoms appear:

Heart and blood vessels

Heart rhythm is disturbed, blood pressure “jumps” and cholesterol levels rise;

Intestines. Metabolism changes, constipation and cramping pains are increasingly tormented, and “irritable bowel syndrome” develops;

Lungs

There are breathing problems, shortness of breath and an increased risk of asthmatic diseases;

Eyes

Vision decreases and eye tremor appears;

Leather

Boils and acne form on the face, and the skin of the body undergoes inflammatory reactions. Eczema or psoriasis may appear;

Brain

Headaches appear, and a little later cognitive dysfunction occurs: memory decreases and attention is impaired;

Immunity

The immune system gradually weakens, allowing pathogenic agents to pass through, and therefore one of the consequences of stress is infectious diseases.

In addition, most scientists agree that stress is a trigger for the development of cancer.

Psychological manifestations of stress

According to doctors, physical manifestations of stress are just the beginning of all troubles with the body. Much more dangerous are psychological disorders caused by prolonged stress.

First of all, under the influence of stress, a person has problems sleeping. This could be problems falling asleep or insomnia, when a person wakes up in the middle of the night and cannot close his eyes until the morning. This condition is the first bell indicating an overstrain of the nervous system.

A little later, other, more severe conditions are added to insomnia. A patient exposed to chronic stress falls into a depressive state, he is indifferent to everything that happens, depressed and taciturn.

To cope with unpleasant sensations, a person in such a depressed state often begins to drink alcohol, use drugs, or take handfuls of antidepressants, which bring only temporary relief, causing serious addiction.

Ultimately, under the influence of persistent stress, the patient begins to suffer from neuroses, becomes irritable, eccentric, shows aggression towards others, or, conversely, becomes depressed and apathetic. Moreover, as practice shows, the second condition is much more dangerous, since a person may have thoughts of suicide.

Prevention of stress conditions

Understanding the harm that prolonged stress brings to the body, each of us should think about how to resist this phenomenon. Of course, we will not be able to completely protect ourselves from pressure, negative influence from outside, or our own anxious thoughts, and therefore we need to learn how to react correctly to stress, developing stress resistance in ourselves.

Practice shows that stress-resistant people not only have excellent health, but also reach professional heights, which means they more often realize their dreams and feel happier. Everything indicates that you need to strengthen your body and spirit before possible stressful situations. Here are some tips to help you prevent chronic stress from developing.

Change your attitude towards what is happening around you

To successfully cope with the effects of stress, you first need emotional intelligence. This is an important human quality, which is based on the ability to understand one’s own emotions and their reasons, as well as the emotions and motives of other people. If you look for the reasons for the conflict or irritation that appears in you, and do not immediately respond to the received negativity with the same portion of negativity, you will learn to react more calmly to the situations around you and become less susceptible to stress.

Learn to let off steam

Don't think that stress-free people are reserved by nature. They just know how to release negativity in a timely manner without keeping it to themselves. And this is a very valuable quality, because the accumulating negativity, not finding a way out, begins to destroy a person from the inside. That is why, learn to throw out aggression, for example, cry when you really want it, lock yourself in a room and yell, addressing your emotions to the person who caused your anger, or engage in physical work, because it has been proven that physical activity relieves stress better than others, promoting production of “joy” hormones.

Don't keep your emotions to yourself

It is very important to learn to understand the emotions and feelings that overwhelm you, to distinguish between resentment or anger, annoyance or irritation. It is important to talk about what worries you, calling a spade a spade. You just need to do this without “getting personal,” without insulting your opponent. For example, “your words offend me” (not you are a boorish, rude, impudent person), it makes me angry when I see (hear) this, etc. When you have expressed your feelings and explained your condition, there is a high probability that those around you will stop doing this in the future. But even if nothing changes, you were able to speak out and not keep the negativity to yourself. Remember, healthy emotion ends in action.

Try to get more rest

Very often, chronic stress appears due to disruption of work and rest patterns. This problem may arise for people who have not been on vacation for several years, regularly work on weekends and stay in the office until late. Here you need to understand that you can’t earn all the money, and for self-realization you don’t need to give all of yourself to work without a trace. By overdoing it, you will only push your cherished goal further. Establish a regime according to which every evening you should have several hours to relax and communicate with your family, be sure to arrange days off and do not forget about vacation, which is given to a person not for idleness, but for relaxation and restoration of vitality. At the same time, be sure to plan your vacation so that it does not take place exclusively in front of the TV or on social networks. Think about how you can diversify your leisure time: go to the cinema, take a walk in the park, go shopping or go on a short trip around the area.

Play sports

Physical activity is one of the best ways to combat stress. The fact is that when playing sports, joy hormones are actively released in the body - dopamine, serotonin and endorphin. This is why after physical exercise your mood improves and anxious thoughts go away. At the same time, when we encourage you to play sports, we are not talking about obligatory visits to the gym. On the contrary, to prevent stress, it is better to swim in the pool or ride a bike in the park, go jogging, or get together with friends and play football. It is this kind of physical activity, in the fresh air and combined with pleasant friendly communication, that will bring maximum benefits in preventing stress.

Normalize your sleep

The brain needs rest no less than the body, because we all remember that the mechanism of stress development begins precisely in the brain, where the pituitary gland and hypothalamus are located. That is why make it a rule to sleep at least 8 hours a day. Of course, for people who are used to sleeping 5 hours a day, it is not so easy to radically change their rest mode, but if you set a clear bedtime routine, and before that do not drink coffee or strong tea and do not stimulate your brain with computers and TV shows, everything will be fine. you can do it. By the way, according to doctors, in 60% of cases, long-term stress is provoked by chronic lack of sleep, and therefore, pay close attention to this aspect.

Watch your breath

According to experts, you can cope with any stressful situation if you learn to breathe correctly. Breathing is the only autonomic function that a person controls, which means that by mastering the appropriate breathing technique, you will be able to regulate your mood and remain calm in situations where they are trying to unsettle you. On the Internet and specialized literature, you can find the necessary techniques for teaching breathing yoga and quickly master them.

Find yourself a hobby

Each person should have his own outlet, his own hobby, to which he can “switch” after a hard day at work. Moreover, this is not just fun, but also therapy, arousing interest and improving mood, and most importantly, allowing you to switch your attention and distract from negative thoughts. A change of interests will only benefit you, so feel free to go fishing, to the forest to pick mushrooms, to the stadium, to cheer for your favorite team or to the bathhouse, taking a couple of true friends with you. By the way, it will be especially useful if you involve your friends in the hobby, because communicating with pleasant people is another effective means of combating stress. Health to you and joy of life!