Stress – Week 2
Stress is a mind-body arousal that can save our lives, but can also fatigue the body systems to the point of malfunction and disease. It can be motivating, energizing, exciting, fun and challenging. In physical terms, stress means strain, pressure or force on a system. It is the body’s way of reacting to its environment through the buildup of internal pressure and strain of muscles tensing for action.
Stress can be both positive and negative. It is negative when it exceeds our ability to cope, therefore fatiguing the body systems and causing behavioral or physical problems. It is positive when it forces us to adapt and therefore increases the strength of our adaptation mechanisms. It is also positive when it warns us that we are not coping well and that a change in our lifestyle is warranted.
Critical incident stress occurs following a significant incident that personally affects a provider. It causes his or her normal coping mechanism to be overwhelmed, and the basic adaptive functioning is overwhelmed. When this stress is not dealt with in a timely, health manner, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD can occur.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that develops after someone has experienced a life changing or life-threatening event. In order for PTSD to develop, the event must have involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, and must have caused an emotional reaction of intense fear, hopelessness or horror. People who develop and are diagnosed with PTSD often re-experience the event over and over again, tend to avoid people or places that remind them of the event, and often feel on edge all the time. In severe cases, difficulties in concentrating, irritability and self-blame can complicate treatment options.
Although PTSD is sometimes harder to avoid after major traumatic events such as 9/11 or being on a battlefield in Iraq or Afghanistan, there are several steps that can be taken to ensure smaller events doing overwhelm our normal coping abilities. Many EMS agencies will implore the use of Critical Incident Stress debriefing after a particularly horrifying event has occurred. I personally have attended CISD once, following a car accident I responded to the night before Thanksgiving in 2009. I found the format and the discussion to be particularly helpful.
Practical Exercise
Below is a link to a seven-day muscle relaxation plan. Follow the directions in the plan, and perform it over the next week. This blog will have an extended deadline of next Thursday, 8 February 2012. Record your experiences and send me one e-mail next week outlining if this helped you deal with any tension you might have had.
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