How to Combat Psychological Distress

Do you frequently experience the following?

I feel like my life is coming unraveled.

Our family seems to go from one crisis to the next.

My spouse and I are drifting further and further apart.

I’m unhappy most of the time.

The future seems bleak and without much hope.

Anger and frustration are my constant companions.

Attempting meaningful relationships is too risky.

An answer of “yes” puts you in the company of many individuals in today’s society. Social scientists often tell us that the stress, uncertainty and despair felt by many stems, in part, from a decade of more of excesses, greed, and erosion of values.

We as a society not only lived beyond our means but also lost our perspective on what was important in our lives and the lives of those around us. Other factors such as the changes in world government and its ripple effects, the devastating disease of AIDS, ecological destruction and economic recession all contribute to a threat to our ability to adjust and cope.

If you are tired of chronic feelings of psychological distress, perhaps you can begin to experience positive change by employing some of the following strategies:

• Many individuals make it a priority to be survivors. Not surviving is not an option in their lives. Studies of POWs and other survivor situations where odds against survival were high have shown that one’s mental attitude can make coping and adjusting not only possible but probable. I have counseled many individuals who decided to “change the odds” in their favor by adopting a new outlook.

• The unknown can produce feelings of chaos and fear. If persistent, these feelings can generalize and give rise to the perceptions that negative consequences will result from most of our attempts to cope. Individuals caught in this trap become anxious and insecure when confronted with change. They begin to assume the worst, and a self-fulfilling prophecy is the result.

The key to positive change is to refrain from perceiving change as a threat and instead view it as challenge. This is easier for some individuals than others, but by practicing the embrace of change in small steps, confidence will increase and threat will subside.

• Reduce feelings of chaos and uncertainty by consolidating the essential elements in your life, thereby deceasing overcommittment and unwanted external demands. Individuals under stress frequently worse their situation by obligating themselves to more and more demands. Feelings of insecurity increases with stress, and the ability to focus and say no decreases.

Review priorities frequently. Slow down. Avoid panic by maintaining your focus and goals. Examine your commitment to relationships and compare this to your commitment to and energy spent in acquiring material things and other ego-inflating endeavors. How much time do you spend talking your spouse, children, friends and relatives?

The ‘90s may signal the return to people and the beginnings of distance from material things.

Copyright © 1992 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.