Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques

Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Listen
Respond
Refer and/or tell a family member

Be a “front-line” responder. You can play a significant role in helping those who struggle with depression or who may be at risk for suicide. You don’t have to be a trained counselor to make a difference. You just have to be brave enough to approach the person and let him or her know you care. As a friend or family member, you are one of the few who will be able to notice a change in the person and provide help as needed.

LISTEN, RESPOND, REFER
LISTEN

It’s the most important thing you can do! Allow the person to express anger, fear, anxiety – share honest feelings and perceptions of the situation.
Repeat what you heard: facts, content, the problem, his or her feelings (“I hear you saying… . It sounds like you are … .”)
Never provide reassurances (“Don’t worry, it will be fine.”).
Never dismiss the problem (“Everyone has troubles.”).
Listen attentively; try to understand what he/she is saying, feeling, thinking.
Reinforce positive thinking and responses, and help problem solve.
Remain calm if the person expresses suicidal thoughts. Talk about it. In most cases, the person is relieved to tell someone. Talking about the situation out loud can release some of the deep emotions inside and allow the person to hear for himself or herself that he or she needs to seek help.
RESPOND

State concerns and ask questions:

State your concerns about his/her behavior, mood, appearance, etc.
Ask questions about changes you observe.
“I see you have trouble concentrating. You asked me to repeat the same information several times in our visit today, unlike our usual visits.”
“I noticed you’re really quiet. Is there something bothering you?”
If you have an idea of the problem, ask directly.
“Tell me how you’re managing.”
Don’t try to analyze and interpret, and don’t tell them about someone who has a worse situation! Stating your specific concern about his/her situation is the best way to avoid analyzing or arguing about the person’s safety.

Ask about suicide:

If concerned about suicide, ask if he/she is considering harming him/herself or attempting suicide. If yes, follow up with questions such as: “Do you have plans to harm yourself or others? Have you taken any actions toward carrying out this plan? How do you see the future? Do you feel hopeless, like giving up? Have you ever wished you could go to sleep and never wake up? What has kept you alive to this point?”
If the person engages in talk about a plan and actions taken, consider this person at high risk and seek help immediately. Call 211 or 911.
Communicate that you care:

“I am concerned about you. I worry that you may not be able to handle the stress and I want to help.”
Make a plan together. “Let’s go talk to the pastor/doctor together and see how we can get through this together.”
If you’re really worried about someone and aren’t comfortable approaching that person, ask another trusted person (friend, family member, clergyperson) for an opinion or to go with you. You also can call 211 to consult about the situation.

REFER

An important goal, and often the most difficult for us to do, is to get that person to seek help.

Begin by directly talking about what you see and your concerns. Suggest that he/she seek help from a health-care provider or mental health professional. You can offer to go together or have another trusted person accompany him/her. For example: “I am concerned about you. I think it could be helpful for you to talk to someone or to see your doctor.”
Provide information about the resources — you can call ahead on your own to ask about services and/or obtain advice about the situation. Explain it as well as possible to the person. This takes the “fear of the unknown” away and provides a first, logical step to recovery. Encourage the person to schedule and attend the initial appointment.

Stress testing gives your doctor information about how your heart works during physical stress. Some heart problems are easier to diagnose when your heart is working hard and beating fast.

During a stress test, you exercise (walk or run on a treadmill or pedal a bicycle) to make your heart work hard and beat fast. Tests are done on your heart while you exercise.

You may have arthritis or another medical problem that prevents you from exercising during a stress test. If so, your doctor may give you medicine to make your heart work hard, as it would during exercise. This is called a pharmacological (FAR-ma-ko-LOJ-i-kal) stress test.

Overview
Doctors usually use stress testing to help diagnose coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. They also use stress testing to see how severe CHD is in people who have it.

CHD is a condition in which a fatty material called plaque (plak) builds up in the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart.

Plaque narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow to your heart muscle. It also makes it more likely that blood clots will form in your arteries. Blood clots can partly or completely block blood flow. This can lead to chest pain or a heart attack.

You may not have any signs or symptoms of CHD when your heart is at rest. But when your heart has to work harder during exercise, it needs more blood and oxygen. Narrowed arteries can’t supply enough blood for your heart to work well. As a result, signs and symptoms of CHD may only occur during exercise.

A stress test can detect the following problems, which may suggest that your heart isn’t getting enough blood during exercise.

Abnormal changes in your heart rate or blood pressure
Symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain, which are particularly important if they occur at low levels of exercise
Abnormal changes in your heart’s rhythm or electrical activity
During a stress test, if you can’t exercise for as long as what’s considered normal for someone your age, it may be a sign that not enough blood is flowing to your heart. However, other factors besides CHD can prevent you from exercising long enough (for example, lung disease, anemia, or poor general fitness).

A stress test also may be used to assess other problems, such as heart valve disease or heart failure.