Health & Lifestyle
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
Addictions (eg. alcohol, pornography)
Bullying
Drug Use
Eating Disorders eg Anorexia, Bulimia
Health Issues
Hoarding
Identity Issues
Pain Management
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Sleep issues eg Sleep apnoea
Stress Management
Worrying & Rumination
Understanding Alcoholism & Alcohol Use
Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are due to many interconnected factors, including genetics, how you were raised, your social environment, and your emotional health. Some racial groups are more at risk than others of developing alcohol addiction. People who have a family history of alcoholism or who associate closely with heavy drinkers are more likely to develop drinking problems. Finally, those who suffer from a mental health problem such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder are also particularly at risk, because alcohol may be used to self-medicate.
Do you have a drinking problem?
You may have a drinking problem if you...
Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking.
Lie to others or hide your drinking habits.
Have friends or family members who are worried about your drinking.
Need to drink in order to relax or feel better.
“Black out” or forget what you did while you were drinking.
Regularly drink more than you intended to.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Use
Repeatedly neglecting your responsibilities at home or work because of your drinking.
Using alcohol in situations where it’s physically dangerous, such as drinking and driving, operating machinery while intoxicated, or mixing alcohol with prescription medication against doctor’s orders.
Experiencing repeated legal problems on account of your drinking. For example, getting arrested for driving under the influence or for drunk and disorderly conduct.
Continuing to drink even though your alcohol use is causing problems in your relationships.
Drinking as a way to relax or de-stress.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Alcoholism
Anxiety or jumpiness
Depression
Fatigue
Headache
Insomnia
Irritability
Loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Shakiness or trembling
Sweating
If you experience any of the above symptoms, seek out professional help at your earliest convenience.
Bullying
A bully can be defined as a person who seeks to harm, intimidate or coerce another person. Bullying is the deliberate and recurrent verbal actions or physical behaviours that are meant to intimidate or cause harm and/or distress for another individual, or collection of people. Some bullying behaviours can be name calling, talking badly about a person to others, harassment on the basis of discrimination due to race, religion, gender, sexuality etc. It can also be taking advantage of someone as a result of a power differential including status, age, intelligence, socio-economic status etc. Bullying can be direct from person to person, online, or by spreading rumours and talking negatively about them to others
Drug Use and Addictions
As with many other conditions and diseases, vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. In fact, genetics, mental health, family and / or social environment can all play a role in addiction. Risk factors that increase your vulnerability include a family history of addiction, abuse, neglect, or other traumatic experiences in childhood, or psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety to name a few.
Some physical warning signs can be a deterioration of physical appearance, personal grooming habits or tremors, slurred speech, or impaired coordination. Some behavioural signs can be a reduction in attendance and performance at work or school, or unexplained need for money or financial problems, or a sudden change in friends, favourite hangouts, and hobbies. Some psychological signs can be an unexplained change in personality or attitude, sudden mood swings, irritability, or angry outbursts, or a lack of motivation; appears lethargic or “spaced out”.
If you experience any of these symptoms, seek out professional help at your earliest convenience with your Doctor or a Psychologist.
Hoarding
Hoarding is the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value and results in distress at the thought of throwing away items. Someone who hoards may exhibit the following behaviours such a difficulty to get rid of possessions, severe anxiety when attempting to discard items, inability to organise resulting in clutter, denial and/or functional impairments, including loss of living space, social isolation, family or marital discord, financial difficulties, and/or health hazards
Identity Issues
Identity is the development of a set of personality traits or characteristics, which a person believes about themselves. For example, “I am a perfectionist … I am a sensitive person … or I am a trustworthy or kind person.” This creation of identity is also recognised by others around them. It is enduring and exclusive to the individual and provides a differentiation that is distinct to others. There are many factors that influence identity formation such as the person’s own beliefs or perceptions, the perceptions of others including family, friends, or the communities they socialise with, and ultimately the world we live in.
For some people a poor sense of their identity, or an identity crisis, can occur in adolescence where an individual may experience an issue of bullying at school or home, and therefore, begin to struggle with feelings and thoughts about themselves such as “I am unlovable or there is something wrong with me.” If the bullying continues over a long period of time or the person does not have social support that counteracts the bullying, then they can form negative self-beliefs, a lack of identity of self that is authentic and ultimately feel lost and alone in the world. They develop schemas such as self-sacrificing, subjugation and or defectiveness schemas that inhibit their capacity to know their true self. We refer to this as an identity crisis.
Pain Management
Secondary Psychological Symptoms of Pain
Pain is an unpleasant feeling in the body, which can cause a negative impact on a person’s physical. Emotional, psychological and/or spiritual functioning. The definition of Pain offered by Gorszyca and Agric (2013) is that Pain is ‘an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage’.
The Secondary Psychological Symptoms associated with the experience of chronic pain is well documented. The psychological distress can affect a person’s personal, interpersonal, social and occupational functioning in a negative manner. A person living with ongoing chronic pain can develop cognitions, feelings and behaviours that are as a result of coping with the pain daily, which can negatively impact on their psychological, emotional and physical health, in addition to the negative impact of the pain itself.
Whether the pain is from injury, illness or afflictions such as arthritis it causes distress, because a person cannot operate in the world as they did prior to the onset of chronic pain.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
SAD is identified as triggering changes in thoughts, feelings and behaviours associated by the change in seasons. People who experience SAD often report numerous symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, feeling depressed or experiencing low mood most days, lacking in motivation, social withdrawal, feeling lethargic or having difficulty focusing or concentrating.
Symptoms that are commonly experienced at the onset of winter can be an increase in appetite, leading to weight gain, sleeping too much or feeling lethargic. Conversely symptoms that are reported and specific to the onset of summer can be difficulty sleeping, a change in appetite leading to weight loss, or feelings of agitation or anxiousness.
Sleep Issues
Research demonstrates that poor sleep patterns can lead to issues involving our physical health including blood pressure, mood states such as anxiety and depression, memory, focus and concentration, diabetes and stress to name a few. The causes can be numerous including the experience of pain, worry and rumination, not having a routine, shift work, snoring, sleep apnoea and child rearing and so the list goes on. Short-term insomnia will rectify as the issue a person is experiencing resolves, however if the insomnia continues for a period longer than one month you should seek assistance.
Common Sleep Issues and Causes
The Lived Environment: For example residing in a noisy area, rearing children, or people in the house on different shift cycles for work.
Health or Medications: For example experiencing pain, diseases such as Graves’ Disease, depression, anxiety, colds and influenza or dental issues can affect sleep, anti-depressants or heart medications and snoring etc.
Lifestyle: For example smoking, drinking, avoiding going to bed or partying.
Stress: For example issues at work, home or in your relationships with others, child rearing, loss, grief, or overwork.
Stages of Sleep
There are five stages of sleep from being awake.
Stage One: Is classified as NREM, which is lightly sleeping where we can float in and out of awareness.
Stage Two: Is Deeper NREM, which involves a drop in body temperature, heart rate and brain waves. A person is not easily woken in this stage.
Stage Three: Is classified as NREM, which is the deeper sleep where eye movement stops, heart rate reduces and breathing slows. A person cannot easily be awoken in this stage.
Stage Four: Is classified as REM sleep, which is the deepest part of our sleep cycle where dreaming occurs. A person will feel groggy if woken in this stage.
Stage Five: Becoming awake as you cycle into NREM.
Sleep Guidelines
Stick to a routine sleep-wake cycle.
Avoid exercise, eating, caffeine for a few hours before your bedtime.
Limit day time sleeping to the middle of the day and not longer than an hour and a half.
Sleep in the same room and monitor the light in the room as well as the temperature and noise if possible to provide as little outside disturbance as you can.
If you are experiencing difficulty falling asleep, sometimes repeating your bedtime routine can assist you to trigger your sleep cycle.
Practicing mindfulness, relaxation or meditation before bedtime can assist you to get ready to sleep.
If you are monitoring all of the aforementioned issues and your sleep cycle is still being interfered with, then please contact a psychologist for assistance. There is also a sleep diary on our website to assist you to determine where there might be an issue you can identify to resolve. Goodluck! Otherwise seek further medical assistance from your General Practitioner.