Psycho-emotional stress - burnout of the soul. Psycho-emotional overstrain

Psycho-emotional stress is a critical condition of a person who is exposed to excessive emotional and social overload. This concept refers to the adaptive capabilities of the psyche, which are necessary for an adequate response to changes in the surrounding world (positive and negative).

In difficult life situations, internal resources are gradually exhausted.

If for a long time a person does not have the opportunity to relax, switch attention from a traumatic situation, a kind of “burnout of the soul” occurs.

Aspects that characterize the concept of "psycho-emotional" stress:

Modern psychology describes the concept of "psychogenic" stress as a set of emotional and cognitive reactions of a person to a certain life situation. The sources of stress can be both real traumatic events (death of a loved one, natural disaster, war, job loss), and an excessively negative perception of various circumstances by a person in his own life.

Psychology to help - what to do when strength is at its limit?

Popular psychology helps to cope with stress, the causes of which lie in a distorted perception of reality, inability to regulate one's own emotions (express them in an appropriate way, restore peace of mind). If the psychological state allows you to work (albeit in a less efficient mode), gain knowledge and strive for self-improvement, then it will be enough to study the aspects of the formation of emotional stress and methods of dealing with it in order to bring yourself into a harmonious state on your own.

Clinical psychology and competent professionals will come to the rescue, which will help to normalize the physical and mental state. First, the impact is on the symptoms of stress (reducing their intensity), then on the causes of their occurrence (complete elimination or reduction of the degree of negative impact).

Psychologists and psychotherapists make it possible to identify all aspects of the occurrence of psychoemotional disorders and help a person to better manage his psyche, increasing adaptive skills.

In advanced cases, the psychological state is so deplorable that it is on the verge of neurosis or clinical depression. A person needs medical treatment, which only a psychiatrist has the right to provide.

Psycho-emotional state - the basis of personal health

The human psyche has an extremely complex structure, so it can be easily unbalanced due to the impact of various adverse factors.

The main causes of mental disorders are:

cognitive disorders;
emotional overload (psychogenic stress);
physical illnesses.

The concept of "psycho-emotional state" means the totality of emotions and feelings experienced by a person. This includes not only what a person experiences “here and now”, but also a wide range of mental scars from old experiences, repressed emotions and unfavorably resolved conflicts.

Detrimental effect on mental state

The most striking characteristic of a healthy psyche is the ability to independently experience life's difficulties. The reasons for failures in the mechanism of "self-regulation" can be very diverse. Each person is “knocked down” by a certain situation that is important in his mind. Therefore, the concept of psycho-emotional stress is always associated with the interpretation and evaluation of a person's own life.

The principle of destructive influence is simple:

bring the negative emotions of a person to the maximum limit (boiling point);
provoke a "nervous breakdown" or the inclusion of an emergency braking mode (apathy, emotional burnout, mental devastation);
exhaust emotional reserves (memories of positive emotions).

The result is psychological exhaustion. It is important to remember that the impoverishment of the emotional sphere is always accompanied by violations of the logical-semantic, cognitive area of the psyche. Therefore, recovery methods always involve an integrated approach to the triad: “body-mind-soul” (harmonization of their interaction).

Common causes of psycho-emotional overload

The occurrence of an unexpected negative event in the life of an individual.
Prolonged accumulation and suppression of negative emotions(Example: lifestyle in "background stress" mode).

The mental health of a person when receiving emotional / sensory stress depends on the scale of the adverse event and the real possibilities of the person (mental, financial, temporary, physical) to cope with it at a given time.

Gender Interaction

The psychological health of a person directly depends on the realization of one of the most important needs - to love. The search for a partner begins with the state: "I want to receive love", and the creation of a family - "I want to give love." Any failures and delays in this area cause a powerful emotional imbalance.

Death of loved ones

The loss of significant social connections destroys a stable mental state and exposes a person to a rigorous revision of his own picture of the world. “Life without this person” seems faded, devoid of meaning and hope for happiness. Others can see vivid symptoms of depression or neurosis. A suffering person needs competent psychological help and support from loved ones. The greatest risk of getting a nervous breakdown, the formation of suicidal behavior, entering a state of clinical depression or the manifestation of psychiatric abnormalities, are introverts who have a small social circle and do not receive help from the environment.

Childhood psychological trauma

Children are completely dependent on adults and do not have the opportunity to fully express their emotions and protect their own identity. The result is a mass of repressed resentment and negative emotions. The causes of most chronic diseases lie in the psycho-emotional stress experienced in childhood. Psychoanalysis and humanistic psychology deal best with old childhood traumas.

Unsuccessful passage of age crises

Unsuccessful passage of the “frontiers of age development” or getting stuck on them (the concept of “Peter Pan”, the “eternal student” syndrome) generates large-scale intrapersonal stress. Often the symptoms are so acute that they completely immobilize the volitional and energy resources of a person. Then psychology and the centuries-old baggage of human knowledge about emotions and emotional stress come to the rescue.

frustration

The concept of “frustration” means “disorder of intentions”, when a person finds himself in a situation (real or imagined), where it is impossible to satisfy the needs that are significant at the moment. In a narrower sense, frustration is understood as a psychological reaction to the inability to get what you want. For example, a person lived for many years for the sake of achieving one goal, but at the very last moment the “bird of happiness” fluttered out of his hands.

Prolonged physical illness

The psychology of the 21st century pays special attention to psychosomatic diseases, including more than 60% of existing diseases among them! The influence of the psyche on physical health cannot be overestimated - the popular saying: "A healthy mind in a healthy body" is confirmed by numerous scientific studies.

It is enough to eliminate destructive emotional experiences for a person to recover even with a serious, chronic illness.

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The harmful effects of stress
An effective relaxation exercise

Psycho-emotional stress is a difficult condition that can cause dangerous diseases: in some cases, it provokes a cerebral vascular attack. Psycho-emotional stress can be overcome, the main thing is to learn how to do it. To avoid stressful situations, you can try many different techniques.

In modern medicine, there are many ways to help cope with this condition.

You can resort to meditation, yoga, relaxation, you can get rid of the accumulated negative energy with the help of ordinary valerian, mint is a good sedative.

The harmful effects of stress

When a person experiences these conditions, he releases a certain amount of adrenaline and norepinephrine. In large quantities, these hormones are harmful to the body. They contribute to an increase in pressure, as a result of their action, adrenaline and norepinephrine can damage the vascular wall and cause vasospasm. After stress, such dangerous ailments as heart attack and stroke can develop. With frequent testing of negative emotions, a person may develop hypertension, which causes significant harm to health.

Adrenaline and noradrenaline increase muscle tone, moreover, they contribute to an increase in blood sugar levels. If a person has any problems associated with the activity of the cardiovascular system, or has a tendency to high blood pressure, stress will have a stronger effect than on a healthy person. If a person has heart problems, vascular spasms, the consequences of stress can be very dangerous. This mental state can be caused by various negative factors, for example, everyday difficulties, often a person experiences stress while at the workplace. Everyone needs to learn how to deal with stress.

In some cases, people experience chronic stress. accompanied by increased fatigue: in this case, there is insomnia, migraine. Worth knowing: frequent stress can significantly weaken the protective properties of the immune system.

A condition such as chronic stress poses a threat to health: it can cause hypertension, in which there is a frequent increase in pressure. Chronic stress negatively affects the state of the cardiovascular system and blood vessels. In this case, there is a considerable risk of sclerotic plaques (especially if the level of cholesterol in the blood is elevated). Bad mood and depression can easily develop into psycho-emotional stress. These conditions can lead to disruption of the organs and all body systems. If a person is sick at the same time, the body will spend energy on dealing with stress and be distracted by the restoration of mental functions, thus, the fight against the disease will be reduced to zero.

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Methods for dealing with anxiety

To alleviate the symptoms of stress, psychologists advise keeping a diary or speaking thoughts into a voice recorder. It is important to ensure that a person can explain, characterize, analyze his own mood. The level of stress can be reduced by writing down thoughts on paper: in order not to go headlong into your thoughts, try to speak out, a person dear to you can listen to your problems. After that, your mood will change for the better, you will be half free from disturbing thoughts. There are many ways to manage stress and provide prevention against this mental illness. The most radical option is to leave civilization.

Pet owners claim that it is the latter that help to cope with stress. When a person strokes a dog or cat, his well-being improves to a large extent. As a result of research, the positive effect of pets has been proven. If a person has a pet at home and often pets him, the psyche becomes stronger, the person himself becomes more restrained, moreover, his pressure normalizes. Pets do not just give joy, they are able to reduce hypertensive crises. To avoid daily stress, you need to try to change external circumstances, for example, change your place of work and even place of residence. Not everyone decides to take such responsible steps, so you can change your attitude towards a specific annoying factor.

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Physical exercise and heart-to-heart talk

Some people prefer to remain silent when under stress, while others try to speak out. To gradually get out of a stressful state, it is recommended to start physical training. By doing exercises, you can calm down and overcome moderate depression, physical exercises greatly strengthen the cardiovascular system, they normalize blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Regular exercise helps to strengthen the immune system and resist stress every time. After an intense half-hour workout, the mood will improve significantly: a person’s anxiety state will decrease by one quarter, in addition to these features, physical exercises contribute to favorable mental activity. Walking will also help relieve stress: it is recommended to walk for half an hour at a brisk pace.

As mentioned above, talking and writing down thoughts on paper helps to overcome stress. Try to find a person with whom you can discuss your problems, he should listen to you, understand how you feel. To relax and distract yourself from negative thoughts, you can lie on the bed with your eyes closed and imagine that you are relaxing on a sunny beach, breathing in the crystal clear air. Try to come up with a picture that will be suitable for you. It is important to tune in to a positive wave, while turning on your own imagination. These exercises can be done for 30 minutes a day.

To avoid stressful situations, you can resort to a technique called progressive relaxation. It is necessary for a person to understand the difference between when his muscles are in a calm state and when they are in a tense state. On the sensations of such a contrast, it is easy to understand when you feel relaxed. It must be realized that the state of relaxation can be achieved almost always when you need it.

Stress - This is a reaction of the human body that occurs in response to the action of a stimulus, regardless of whether it carries a charge - negative or positive. The fast pace of modern life and the emergence of new needs lead to the fact that there are more and more irritants, and the burden that we have to endure is incredibly increased. Kinds:

Useful stresses, or eustresses - the concept has two meanings - "stress caused by positive emotions" and "mild stress that mobilizes the body."

Harmful stresses, or distresses, occur when tension reaches a critical point, when there is no more strength to fight it. The immune system suffers from stress. In a stressful state, people are more likely to become victims of infection, since the production of immune cells drops markedly during periods of physical or mental stress.

emotional stress called the emotional processes that accompany stress and lead to adverse changes in the body. During stress, the emotional reaction develops earlier than others, activating the autonomic nervous system and its endocrine support. With prolonged or repeated stress, emotional arousal can stagnate, and the functioning of the body can go wrong.

psychological stress, as a type of stress is understood by different authors in different ways, but many authors define it as stress caused by social factors. According to the nature of the impact, neuropsychic, thermal or cold, light and other stresses are distinguished.

Adaptation Syndrome- a set of adaptive reactions of the human body, which are of a general protective nature and arise in response to stressors - adverse effects that are significant in strength and duration. The adaptation syndrome is a process that naturally proceeds in three stages, which are called the stage of stress development:

Stage of "alarm"(alarm reaction, mobilization stage) - mobilization of the body's adaptive resources. It lasts from several hours to two days and includes two phases: 1) the shock phase - a general disorder of body functions due to mental shock or physical damage. 2) the “anti-shock” phase. With sufficient strength of the stressor, the shock phase ends with the death of the organism during the first hours or days. If the adaptive capabilities of the body are able to resist the stressor, then the antishock phase begins, where the body's defense reactions are mobilized. The person is in a state of tension and alertness. No organism can be constantly in a state of alarm. If the stress factor is too strong or continues its action, the next stage begins.

resistance stage(resistance). It includes a balanced expenditure of adaptive reserves, the existence of the organism is supported in conditions of increased requirements for its adaptive capabilities. “The duration of the resistance period depends on the innate fitness of the organism and on the strength of the stressor.” This stage leads either to stabilization of the state and recovery, or, if the stressor continues to act even longer, it is replaced by the last stage - exhaustion.

Exhaustion stage- loss of resistance, depletion of the mental and physical resources of the body. There is a discrepancy between the stressful effects of the environment and the body's responses to these requirements.

Stress Realizing Systems.

The mechanisms of adaptation to the effects of stressors are nonspecific and are common to any stressful effects, which allows us to speak of a general adaptation syndrome (or stress reactions).

In modern literature, the mechanisms underlying the stress response are called stress-realizing systems.

The first stage in the stress response is the activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the autonomic nervous system.

Physiological changes in the body observed at the first stage of the stress response:

1) increased heart rate;

2) increased heart rate;

3) expansion of the vessels of the heart;

4) narrowing of the abdominal arteries;

5) pupil dilation;

6) expansion of bronchial tubes;

7) increase in the strength of skeletal muscles;

8) production of glucose in the liver;

9) increase in the productivity of mental activity;

10) expansion of the arteries passing in the thickness of the skeletal muscles;

11) acceleration of metabolism.

Stress-limiting systems.

In the process of evolution in the human body, mechanisms have appeared that prevent the development of a stress reaction or reduce its negative side effects on target organs. Such mechanisms are called stress-limiting systems, or systems of natural stress prevention.

GABAergic system. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is produced by many CNS neurons, including inhibitory ones.

Under the influence of enzymes, GABA is converted in the brain into GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid), which can inhibit the activity of many brain structures, including the hypothalamus.

As a result, the stress response is not triggered.

endogenous opiates(enkephalins, endorphins, dynorphins). Formed from beta-lipotropin in the pituitary gland under the influence of stress. These substances cause euphoria, reduce pain sensitivity, increase efficiency, increase the ability to perform long-term muscular work, and reduce anxiety. In general, these substances reduce a person's psychogenic reactions to stimuli, reducing the intensity of the emotional reaction that triggers the stress reaction.

prostaglandins(mainly group E). Their production increases under stress, as a result of which the sensitivity of a number of tissues to the action of catecholamines decreases. This is especially expressed in relation to the sensitivity of neurons of the central nervous system to norepinephrine. Thus, prostaglandins reduce the severity of the stress response.

antioxidant system. As noted earlier, under the action of glucocorticoids, lipid peroxidation is activated, resulting in the formation of free radicals, which lead to the activation of many biochemical reactions in cells, which disrupts their vital activity (adaptation fee). However, in the body there are endogenous "extinguishers" of these free radical processes, which are called antioxidants. These include vitamin E, sulfur-containing amino acids (cystine, cysteine), the enzyme superoxide dismutase.

trophotropic mechanisms. Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system during the stress response is the most important defense mechanism against the side effects of glucocorticoids and other participants in the stress response.

If in the 19th century people died mainly from infectious diseases, today diseases of civilization have come to the fore among the causes of death. They are named so because they are largely determined by the way of life of modern people, which is characterized by low physical activity, overnutrition, constant emotional overstrain.

These diseases primarily include cardiovascular: arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, concomitant myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke. Psycho-emotional stress also underlies obesity, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, bronchial asthma, diabetes, allergies, arthritis.

Human health, therefore, largely depends on how he endures stressful situations, how optimal ways of solving life problems he chooses. It has been noted that centenarians “often have a calm character, love of life, optimism, and a desire to be useful to people.

Chronic emotional or nervous overstrain" can occur for a variety of reasons: this is job dissatisfaction, conflicts at work or in the family, and poor working and living conditions. Negative emotions leading to stress can also be the result of sad events in life, for example, death of a loved one, divorce, etc. However, it is not the circumstances themselves, sometimes beyond our control, that lead to stress, but the way we perceive them.

In many countries of the world, including ours, mass population studies were carried out using psychodiagnostic methods. It was found that people who are suspicious, insecure, prone to despondency, as well as angry, vindictive, irritable, often conflicting have a higher risk of getting angina pectoris, myocardial infarction or arterial hypertension. This is due to the fact that negative character traits reduce a person’s resistance to stress, contribute to the emergence of strong negative emotions at the slightest pretext. Such an emotional state often becomes chronic, which, in turn, causes adverse physiological reactions, leading to the development of diseases.

Even Hippocrates said: "Despondency, melancholy, fear, anger destroy the body." The scientist X. V. Hufeland, who lived in the 18th century, wrote: “Among the influences that shorten life, fear, sadness, despondency, longing, cowardice, envy, hatred occupy a predominant place.” It is curious that modern scientific research has confirmed these words.

That is why it is so important to train your emotions, try not to dramatize events, be able to switch off from depressing thoughts, establish equal relations with others, and be benevolent towards people. Learn to “extinguish” conflict situations, not attach importance to minor troubles, missteps made by others, and be critical of yourself. Try not to be the initiator of conflicts. Before giving vent to your emotions, think for a second: will you help yourself if you show incontinence, won't you heat up the atmosphere even more? Think: is it worth getting annoyed at all in this situation?

There is another way to deal with stressful situations. This is humor. It is well known that laughter helps to get rid of excessive nervous tension. Looking at the situation with humor, you can largely overestimate its dramatic nature, otherwise treat the cause of the conflict and your behavior. And, by the way, it is very important in a conflict situation to understand and feel the thoughts and mood of the “enemy”. Don't try to force your point of view on others. Listen to your opponent's point of view and try to respect it. On the contrary, try to critically perceive your point of view. Don't be ashamed to admit you're wrong and give in. Reasonable concessions are not only useful for business, but also cause the respect of others.

Know how to distract yourself from worries and troubles for a while, no matter how great they are. If something is bothering you, distract yourself with some household chores, go to the cinema, to an exhibition, listen to your favorite music or read an interesting book. Communication with nature helps many people - hiking, climbing, just a walk in the park. Talk to a close friend, girlfriend who will understand and support you.

Scientists have long proven that the best way to relieve nervous tension is physical activity. It can be physical labor, such as gardening, or physical education - walking, running, swimming, gymnastics, any other sport that you enjoy.

Try to walk as much as possible (5-8 kilometers a day). If there is not enough time for walking, walk to work and on business. By

if possible, do not use the elevator. Climbing stairs 3-5 floors is a great workout, and such physical activity helps to better endure stress and relieve nervous strain. Being in good physical shape, a person will resist a viral infection, and withstand heavy workloads. Interestingly, all this has a scientific basis. During physical activity, substances such as endorphins and enkephalins are produced in the body, which have the ability to improve mood, vitality, and make it easier to endure various kinds of stress.

It has also been noticed that those who devote at least 20 minutes to physical education a day are more restrained, correct, and smile more often. With systematic training, anxiety decreases, self-confidence increases - the character of a person becomes balanced and calm.

Physical exercise also ensures good sleep. which is also important for coping with stressful situations.

An excellent remedy for stress is a bath (steam or sauna). The bath procedure enhances metabolism, activates blood circulation and thereby relieves nervous and physical fatigue, restores strength, increases vitality, improves mood. If there are no contraindications, then it is advisable to go to bath every 7-10 days.

Autogenic training has proven itself well. Of course, it is necessary to master its techniques with the help of a specialist. Auto-training gives you the opportunity to independently influence your mental and physical state. After all, relaxation of the muscles of the body also relieves nervous tension, normalizes the activity of the nervous system. With the help of such training, you can quickly restore working capacity, improve mood and sleep, and achieve many other useful results.

Perhaps, in order to fulfill all the tips given here, you will need not only to review and change your habits, lifestyle, but also your character. And this requires readiness and desire. In the early stages, this can cost you a lot of effort. But your efforts will pay off handsomely: the psychological climate in the family and at work will improve, you will become more balanced, optimistic and cheerful.

Psycho-emotional stress is a critical state of a person who is exposed to excessive emotional and social overload. This concept refers to the adaptive capabilities of the psyche, which are necessary for an adequate response to changes in the surrounding world (positive and negative).

In difficult life situations, internal resources are gradually exhausted. If for a long time a person does not have the opportunity to relax, switch attention from a traumatic situation, a kind of “burnout of the soul” occurs.

Aspects characterizing the concept of psycho-emotional stress:

a decline in physical strength (faults in the nervous system lead to serious consequences for the whole organism);
the emergence of a feeling of anxiety, growing within 2 days (changes in the functioning of the brain, excessive production of hormones - adrenaline, corticosteroid);
emergency operation of the body (at the mental and physical level);
depletion of physical and mental strength, culminating in a nervous breakdown and turning into acute neurosis, depression and other psychological abnormalities.

Modern psychology describes the concept of psychogenic stress as a set of emotional and behavioral reactions of a person to a certain life situation.

The sources of stress can be both real traumatic events (death of a loved one, natural disaster, war, job loss), and an excessively negative perception of various circumstances by a person in his own life.

Psychology to help - what to do when strength is at its limit?

symptoms are felt as emotional burnout, loss of taste for life;
catastrophically reduced performance;
the state of global fatigue is observed from the very beginning of the day;
disturbances in the cognitive (mental) sphere are manifested - memory, concentration of attention, ability to analyze, etc. are deteriorating;
there is an acute psychological imbalance (a person ceases to be the master of himself);
emotional reactions to any events become excessively aggravated (aggression, anger, desire to escape/destroy, fear);
joylessness, up to despondency and disbelief in changes for the better, becomes a permanent, background state.

Psychologists and psychotherapists identify all aspects of the occurrence of psychoemotional disorders and help a person to better manage his psyche, increasing adaptive skills.

Psycho-emotional state - the basis of personal health

The human psyche has an extremely complex structure, so it can be easily unbalanced due to the impact of various adverse factors.

The main causes of mental disorders are:

cognitive disorders;
emotional overload (psychogenic stress);
physical illnesses.

The concept of psycho-emotional state means the totality of emotions and feelings experienced by a person. This includes not only what a person experiences “here and now”, but also a wide range of mental scars from old experiences, repressed emotions and unfavorably resolved conflicts.