Hey everyone,
I just posted my last Teleclass, Learning To Relax, for FREE at destressyourself.com.
Check it out, you can listen now or right click to download it to your computer.
I hope you enjoy....
Elizabeth
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
HOW TO DESTRESS YOURSELF
I have five major web sites, Destress Yourself, Destress Yourself Blog, Destress for the EMS, Elizabeth Stanfill (which is our newsletter archive), and Frazier Park, CA. I also have some research tools to each of these web sites, that show me what people type into the search engine to get to my web sites. Really cool huh? I love that stuff!
The number one phrase that is used, everyday, to get to my websites is, "How to Destress Yourself."
Everyday, I am helping people to 'destress yourself'.
If I only had a few minutes to talk with you and you really needed help to Destress Yourself, this is what I would tell you.
There is a stress response, better known as the 'fight or flight' response, that is activated when we face stressful situations. When the stress response is activated it increases our heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, blood circulation, and causes our blood-flows and many other body functions to shift.
Now, not everyone reacts to each situation the same way because we all think differently. Our reactions (thoughts about a situation) are what causes this stress response. So, a situation happens (it could be anything), we see it as stressful (we think doubt, fear, and worry), and then our stress response kicks in.
Negative emotions like anger, frustration, disgust, sadness, anxiety, irritation, aggravation, hatred, misery, depression, grief, and nervousness, imitate the stress response. So every time you have a negative emotion (for some, this could be all day long) you are creating wear and tear on your body.
SIDE NOTE: these negative emotions are standard and repetitive for many (the stressed) and that is why I call them habitual ways of reacting. These habitual ways of reacting can be decreased and eliminated.
So, in order to Destress Yourself, you must discover how, when, and why you are activating this stress response, and then learn how to decrease and ultimately eliminate it. Or, you could just change your negative reactions. This may be very easy or this may be very difficult, it just depends on your willingness and commitment.
Let me give you and example of activating the stress response. A very stressed out person has a habit of worrying about everything because of the way they look at the world and a very relaxed person has a habit of having faith about most things because of the way they look at the world.
So, if I were to ask a question like, "I wonder what is going to happen to our economy?" A stressed out person would think and talk about all the things that could go wrong, all the while experiencing the negative emotions mentioned above. A relaxed person would think and talk about all of the positive things that are in store for us and experience more positive emotions.
When the stressed out person starts to think and talk about all the things that could go wrong, guess what? That's right, the stress response kicks in. The stress response may kick in all day long for this person because of the way they think. Their thought process is full of doubt, fear, and worry (stressful). Not only does this person have a very habitual and stressful way of thinking, they also have a very stressful habit of kicking in the stress response.
This stress response is causing emotional illnesses like depression and anxiety, mental illnesses like a racing mind, the inability to concentrate, and indecisiveness, and physical illnesses like gastrointestinal problems, head aches, neck aches, and shoulder aches from the tension.
This stress response is causing individuals to do things, that they think make them feel better, like binge eating, drinking, smoking, numbing through drugs and medication, as well as immoral behavior like addiction to pornography or inappropriate sexual behavior.
This stress response is wearing out the mind and body and therefore, causes exhaustion and fatigue. This causes mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual exhaustion, also known as Burnout.
STRESS IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF EVERY ILLNESS! I believe this with all my heart and if you knew what I know, and see the things I see, and have seen, you would believe it too.
The best way to Destress Yourself is with education and action. Last week we discussed that "IT IS TIME' to take responsibility for your life.
Take responsibility for your life by learning how, when, and why you are activating the stress response. The best way to do this is by learning to relax. I mean really learn how to relax, which is the opposite of the stress response. We can call it the relaxation response.
Once you learn to relax, or activate the relaxation response, you will be very skilled at noticing when you are activating the stress response because of your awareness. When you learn to relax you become more aware of your mind and body because of your ability to implement the relaxation response at anytime and anywhere.
You have a choice, you can activate the stress response, which is unintentional, or you can activate the relaxation response, which is intentional. That is the difference between a stressed out person, who lives their life unintentionally, and a relaxed person, who lives their life full of intention.
With that said, I would like you to join me for our FREE Tele Class on, you guessed it, Learning to Relax.
This Wednesday, January 27, 2010, at 7 am Pacific Time (10 am Eastern).
Dial in number 1-213-289-0500
Access Code 205356#
Meet You There!
Have a wonderful week!!!
Don't forget to have fun and be playful!
Please email me if you have any questions, I would love to hear from you.
elizabeth@destressyourself.com
The number one phrase that is used, everyday, to get to my websites is, "How to Destress Yourself."
Everyday, I am helping people to 'destress yourself'.
If I only had a few minutes to talk with you and you really needed help to Destress Yourself, this is what I would tell you.
There is a stress response, better known as the 'fight or flight' response, that is activated when we face stressful situations. When the stress response is activated it increases our heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, blood circulation, and causes our blood-flows and many other body functions to shift.
Now, not everyone reacts to each situation the same way because we all think differently. Our reactions (thoughts about a situation) are what causes this stress response. So, a situation happens (it could be anything), we see it as stressful (we think doubt, fear, and worry), and then our stress response kicks in.
Negative emotions like anger, frustration, disgust, sadness, anxiety, irritation, aggravation, hatred, misery, depression, grief, and nervousness, imitate the stress response. So every time you have a negative emotion (for some, this could be all day long) you are creating wear and tear on your body.
SIDE NOTE: these negative emotions are standard and repetitive for many (the stressed) and that is why I call them habitual ways of reacting. These habitual ways of reacting can be decreased and eliminated.
So, in order to Destress Yourself, you must discover how, when, and why you are activating this stress response, and then learn how to decrease and ultimately eliminate it. Or, you could just change your negative reactions. This may be very easy or this may be very difficult, it just depends on your willingness and commitment.
Let me give you and example of activating the stress response. A very stressed out person has a habit of worrying about everything because of the way they look at the world and a very relaxed person has a habit of having faith about most things because of the way they look at the world.
So, if I were to ask a question like, "I wonder what is going to happen to our economy?" A stressed out person would think and talk about all the things that could go wrong, all the while experiencing the negative emotions mentioned above. A relaxed person would think and talk about all of the positive things that are in store for us and experience more positive emotions.
When the stressed out person starts to think and talk about all the things that could go wrong, guess what? That's right, the stress response kicks in. The stress response may kick in all day long for this person because of the way they think. Their thought process is full of doubt, fear, and worry (stressful). Not only does this person have a very habitual and stressful way of thinking, they also have a very stressful habit of kicking in the stress response.
This stress response is causing emotional illnesses like depression and anxiety, mental illnesses like a racing mind, the inability to concentrate, and indecisiveness, and physical illnesses like gastrointestinal problems, head aches, neck aches, and shoulder aches from the tension.
This stress response is causing individuals to do things, that they think make them feel better, like binge eating, drinking, smoking, numbing through drugs and medication, as well as immoral behavior like addiction to pornography or inappropriate sexual behavior.
This stress response is wearing out the mind and body and therefore, causes exhaustion and fatigue. This causes mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual exhaustion, also known as Burnout.
STRESS IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF EVERY ILLNESS! I believe this with all my heart and if you knew what I know, and see the things I see, and have seen, you would believe it too.
The best way to Destress Yourself is with education and action. Last week we discussed that "IT IS TIME' to take responsibility for your life.
Take responsibility for your life by learning how, when, and why you are activating the stress response. The best way to do this is by learning to relax. I mean really learn how to relax, which is the opposite of the stress response. We can call it the relaxation response.
Once you learn to relax, or activate the relaxation response, you will be very skilled at noticing when you are activating the stress response because of your awareness. When you learn to relax you become more aware of your mind and body because of your ability to implement the relaxation response at anytime and anywhere.
You have a choice, you can activate the stress response, which is unintentional, or you can activate the relaxation response, which is intentional. That is the difference between a stressed out person, who lives their life unintentionally, and a relaxed person, who lives their life full of intention.
With that said, I would like you to join me for our FREE Tele Class on, you guessed it, Learning to Relax.
This Wednesday, January 27, 2010, at 7 am Pacific Time (10 am Eastern).
Dial in number 1-213-289-0500
Access Code 205356#
Meet You There!
Have a wonderful week!!!
Don't forget to have fun and be playful!
Please email me if you have any questions, I would love to hear from you.
elizabeth@destressyourself.com
Friday, January 22, 2010
DSM-IV-TR CRITERIA FOR PTSD PART II
DSM-IV-TR FOR PTSD Cont.
CRITERION D: HYPER-AROUSAL
Persistent symptoms of increasing arousal (not present before the trauma), indicated by at least two of the following:
1. Difficulty falling or staying asleep
2. Irritability or outbursts of anger
3. Difficulty concentrating
4. Hyper-vigilance
5. Exaggerated startle response
CRITERION E: DURATION
Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in B, C, and D) is more than one month.
CRITERION F: FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of function.
Specify if:
Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than three months
Chronic: If duration of symptoms is three months or more
Specify if:
With or without delay onset: Onset of symptoms at least six months after stressor.
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association. (200). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR (Fourth ed.). Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association
CRITERION D: HYPER-AROUSAL
Persistent symptoms of increasing arousal (not present before the trauma), indicated by at least two of the following:
1. Difficulty falling or staying asleep
2. Irritability or outbursts of anger
3. Difficulty concentrating
4. Hyper-vigilance
5. Exaggerated startle response
CRITERION E: DURATION
Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in B, C, and D) is more than one month.
CRITERION F: FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of function.
Specify if:
Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than three months
Chronic: If duration of symptoms is three months or more
Specify if:
With or without delay onset: Onset of symptoms at least six months after stressor.
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association. (200). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR (Fourth ed.). Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
DSM-IV-TR CRITERIA FOR PTSD PART I
DSM-IV-TR CRITERIA FOR PTSD
In 2000, the American Psychiatric Association revised the PTSD diagnostic criteria in the fourth edition of it's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). The diagnostic criteria (Criteria A-F) are specified below.
Diagnostic criteria for PTSD include history of exposure to a traumatic event meeting two criteria and symptoms from each of three symptoms clusters: intrusive recollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms. A fifth criterion concerns duration of symptoms and a sixth assesses functioning.
CRITERION A: STRESSOR
The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following have been present:
1. The person has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others.
2. The person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Note: In children, it may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior.
CRITERION B: INTRUSIVE RECOLLECTIONS
The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of the following ways:
1. Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: in young children, repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed.
2. Recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: in children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.
3. Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashbacks episodes, including those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated). Note: in children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur.
4. Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolizes or resemble an aspect of traumatic event.
5. Physiological reactivity upon exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.
CRITERION C: AVOIDANT/NUMBING
Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by at least three of the following:
1. Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma.
2. Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma.
3. Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma.
4. Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities.
5. Feeling detachment or estrangement from others.
6. Restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings).
7. Sense of foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span).
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR (Fourth ed.). Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.
In 2000, the American Psychiatric Association revised the PTSD diagnostic criteria in the fourth edition of it's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). The diagnostic criteria (Criteria A-F) are specified below.
Diagnostic criteria for PTSD include history of exposure to a traumatic event meeting two criteria and symptoms from each of three symptoms clusters: intrusive recollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms. A fifth criterion concerns duration of symptoms and a sixth assesses functioning.
CRITERION A: STRESSOR
The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following have been present:
1. The person has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others.
2. The person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Note: In children, it may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior.
CRITERION B: INTRUSIVE RECOLLECTIONS
The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of the following ways:
1. Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: in young children, repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed.
2. Recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: in children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.
3. Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashbacks episodes, including those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated). Note: in children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur.
4. Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolizes or resemble an aspect of traumatic event.
5. Physiological reactivity upon exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.
CRITERION C: AVOIDANT/NUMBING
Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by at least three of the following:
1. Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma.
2. Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma.
3. Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma.
4. Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities.
5. Feeling detachment or estrangement from others.
6. Restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings).
7. Sense of foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span).
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR (Fourth ed.). Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Acute Stress, Critical Incident Stress, or Post Traumatic Stress
When I was in 5th grade I experienced a trauma that caused my PTSD. Although I did not know that I had PTSD, I did discover that years later.
When in my 20's, when I was an Emergency Medical Technician, my PTSD just got worse. I experienced several traumas, through the calls I ran, and my signs and symptoms really made it hard to handle life. I was literally hanging on my a thread most of the time.
My behavior was very bizarre to me and I had little control and so I started to see therapists. I had met several therapists, who seemed crazy themselves, and finally settled on one female who had not been in her field that long.
After some therapy sessions she diagnosed me as having acute stress disorder because of this little girl who died in my arms, at the hospital, as I was moving her over onto the hospital gurney.
This little girl had a disease that if you touched her or handled her too hard her bones would break. She was about 9 or 10, I think, which was the same age as my son at the time.
There were so many circumstances that made this event so traumatic, and critical, because it was a Critical Incident.
First, I knew the patient and her Father, who happened to be there, because I had transported her several times before.
Second, she was the same age as my son.
Third, we could not perform CPR because she was a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) and therefore, we felt helpless.
Fourth, when we were going Code 3 while transporting her, it was rush hour traffic in the morning in Los Angeles and that created a severe delay in getting her to the hospital. More helplessness.
Finally, her father was crying, the kind of painful crying like someone suffering like you never heard them suffer before. He was also tugging on me and begging me to do something and I could not.
Even as I write this now, I feel the pain and I cry.
I am grateful for the therapist who helped me recognize my reactions to this event even though, knowing what I know now and looking back, this was not the incident that caused my PTSD. This incident was just one that made my signs and symptoms worse.
In my thirties, after I received my Bachelors in Behavior Science and my Masters in Counseling, I became a Critical Incident Stress Management Counselor and I trained other Peer Counselors. This experience, with my education, helped me see how so many Emergency Workers and hear about incidents that may, or may not of caused, their PTSD.
You see, when we are in the Emergency Field, we see so many traumas that it is difficult to tell what caused our signs and symptoms of stress whether it be Acute, Critical, or Post Traumatic. Another factor is, we also lived life before being in the Emergency Field, and from that life we had stress before we experienced our new found stress.
What I am trying to say is, sometimes we have to look at our past, beyond our life in the Emergency Field, before we can truly discover all of the answers.
Caution!!! If you work with a Counselor or Therapist who does not have a lot experience with Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) or PTSD they can truly make things worse by mixing your past with your present. Make sure that if you see someone that they have extensive experience working with Emergency Personnel or the Military, with trauma. The best resource is to get a referral from someone who has had success with a therapist concerning this type of stress.
If you are having a hard time living life and/or people are having a hard time being around you, get some help.
I you need help, please email me at elizabethstanfill@gmail.com, and we can create some intervention and direction for you.
I hope this is helpful!
Until next post...
Elizabeth
When in my 20's, when I was an Emergency Medical Technician, my PTSD just got worse. I experienced several traumas, through the calls I ran, and my signs and symptoms really made it hard to handle life. I was literally hanging on my a thread most of the time.
My behavior was very bizarre to me and I had little control and so I started to see therapists. I had met several therapists, who seemed crazy themselves, and finally settled on one female who had not been in her field that long.
After some therapy sessions she diagnosed me as having acute stress disorder because of this little girl who died in my arms, at the hospital, as I was moving her over onto the hospital gurney.
This little girl had a disease that if you touched her or handled her too hard her bones would break. She was about 9 or 10, I think, which was the same age as my son at the time.
There were so many circumstances that made this event so traumatic, and critical, because it was a Critical Incident.
First, I knew the patient and her Father, who happened to be there, because I had transported her several times before.
Second, she was the same age as my son.
Third, we could not perform CPR because she was a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) and therefore, we felt helpless.
Fourth, when we were going Code 3 while transporting her, it was rush hour traffic in the morning in Los Angeles and that created a severe delay in getting her to the hospital. More helplessness.
Finally, her father was crying, the kind of painful crying like someone suffering like you never heard them suffer before. He was also tugging on me and begging me to do something and I could not.
Even as I write this now, I feel the pain and I cry.
I am grateful for the therapist who helped me recognize my reactions to this event even though, knowing what I know now and looking back, this was not the incident that caused my PTSD. This incident was just one that made my signs and symptoms worse.
In my thirties, after I received my Bachelors in Behavior Science and my Masters in Counseling, I became a Critical Incident Stress Management Counselor and I trained other Peer Counselors. This experience, with my education, helped me see how so many Emergency Workers and hear about incidents that may, or may not of caused, their PTSD.
You see, when we are in the Emergency Field, we see so many traumas that it is difficult to tell what caused our signs and symptoms of stress whether it be Acute, Critical, or Post Traumatic. Another factor is, we also lived life before being in the Emergency Field, and from that life we had stress before we experienced our new found stress.
What I am trying to say is, sometimes we have to look at our past, beyond our life in the Emergency Field, before we can truly discover all of the answers.
Caution!!! If you work with a Counselor or Therapist who does not have a lot experience with Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) or PTSD they can truly make things worse by mixing your past with your present. Make sure that if you see someone that they have extensive experience working with Emergency Personnel or the Military, with trauma. The best resource is to get a referral from someone who has had success with a therapist concerning this type of stress.
If you are having a hard time living life and/or people are having a hard time being around you, get some help.
I you need help, please email me at elizabethstanfill@gmail.com, and we can create some intervention and direction for you.
I hope this is helpful!
Until next post...
Elizabeth
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