Mental Health Notes - News, Education and Advocacy

Learn Tips To Manage Emotional Distress From Karen Lynch

by Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes on September 1st, 2008

When someone very close to me lost a parent last weekend, my own life paused (actually, my own life paused the stressful and devastating week leading up to the death).

My work, my commitments, and my pets (thank God I live close to my family) took a back seat while I stood beside another person and helped with everything from everyday needs (laundry, trash, and bills) to those tasks we never want to complete but know, most likely, we’ll have to tackle some day (phone calls, funeral arrangements, and that last, long drive from the cemetery).

Being a person’s support system means different things in different situations. It’s a natural thing to do, even though we often don’t know what it will involve until we’re in the midst of it and more often than not we’re exhausted once it’s over.

Currently, I am exhausted.

Fortunately, Karen Lynch of b5media’s Pink Ribbon Review selflessly stepped up to help me while I was busy helping someone else. She has contributed today’s guest post at Mental Health Notes so I can take a break (that’s what Labor Day is all about, right?).

So, read on as Karen discusses mental health issues in relation to physical health issues, and don’t forget to vote for Pink Ribbon Review in the 2008 Bloggies!

Hello Mental Health Notes readers! I’m Karen Lynch, a two-time breast cancer survivor. I keep a blog here at b5media dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness called The Pink Ribbon Review.

When Alicia recently shared with me that she was stepping into the role of caregiver as she supported someone important in her during a difficult time, I immediately wanted to help.

See, when I was managing the repercussions of my diagnoses, I couldn’t have gotten by without the support of people that cared. People that were willing to put their own lives aside to help me and my family. People that enabled my mental health to stay strong while my physical health was being attacked.

Kudos to Alicia for reaching out and accepting help…that’s an important step towards maintaining mental health when you find yourself in the midst of a trial.

But that’s hard, isn’t it? When there are so many other things you need to think about, it’s common to put your mental health needs on the back burner. People easily step up to help out with tangible needs, like meal preparation, shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry. But people don’t know how to help you keep your mental health stays strong - you have to be proactive and take it upon yourself to ask for the help you need.

So here’s the question…are people facing a serious health issue, their own or someone else’s, like cancer, heart disease, diabetes… anything…are they prone to mental health issues?

Let me share with you the results of a 2006 study conducted by Dartmouth Medical School researchers - this research was specific to breast cancer patients but we can all learn from the findings.

“Virtually all newly diagnosed women admitted to experiencing some level of emotional distress, and 47 percent met clinically significant screening criteria for emotional distress or a psychiatric disorder, including major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

Emotional distress. The kind of emotional distress caused by an initial diagnosis, the uncertainty about a treatment protocol and the side effects of that treatment. And that emotional distress can be severe. SEVERE.

So what do you need to do to manage that distress? What you’d do anytime your mental health is threatened:

• Stay active - get the exercise you need to keep your body invigorated, get oxygen into your system and work off extra calories consumed during a stressful time. Better yet, ask a friend to be your exercise buddy; you’ll add socialization to your list of self-care and your psyche will seriously benefit from talking with a friend and sharing your burden with another human being.
• Focus on getting enough sleep - not only will you be able to tackle more, make better decisions, and make more sense of what is going on in your life after some serious shut eye, but you’ll also be making sure your body stays in peak physical form. Cellular repair happens when your body is at rest and you want your immune system to be as strong as possible during a trying time.
• Locate some appropriate mental health services in your area - support groups, counselors, even psychiatric care - and keep pertinent phone numbers at your fingertips so that you can make a call and get professional help and/or support the moment you find yourself needing it.

Fortunately, Alicia isn’t facing a health issue of her own…she’s supporting someone she loves as they deal with a loved one’s health issue. She’s helping them, they’re helping someone else…and I’m helping her.

With that kind of help during a trying time, we’ll all stay mentally strong.

God bless!

© Karen Lynch

Image: SXC and Crystal Woroniuk.

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POSTED IN: Mental Health Notes