Feeling Blue? Learn How to Boost Emotional Well Being
by Katie Campos, FNP-C
To help you understand why you may be feeling down and how to overcome the holiday blues, our Nurse Practitioner Katie Campos answers frequently asked questions about stress.
Q: What exactly is stress—and is it always bad?
The term stress can be described as a state of tension resulting from the pressures of modern ife. While stress is often associated with negative emotions, it is important to understand that not all stress is bad.
Eustress is positive stress that can help with motivation, performance at work or any other task, and is important for our emotional well being.
Q: What is the difference between good and bad stress?
Negative stress often occurs when multiple stressors pile up on an individual or go on for an extended period of time. The five most common barriers to overcoming and managing stress appropriately include:
an imbalance between work and personal life
overexposure to stressful events
insufficient time and space to process negative feelings
humiliating experiences
social isolation
Q: How do I deal with stress and anxiety appropriately?
The Mayo Clinic recommends problem-solving skills to help create solutions for managing stress. Their step-by-step method is as follows:
Identify the problem, especially ones that you can realistically change.
Brainstorm ideas, recalling personal experiences and asking advice from others.
Pick the solution that you believe has the best chance of working.
Act.
Review and if necessary, revise.
Q: How can I become resilient when feeling stressed?
The power of positivity is key. Having an overall positive outlook involves minimizing, managing, and ultimately eliminating negativity in various forms (thoughts, words, actions). Research has indicated that to be effective, positive thoughts should outnumber negative ones by a 3:1 ratio.
Well-being thrives in a healthy mind. Well-being is a complicated balance of physical, mental, social, spiritual, and emotional health. Addressing all these factors with the most effective evidence-based solutions is key to success.
Q: When should I talk to a licensed medical professional?
If you’re experiencing any of the following issues, you likely need to talk to your primary care provider, who can evaluate your emotional well-being and make a specialist/psychiatric referral:
● Psychotic symptoms such as disordered thinking, depression, delusion, hallucinations, and/or paranoia
● Prolonged or abnormal grieving
● Developmental problems (children/adolescents)
● Eating disorders
● Substance abuse/addiction
● Signs of dementia
● Sleep problems
● Sexual dysfunction
