Category: Psychologist's advice/ February 06, 20200
The statistics are shocking: seven out of ten Russians suffer from neuroses. Psychologists associate the state of neurosis primarily with the fact that the dynamics of life itself have changed. We are always in a hurry, worrying, fighting for a place at work and in life. Neuroses are a psychological problem primarily for residents of megacities. Psychologists are ringing bells. But how to deal with this? How to get rid of neurosis and make sure that calmness triumphs and is firmly entrenched in ourselves?
What is neurosis?
Neurosis is a psychogenic and stress-induced disorder of the mental apparatus. The emergence of neurosis is provoked not by an event, but by our attitude towards it.
Clients who seek advice from a psychologist about neurotic disorders name the following most common causes of neuroses:
- socio-economic problems in life that cause a feeling of hopelessness;
- constant psychological stress;
- high expectations leading to disappointment.
At the same time, neurosis for most people is a set of obsessive destabilizing thoughts and physiological symptoms (heart pain, tachycardia, panic attack or other manifestations) that do not allow them to live a full life and are periodically repeated. In reality, all these symptoms reflect the internal psychological state of a person and are an expression of his worldview.
Pator installations
| Name | Word markers | Meaning |
| Oughtness | I must, I must, I owe, I must | Boys shouldn't cry. Decent girls should wear long skirts. Our society raises us in accordance with certain criteria, often driving our own “I” into the background. This also includes situations when you expect something from other people. “He should have done that...” “She shouldn’t have done that...” |
| Catastrophization | This is the end, everything is gone, but how to live on is terrible. | Many people tend to make mountains out of molehills. People of a neurotic type are more likely than others to reduce a situation to a catastrophe. The boss called me into the office and said we needed to talk. The thought arises: “he didn’t like my performance last month”, “he’ll start scolding me now”, “he can fire me”, “I have a loan, what should I do”, “it’s difficult to find a job now”, etc. Enter the boss’s office and simply find out that he wanted to consult with you on some points. |
| Overgeneralization | Everything, no one, never | The brain often allows people, based on certain facts, to reduce everything to generally accepted phenomena. All girls must be married before the age of 27, but I’m already 30. All the guys have their own car by the age of 25, but I don’t. |
| Dichotomy | Yes or no, good or bad | An evaluation criterion where there is only positive or negative, black or white. A criterion where intermediate characteristics “normal, bad, but on the one hand good” are not allowed. |
| Filtration | Disgusting, I can't stand it | Focusing in any situation only on negative aspects. The boss praised the work but said that it could have been done faster. Ignoring praise and focusing on criticism (slow worker) |
| Mind Reading | They'll think, they'll think | Many people love to do this nonsense. “What will the neighbors think?”, “If I do this, people will say that I...” |
| Exaggeration | all or nothing | Giving things extra meaning. “This girl is so cool, if I break up with her, I’ll never find someone like her again,” “I can’t quit this job, where else in this position will they pay bonuses for the new year” |
| Personalization | I, me | Constantly comparing yourself to others. They praise a friend for their success at work, but perceive it as criticism of themselves; they don’t praise you, which means you are worse. |
| Forecasting | What if, what if | Constantly predicting a negative future. |
Top 3 neurotic conditions
In the ranking of neuroses, neurasthenia is in first place. This is when “I want to, but I can’t, because nothing works out and at the same time I’m very tired.” This state is accompanied by constant replaying in thoughts of certain events, accompanied by a sleepy state.
This is followed by obsessive-compulsive neurosis, which experts classify as an anxiety-phobic disorder. A person worries whether he forgot to turn off the water, lock the door, or feed the cat. For this type of disorder. A person can harm himself or cause physical injury.
The third type of neurosis is hysterical neurosis. Hysterical neurosis is caused by the internal conflict “I want, but they don’t give it to me.” A person in public may demonstratively begin to cut his hands, he may even develop deafness or blindness, so much does he want to draw attention to himself.
There are other types of neurotic conditions. By the way, a midlife crisis is also a neurosis, which psychologists call noogenic or existential neurosis.
It is worth noting that with any type of neurosis, the first thing that suffers is the quality of a person’s personal life, his family, work and external environment.
Summarizing
In this article, you have become acquainted with a tool for treating neurosis at home, and auxiliary treatment methods. Now you can use this information to improve your health. During treatment, pay attention to your emotional and physical state. This way you can track changes in your health. It’s even better to keep a health diary, because in our hectic lives it’s difficult to remember everything.
Good mental health to you!
See also:
- Treatment of neurosis at home
- Treatment of neurosis with folk remedies
How to get rid of neurosis and neurotic state?
Neurosis is characterized by a violation of the psychological state that occurs in a person in the process of prolonged moral pressure, internal contradictions, chronic fatigue, and a general violation of the daily routine, nutrition and sleep.
The treatment of neurosis should be based on an integrated approach. The ideal fight against neurosis would be to combine psychoanalytic therapy with a person’s recognition of his neurotic state, accompanied by a persistent desire to overcome it. At the same time, it is possible to include medications in the treatment of neuroses that are prescribed exclusively by a doctor.
Pharmacotherapy gives excellent results, but only with a short-term effect. As soon as the effect of the drug ends, the neurosis and neurotic state returns with the original pronounced effect.
Here is a list of medications that doctors usually prescribe for drug therapy for neurosis:
Antidepressants
An antidepressant is a drug that blocks an enzyme that destroys dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, as a result of which the concentration of such hormones increases. The mood of the person suffering from neurosis improves accordingly. There is no habituation from the use of these drugs, the speed of reactions does not decrease, and there is no need to fear any side effects. However, the disadvantage of treatment with antidepressants is that this drug accumulates in the blood only over time and the corresponding reactions appear only after about a couple of weeks. The treatment course is usually two to three months.
Tranquilizers
Tranquilizers reduce reactions to various stimuli, inhibit the nervous system and have an anti-anxiety effect. The main danger of these drugs is getting used to them and losing concentration. After taking tranquilizers, you should not drive vehicles or do work that requires precise coordination of movements.
Sedatives
These medications help treat mild types of neurotic disorders. Their action is approximately similar to that of tranquilizers, but their effectiveness is not as high. There is no addiction to sedatives, and there are generally no side effects. When treating neuroses, they often resort to harmless herbal sedatives, such as valerian tincture, hawthorn decoction, and so on. Although there are also medications, by the way, made on a plant basis, such as Fitorelax, Novo-Passit and others.
Let me remind you that neurosis responds well to pharmacological therapy, which gives only a short-term effect! The disease returns and intensifies with each new round, therefore, when the first signs of a neurotic state occur, psychoanalytic therapy is strongly recommended.
Psychoanalytic therapy, which in turn is included in the health insurance system in a number of European countries, can greatly help stabilize the psycho-emotional state, get to the bottom of internal conflict and phobias, and explore the nature of the emergence of a neurotic state and panic attacks.
Benefits of Reflexology
Health-improving acupuncture procedures are performed, as a rule, using special needles - steel, silver or gold.
They are sharpened so much that the pain from the injection is practically not felt. Reflexology can also be performed using electricity, magnets and bare fingers. In general, acupuncture includes several special techniques:
- classical acupuncture;
- auriculotherapy;
- reflexology through acupressure;
- su-jok therapy;
- diagnostics (pulse and acupuncture).
Acupuncture is extremely effective for a wide range of diseases, since it affects all major systems of the body - nerves and blood vessels, immune and neurohumoral systems are improved. That is why reflexology is in great demand in curing all ailments associated with nerves - especially since almost no one has contraindications to acupuncture.
The story of my health: how I developed neurosis!
My neurosis began at the age of 25, after the birth of my first child. It would seem, how can such a happy event lead to neurosis? As a person who has gone through all the circles of hell, I can tell you with confidence: it can. My son was born very restless, I could not sleep properly either day or night. Every fifteen minutes I got up at his cry. Either he wants to eat, then he needs to change the diaper, or just rock him. I didn't even try to sleep. What’s the point if I know that as soon as I close my eyes, a child’s cry will be heard. Of course, this couldn’t go on for long; I developed nervous exhaustion.
Exercises for VSD
Home sports for VSD are no less useful than training in a yoga room. Therapeutic gymnastics is performed at a convenient time; no exercise equipment is needed. You need comfortable clothing, a ventilated room and a little time during which no one will disturb you.
Exercise 1. Circular swings of arms, an analogy to swimming. Performed standing, feet shoulder-width apart. First, the arms scroll alternately forward, then backward. You need to do 15 rotations in one direction and the same in the other, then repeat.
Exercise 2. The starting position is similar to the previous exercise. You need to place your hands on your shoulders (the left one on the left one, the same with the right hand), then perform rotational movements with the elbows forward and backward, 15 turns in each direction.
Exercise 3. Standing straight, your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Bend your arms at the elbows and place your palms against each other in front of your chest. The essence of the exercise is to simultaneously press the palms towards each other for 20 seconds. Then the hands drop down and relax. This is repeated 15-20 times.
Exercise 4. Head tilts from a standing or sitting position. The head tilts towards the left shoulder, then returns to its original position, tilting towards the left shoulder. The gaze must be fixed at one point opposite so that the head is fixed. Tilt your head 15 times in each direction. This will relax the neck muscles and relieve congestion in the spine.
Exercise 5. From a standing position, tilt your torso to the left and right, slowly stretching the lateral muscles. To be effective, when tilting to the left, raise your right hand above your head and stretch to the left side, and repeat similarly when tilting to the right, only with your left hand.
When performing these exercises, you need to listen to how you feel and control your breathing. Due to VSD, patients cannot take a full breath, so during exercise you need to establish a breathing rhythm and perform it correctly: inhale and exhale smoothly in the rhythm in which the exercises are performed. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. Proper breathing can prevent the development of an attack of dystonia.
When asking your doctor whether it is possible to play sports with VSD, at the same time consult about adjusting your diet. The neurologist will tell you how to improve your lifestyle, what foods are healthy, and what to do to prevent attacks from recurring.
For patients who want to properly combine VSD and physical activity, doctors recommend the following sports:
- Step aerobics, in which the platform is set to a minimum height.
- Fitball. Bouncing and stretching affect the blood vessels and vestibular system.
- Martial arts. Eastern practices like wushu and aikido are good - they rely on improving the spirit, the ability to breathe correctly and control emotions. Sparring should be avoided.
- Swimming and water aerobics. They strengthen the heart and blood vessels, help get rid of excess weight, and calm the nerves.
- Games. Football, volleyball, badminton - any outdoor game in pleasant company. You need to monitor your well-being, if your body welcomes activity, then continue.
- Exercises on aerobic machines - bicycle, treadmill, elliptical and others.
