Episodic Acute stress

Whereas sufferers of acute stress find that they suffer from the problem only once in every few months sufferers of Episodic Acute Stress can find that they suffer from bouts of stress on a more frequent basis.

The most likely personality to suffer from episodic acute stress is that of a person who is always on the move; who lives life constantly striving to meet deadlines and goals, and who also has a disorderly mind.

Effect on Daily Life

Many sufferers of episodic acute stress find that they are unable to structure their daily lives to any degree and so find that their working lives are fraught with conflict and also that they are trying to do too much at any given time.This often spills over into their home lives and relationships with families and friends as they tend to become ill tempered, tense or irrational.

An additional element to the lives of sufferers of episodic acute stress is the fact that they seem to concentrate on the disastrous and destructive aspects of their lives and often convince themselves that whatever they do will end in disaster or failure. Obviously this is not the case but it becomes deeply embedded in their psyche and can take a lot of time and professional help to try and eradicate this problem.

The most common quirks in the personality of an episodic acute stress sufferer are:

• Irrational behaviour
• Over-arousal
• Short temper
• Anxiousness

In addition to this they will also suffer the physical effects of the condition, which will often include:

• Chest Pain
• Heart Disease
• Hypertension
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia

These physical attributes, combined with the psychological effects of the condition, make it something that can be – in some cases – debilitating for the sufferer. Relationships break down, communication with family members and work colleagues reaches an all time low and the sufferer can feel isolated from the world around them.

In a lot of cases the individual will become so used to suffering from any number of the aforementioned symptoms that they will refuse to acknowledge that there is anything wrong and this is simply because they cannot see for themselves that there is a problem. It becomes ingrained on their psyche that this is how their lives should be and they carry on; on what can be a very destructive course of action.

Seeking Medical Advice

Once a person has accepted the fact that they are suffering from episodic acute stress, which in itself is a difficult task, as most sufferers are fiercely resistant to the idea of change; they should seek medical and professional help.

Your GP will be able to help you decide upon a course of action that will best suit the severity of the condition and this may include a course of anti-depressants or muscle relaxants, as well as counselling with a psychologist who will help you plan out how to deal with the situation.

Counselling is invaluable for sufferers of this particular type of stress and it allows them to take a more balanced approach to their day to day lives and bring some semblance of order back into their life. Counselling also helps them see how destructive their behaviour can be and what effect it can have on the lives of others around them.

If you feel that you are suffering from any of the symptoms already mentioned then the first step to making changes to your life is to speak to your GP. This is important because stress – whatever kind of stress you suffer from – can be difficult to diagnose by physical appearance alone.