Author Archive: Admin Wayne State

I’m So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet

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Is it stress or anxiety?

Life can be stressful—you may feel stressed about performance at school, traumatic events (such as a pandemic, a natural disaster, or an act of violence), or a life change. Everyone feels stress from time to time.

What is stress? Stress is the physical or mental response to an external cause, such as having a lot of homework or having an illness. A stressor may be a one-time or short-term occurrence, or it can happen repeatedly over a long time.

What is anxiety? Anxiety is your body’s reaction to stress and can occur even if there is no current threat.

If that anxiety doesn’t go away and begins to interfere with your life, it could affect your health. You could experience problems with sleeping, or with your immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. You also may be at higher risk for developing a mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression. Read more about anxiety disorders.

So, how do you know when to seek help?

Stress vs. Anxiety

StressBoth Stress and AnxietyAnxiety
Generally is a response to an external cause, such as taking a big test or arguing with a friend.Goes away once the situation is resolved.Can be positive or negative. For example, it may inspire you to meet a deadline, or it may cause you to lose sleep.
Both stress and anxiety can affect your mind and body. You may experience symptoms such as:Excessive worryUneasinessTensionHeadaches or body painHigh blood pressureLoss of sleep		Generally is internal, meaning it’s your reaction to stress.Usually involves a persistent feeling of apprehension or dread that doesn’t go away, and that interferes with how you live your life.Is constant, even if there is no immediate threat.

It’s important to manage your stress.

Everyone experiences stress, and sometimes that stress can feel overwhelming. You may be at risk for an anxiety disorder if it feels like you can’t manage the stress and if the symptoms of your stress:

  • Interfere with your everyday life.
  • Cause you to avoid doing things.
  • Seem to be always present.

Coping With Stress and Anxiety

Learning what causes or triggers your stress and what coping techniques work for you can help reduce your anxiety and improve your daily life. It may take trial and error to discover what works best for you. Here are some activities you can try when you start to feel overwhelmed:

  • Keep a journal.
  • Download an app that provides relaxation exercises (such as deep breathing or visualization) or tips for practicing mindfulness, which is a psychological process of actively paying attention to the present moment.
  • Exercise, and make sure you are eating healthy, regular meals.
  • Stick to a sleep routine, and make sure you are getting enough sleep.
  • Avoid drinking excess caffeine such as soft drinks or coffee.
  • Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts.
  • Reach out to your friends or family members who help you cope in a positive way.

Recognize When You Need More Help

If you are struggling to cope, or the symptoms of your stress or anxiety won’t go away, it may be time to talk to a professional. Psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) and medication are the two main treatments for anxiety, and many people benefit from a combination of the two.

If you are in immediate distress or are thinking about hurting yourself, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Read more about getting help.

More Resources

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
NIH Publication No. 20-MH-8125

Webinar Engagement #2: First Responders, Families, and Holidays

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With challenges specific to the work environments of First Responders; navigating the Holidays can be hard for both the Responder and their families. Join us, as we talk with First Responder families who continue to learn new ways to manage the challenges of the Holidays together.

Participants:

Steve and Stephanie Faith

Steve and Stephanie Faith have been married for 25 years with 3 wonderful men. Andy is 23 in the US Air Force, Ryan is 20 with Livonia PD starting the Academy in January and Eric is 17 and a high school senior. Steve retired in December 2021 with 25 years of service. 

Mike and Anna Wierenga

Mike and Anna have been married for 22 years and have 3 amazing kids: Mahala 17 Robert 16 and Little Leah 12. In January Mike will be starting his 31st year as a police officer.

Moderator:
Manisha Leary

LMSW, Frontline Strong Together (FST5) Program Manager, Clinical Therapist Wayne Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Services

Webinar Engagement #1: Coping with Ongoing Work Stress

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We are excited to announce the launch of a Free Webinar Series presented by Frontline Strong Together (FST5).

First responders and a mental health professional, discuss challenges of recurring difficult experiences and ways of coping.

Participants:

Steve Faith

Detroit and Dearborn Sergeant Police Officer (20 years), US Marshal Fugitive Task Force member (5 years), SWAT team member (9 years), Peer support team member since 2020, full time Dad, Husband, and Coach.

Mike Wierenga

Grand Rapids Police Department Police Officer. Two The Rescue Life Saving Training L.L.C. Co-Owner. 30 years of law enforcement. and 18 years as a firefighter experience, with nearly 6.500 hours of classroom and practical skill instruction on police, fire, and EMS departments as well as colleges, universities, hospitals, and security agencies.

Arash Javanbakht

MD. Director of Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine

Moderator:
Manisha Leary

LMSW, Frontline Strong Together (FST5) Program Manager, Clinical Therapist Wayne Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Services

Total Body HOME Workout | Men Over 40

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51-year-old Funk Roberts takes you through a total body home workout for men over 40 using your body weight only and little space. This total body workout is perfect for men who are getting back to working out or those who need a workout to help burn fat and get stronger.

Relaxing Music for Stress Relief

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Tibetan meditation music, Shamanic music and Zen meditation music assists with stress relief during quarantine, produces positive energy, promotes mindfulness and healing and helps to achieve ultimate Zen. Yellow Brick Cinema’s soothing music can also be used as sleep music as it is calm music that is perfect relaxation music and ambient music. This calm music can be used in a spa as spa music. You can even create your own home spa experience by using our peaceful music as relaxation music and stress relief music. Some people use our Tibetan meditation music to study as this music is perfect ambient music to help you study. Flute music makes ideal study music as it is calming music. Our flute music and Tibetan music can be used as healing music or for yoga, spa, stress relief, mindfulness, sleep or simply to relax and enjoy. Listening to this Tibetan flute music means enjoying the soothing sounds of calming music– the music allows you to relax in the same way as guided meditation. The relaxing music of the flute provides peaceful music with which to switch off, relax and de-stress.

Left Nostril Breathing | Stress Relief | Breath Control

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Left nostril breathing is a technique that helps dial down your stress response (sympathetic nervous system) while activating your relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system). Try this for 10 reps whenever you’re feeling a little stressed out.

Dr. Raj Brar is a Los Angeles based physical therapist specializing in sports injury therapy and correction. Dr. Brar spends most of his time working with runners and other athletes helping to correct a number of issues as well as working on mechanical form correction and strength training as a method for future injury prevention.

Mindful Body Scan

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A body scan is a simple and essential mindfulness skill that can help you connect with the present moment, reduce anxiety and stress, and feel calmer.
The essence of a body scan exercise is to bring your awareness to various parts of your body, to scan your body with your noticing, and to come into contact and acceptance with the sensations in each area of your body.

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Dispatcher Mandatory Overtime

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We will be joining my co-worker, Mary. A 32-year-old 9-1-1 dispatcher who is on the phone with her mother after being informed of mandatory overtime due to another co-worker calling off.


Mary has kids in daycare and her husband just started his police shift. So now she must find someone to pick up the children because she is unable to leave.