In high school physics classes, teachers posit exam questions “in a vacuum”— "In a vacuum, a brick slides down a ramp...", "In a vacuum, a weight is swinging on a pendulum..." etc. These in-a-vacuum questions present the ideal conditions for an event, so that students can find x without having to consider any external factors. So, if we were to study anxiety and stress, what would our ideal, in-a-vacuum scenario be? It would need to put a person into a complex situation with tremendous unknowns. The person would have to have limits on what they could process. And people around the person afflicted would be insufficiently empathetic. Together, these factors create a stressful, anxiety-ridden environment; and, together, these factors describe head injury claims, where injured people find themselves in the midst of medical, legal, and social turmoil at just the moment when coping is most difficult. While a Toronto personal injury lawyer can help you after your head injury, learning about stress and anxiety is the first step in managing them.
What Causes Stress and Anxiety?
Stress and anxiety often coexist in a causal relationship. That is, high stress levels are a major contributing factor for anxiety. In order to understand how anxiety compounds after head injury claims, then, we must understand stress as well.
Stress
Stress is the physical manifestation of a perceived gap between your responsibilities and the resources you have to meet them. Evolutionarily, stress and its physiological symptoms developed as an acute response to dangerous situations. Acute stress symptoms include:
- Increased pupil dilation (to heighten visual sensitivity);
- Perspiration;
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure;
- Rapid breathing;
- Muscle tension;
- Increased mental alertness;
As you’ve surely experienced, though, stress is not solely an acute reaction. Stress can be a chronic problem as well, and, while the acute symptoms above do not usually persist for prolonged stress, you will begin to experience other symptoms: fatigue, concentration lapses, and irritability to name a few.
Anxiety
As stress mounts, it can lead to anxiety. Anxiety most commonly reveals itself in intense feelings of fear and worry. Though everyone experiences some fear and worry in their normal lives, anxiety disorders that come with head injury claims amplify those symptoms until everyday activities become challenging. Other symptoms may include restlessness, depression, and difficulties with concentration, completing tasks, or socializing.
Managing Stress and Anxiety
The double bind of anxiety and stress is that the best methods we have for treatment are often precluded by the disorders themselves. For instance, common methods for treating anxiety and stress include:
- Sharing the things that worry you with others;
- Setting up a daily routine;
- Staying active and “involved in life” (i.e. participating in sports, social events, etc.)
- Opening up to the support of others;
Coupled with professional therapy, these methods for treatment can be very successful. But people suffering from an anxiety disorder during head injury claims aren’t willing to communicate with others and take an active role in their lives; in fact, the prospects of those treatments bring worry and fear themselves. However, Toronto personal injury lawyers know of the plentiful resources that exist to help you after a head injury claim. Consult a Toronto law firm today to find out what you’re entitled to after your car accident.
Sources:
http://www.brainline.org/landing_pages/categories/stress.html
http://www.brainline.org/content/2008/11/depression-and-anxiety.html
http://www.brainline.org/content/2013/08/stress-and-stress-management-post-tbi.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/basics/definition/con-20026282