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What are the signs that you are experiencing a heightened level of stress/distress? Are there an overwhelming number of thoughts running through your mind? Perhaps you feel chest pressure or muscle tension. If you often experience high levels of emotional distress, you might have difficulty identifying the origin or components of your distress- all you know is you want it to stop.
As a psychologist I don’t expect clients to always know the triggers of their stress or pain, especially if they have never been good about regulating stress levels or unaware of their emotional or physical experience. I recently learned about this amazing “Distress Thermometer” self-report questionnaire (I recommend printing it out) that can be a very helpful tool to identify what you are experiencing and give you the words to talk about it with others. The tool can be adapted in different ways to track how feel from one day to the next. The subjective experience of your concerns can also help with decisions about seeking therapy.
Lastly, did you know that distress can also be associated with specific health conditions and their management? So for example, you aren't necessarily depressed just because you feel badly about yourself and lack motivation to care for your health condition. Many times people with health conditions struggle to cope (and would benefit from professional counseling) but don't have depression or anxiety. Here are some specific self-report questionnaires for health conditions to help you decide whether or not you want to seek therapy to improve your coping and daily functioning.
Be well !
All blog posts from Dr. Soo Hoo are provided for educational and informational purposes only. As Dr. Soo Hoo is a licensed clinical and health psychologist, we must make it clear that nothing on the blog is intended to constitute medical or psychological advice, consultation, recommendation, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are concerned about your health, please seek appropriate care in your area. Comments are closed.
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Telephone 949.337.1034
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