Visiting a psychiatrist or consulting a psychologist has become more common and accepted in society today.

Seeing a psychiatrist does not necessarily mean you have a disorder or mental illness.

It may simply mean that you are facing certain life challenges that you cannot resolve or find answers to on your own and need to rely on a professional for help. This is certainly better than keeping everything to yourself.

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What to Do When You Feel Distressed

By "distress," we refer to unwanted emotional states such as anxiety, sadness, irritability, hopelessness, shame, and guilt.

Anyone can feel distressed due to traumatic events or even ordinary occurrences in daily life. When we start to feel this way, the first thing that comes to mind is how we should cope with it. Each person likely has their own unique coping mechanisms.

Some feelings of distress can be managed easily within 2-3 hours, while others may linger in our minds for years. No matter how hard we try, it seems there is no way out, and the distress intensifies, affecting our daily lives.

It is therefore important to recognize and differentiate between the types of distress we can manage ourselves and those that require help from others. Khun Somphop Jaemjan, a consulting psychologist, has outlined three types of distress and how to cope with them as follows:

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Three Types of Distress and How to Cope

1. Feeling Distressed Without Significant Symptoms

If you feel distressed but do not have symptoms that significantly impact your daily life and can still function normally, you should explore the source of that feeling on your own first.

You need to identify what is causing your distress in life and start addressing that issue yourself or try to accept what has happened. Additionally, find activities that interest you to help relieve stress.

This type of distress can happen to anyone and can be resolved if you have patience and make an effort to solve the problem. Importantly, you do not need to pressure yourself to resolve the issue quickly. Give yourself time to think, act, and accept what has happened, and eventually, it will ease.

Coping Strategies

In this case, you may not need to see a psychiatrist since the distress has not yet affected your daily life. However, if you want to understand what is happening better, you might consider consulting someone close like a friend, partner, or family member while also trying to address the problem on your own.

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2. Symptoms Are Present but Not Significantly Impacting Daily Life

This symptom may occur after a period of time, but your distress has not subsided, even though you have tried to address it. This distress may start to manifest as problems such as insomnia, frequent headaches, or loss of appetite. However, these symptoms are not yet severe, and you can still live your life normally.

Coping Strategies

In this case, the first thing you should do is seek help from those around you. They may see the problem from a different perspective than you do, and they might have good ideas to help alleviate your distress. Simply sharing your feelings with someone else can definitely help you feel better.

Additionally, you should consider seeking professional help as well. Talking to a psychologist can help you explore and assess your distress to find suitable solutions.

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3. Severe Symptoms Affecting Daily Life

This type of distress may arise from a traumatic event or prolonged accumulated stress, making it difficult for the distress to dissipate easily. It may intensify to the point where it affects daily life or poses a risk of harm to oneself or others.

This distress may lead to various psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety disorders, social phobia, or others.

Coping Strategies

In this case, we recommend that you see a psychiatrist for diagnosis and treatment. In addition to listening to your problems and helping you resolve them, medication may also be necessary to manage symptoms.

Even if you need to seek treatment from a psychiatrist, addressing your distress on your own is still essential. Combined with the psychiatrist's advice, we believe that your distress will soon improve.

The three types of distress serve as a rough guideline to help you start observing yourself more closely and choose appropriate coping strategies for your issues.

Ultimately, you are the only one who can decide when you should seek help from a psychiatrist. We encourage you to let go of any fear or anxiety and wish you a swift recovery.

Thank you for the information from finance.rabbit.co.th