Diwali is a time for celebrations and social gatherings. This is usually a joyful experience for most but some people suffer anxiety during festivals due to either childhood experiences or stress in everyday life. It’s possible that you sense pressure to appear and act cheerful. You might not feel at ease meeting so many people at once, you could feel overwhelmed, and it might be difficult to constantly remain engaged and joyful. It is normal to be overwhelmed during festival times to meet the extra demand at work and also a commitment to family. However few people suffer from symptoms that make them seek medical help in emergency rooms.
In a conversation with HT Lifestyle, Dr. Navneet Singh, Group Medical Director, StanPlus, talked about five anxious behaviours that you shouldn’t avoid this festive season.
1. Breathing rapidly and palpitations: This usually manifests in teens and young girls and when the patient is examined in an emergency the vitals are usually normal. It does not mean that the patient is malingering. It simply means that the patient is unable to cope up with the present scenario. Before labelling it as stress one should properly evaluate the patient and rule out other causes.
2. Having trouble sleeping: While sleep itself is essential in stress, sometimes our stressed mind doesn’t allow us to catch on to adequate sleep. When coupled with anxiety, lack of sleep can exacerbate mental illnesses.
3. Being depressed and having suicidal/homicidal thoughts: If you are having such type of thought patterns then it should be taken very seriously. One should share it with close relatives and immediately call for help and treat it as an emergency. Most of these feelings are a result of constant stress and sometimes substance abuse with a troubled childhood. Nowadays we have strong medications which if taken short term reverses depression and changes the life of a depressed person.
4. Anxiety and fear are affecting all aspects of your life: If you think your anxiety and fear are affecting your work or your relationships you must seek help from a doctor to identify the cause and take remedial measures or medicines as advised by the doctor.
5. If your anxiety is related to substance abuse: If your anxious behaviour involves substance abuse then you must take help and confide in a loved one. It is recommended to see a psychiatrist who will evaluate for possible dependence and treat with drugs aimed to counter withdrawal symptoms and provide drugs to cope with the anxiety.
