As veterans coming from military service you have faced anxiety and fear and with the help of your peers overcame them. Now as civilians, you are facing a whole series of different anxieties and fears alone, but there is help out there.
Accept the fact that chronic negative emotions such as anxiety and fear can be dangerous to your mental, spiritual and physical health. You must guard your heart and mind against irrational worries, anxieties, and fears. If you believe that you have no control over your anxieties and fears, you’re wrong. It may take training, education, practice, and in some cases medication. But if you sincerely desire to gain better control over these negative emotions you can do it.
Don’t keep everything bottled up inside. Talk to people you can trust and express your feelings. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to family or friends about your problem, seek out a fellow veteran.
Other people’s outbursts can add to your fears and anxieties. To prevent this from happening, establish as much physical and psychological distance as you can by establishing clear boundaries between yourself and the difficult person.
Anxiety and irrational fear can be triggered by chemical substances. High-caffeine drinks, when consumed in sufficient quantities, can make you feel anxious, even when you have little or nothing to feel anxious about. Additionally, many medications have side effects that can cause fearful or anxious feelings. So if you’re consuming large amounts of caffeine or high-energy drinks, the chemicals in those substances may be contributing to your emotional distress.
If you’re constantly depriving yourself of much needed sleep, you may be harming your overall health while manufacturing needless stress and anxiety. Most adults need about eight hours of sleep each night. If you’ve acquired the habit of staying up late, and robbing yourself of sleep, it’s time to establish a new habit of turning off your devices and going to bed.
If you’re too anxious or worried to fall asleep or to stay asleep, talk with your physician about your sleeping patterns, your situation, your habits, and your emotional state. You need a good night’s sleep to think clearly and realistically about your life.
Help is available to you by calling the local VA hospital in Northport, 631.261.4400 or Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255, press 1 to talk to a veteran or have a confidential chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net or text to 838255.
If you have any question relating to veteran problems please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to answer it. Contact us at Drfred72@Gmail.com.
Rev. Frederick Miller, Ph.D.