Are You a Masker or Controller?

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Relationships and other sources of stress make it difficult to manage your emotions in a stable and comfortable way. Even the mildest stress can prevent you from dealing with everyday anxiety and fear that comes up when your self-identity and self-worth are at stake. Proceedings of the National Acadamy of Science, August 26, 2013.

That's why is really important that you understand and review how you manage your emotions under stress.

For example it could lead to road rage

When you are distressed how do you manage your discomfort?

Do you try to control your time, activities and the environment around you so that you feel in charge?

Or do you mask those awful sensations by numbing yourself with sex, food, medications, and alcohol?

Either way you try to rid yourself of these unpleasant feelings.

If you try to kill them off by getting busy, trying to be orderly and working all hours, it is likely that your body will express your distress for you and or you may develop irrational fears and phobias.

If you numb yourself with sex, tv, drugs, alcohol, meds, food or sleep, you are a masker, and these “addictions” loose their effectiveness quickly, making you seek more and more of them until it interferes with your daily life.

Coming to psychotherapy can identify your coping patterns, and help you build emotional muscles so that you can better manage the distress when it hits you.

Call Dr. Jeanette Raymond, Psychologist In Los Angeles 310.985.2491