Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For some people, psychosomatic illness can help attract the attention they have been
longing for. For others, it allows them to feel sorry for themselves, further confirming their
feeling of helplessness or incapability. For example, Tom has never believed himself to be
a successful person. When he has a chance to prove himself during a business deal, his ul-
cer forces him to drop out. This reinforces his deep-seated belief that he is a failure.
Psychosomatic illness is also an indication of suppressed fear, frustration or anger.
People who are anxiety-prone, or chronic worriers, are more vulnerable to such a disorder.
They usually place unrealistic demands on themselves, build up lists of irrational thoughts,
and focus their attention on fears of inadequate performance or disaster. They often exag-
gerate the importance and difficulty of a task and underestimate their capacity to deal with
it. In order to avoid the feared confrontation they get ill.
Psychosomatic illness is not easily identified. Some common symptoms are gastric ul-
cers, tension headaches, asthma, acne or vomiting. Not to say that every one of these phys-
ical reactions is psychosomatic. But if some of these symptoms happen regularly under
stressful circumstances, during confrontations or when meeting people one wants to avoid,
then it is worthwhile to take note of such patterns.
Though psychosomatic disorders are caused by emotional factors, they are real illnesses.
People can die even from psychologically-triggered asthma or ulcers. It is important not to
dismiss a condition as “merely” psychosomatic and ignore the real physical illness.
Someone in Tom's situation needs to deal with the ulcer right away to make sure no per-
manent damage is done. Immediate steps to take include: to stop being so self-critical, to
delegate work and to accept his own limitations. Meanwhile, he needs to deal with the un-
derlying cause of the psychosomatic illness and understand what function it serves for him.
Psychosomatic illness is harmful and destructive to both the sufferer and their loved
ones. Usually such a problem is deep-seated and beyond a person's own awareness. As
such, professional psychological help is recommended for people whose life is hindered or
threatened by this disorder.
T
HE
EFFECTS
OF
OVERWORK
ON
THE
FAMILY
Stress easily spills over into family life. Besides the obvious effects of bringing problems
home from work, there is the less-obvious stress on a family caused by a hard-working
spouse or parent.
“I'm doing it for you and our son, can't you understand? I promise it won't last
forever,” Peter said.
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