News

September 12, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Carol Carrithers, Vice President
Marketing and Communications
Seven Counties Services, Inc.
101 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
Louisville, KY 40202
502-589-8600

How to manage stress and anxiety created by terrorist activity

Terrorist activity can affect our lives in ways we never thought about. It generates a sense of anxiety that destroys our peace of mind. It creates fears that can keep us, and our children, awake at night. It can make the most common, everyday activity full of fear for us. It can rob us of our personal sense of control and security.

The recent terrible events in our country create a tremendous amount of stress. If this stress goes unrecognized and unmanaged, it can affect a person’s mental and physical health.

Just as stress affects everyone differently, each person finds different ways to manage stress:

Talk it out. You are not alone in this. Many others are feeling the same way, experiencing some of the same anxieties. Talk with your family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers. It could be that something shared among others can be helpful.

Other sources of support include your church, synagogue or mosque, your community mental health center, such as Seven Counties Services in this region, or your company’s employee assistance program (EAP).

Try physical activity. Walk around the block each evening or take a noontime walk when you are at work. Try working in your garden, vacuuming the house, going to the gym, or even just do some stretching exercises while watching television.

Know your limits. It is important to remember that many, many events in the world are beyond your control. Try to reduce the time you spend worrying about things that you cannot change. A good way to do this is to reduce or eliminate activities that trigger stress in you. If TV or newspaper coverage leaves you anxious, simply reduce or eliminate the time you spend watching TV or reading the newspaper, perhaps only temporarily.

Take control. You cannot control many things that occur in this world, but you can take charge of your immediate situation. Offer to watch the children of a neighbor or co-worker whose family may be directly affected by the event. Donate blood. Do some volunteer work for the community, children or older adults.

Avoid self-medication. Drugs and alcohol may seem to relieve stress temporarily, but in the long run they can create problems or behavior that compound stress. Caffeine and nicotine also can inhibit your body’s natural ability to control stress.

If you believe your stress is becoming more serious, or you are experiencing thoughts of hopelessness, extreme anger, or suicide, consider seeking help from a trained counselor, social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

The Seven Counties’ Crisis and Information Center, which handles almost 100,000 calls a year, offers telephone crisis counseling and referral 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is staffed with trained crisis counselors. There is no cost to the caller for this telephone assistance. Its numbers are 589-4313 or 1-800-221-0446; TDD 589-4259 or 1-877-589-4259.

To make an appointment at any of Seven Counties’ counseling centers, call its Access System at 589-1100 or 1-800-264-8799; TDD 589-4259 or 1-877-589-4259.

Seven Counties Services is a private, non-profit organization that is the community mental health/mental retardation center for this region, which includes Jefferson, Bullitt, Oldham, Shelby, Henry, Spencer and Trimble counties in Kentucky. It provides planning, treatment and support in the areas of prevention, mental health, substance abuse, and mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. More than 1,400 Seven Counties' staff members serve 25,000 persons each year.