Mind Spa: How to Relieve Psychological Stress

Author: Shen Xi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: According to research, 1/4 of people have experienced insomnia. Those with persistent insomnia are often strong seekers of treatment, while most untreated cases tend to self-recover. Why is this? Seekers of treatment often exhibit neurotic hypochondriac tendencies, an excessive pursuit of perfection, and heightened sensitivity to their physical, mental, and interpersonal well-being. Almost everyone experiences insomnia due to various factors, such as noisy environments, physical discomfort, excessive daytime excitement, or consuming strong tea or coffee before bed. However, the most common cause of insomnia is still mental tension, anxiety, depression, and fear.
General insomnia typically lasts for a few days or even weeks, which is often a normal physiological or psychological defense response. However, patients with the aforementioned traits become restless and anxious, lying in bed struggling to sleep, tossing and turning because they cannot fall asleep, and worrying about feeling lethargic the next day, which only increases their anxiety. In reality, they have fallen into a "vicious cycle" of insomnia—the more they worry about not sleeping, the more anxious they become, and the more anxious they are, the harder it is to sleep. This is known as the psychological "reciprocal interaction" mechanism: when you excessively focus on a particular sensation, it becomes hypersensitive and worsens, which in turn increases your anxiety and focus, creating a vicious cycle.
Thus, your anxiety and focus, or your tendency to seek treatment, only lead you down the path of relying on sleeping pills. Those who do not seek treatment often recover on their own because they maintain a positive and optimistic attitude. While poor rest is undoubtedly frustrating, they do not take it too seriously, saying, "It's nothing," even if they don't feel sleepy at midnight. They might get up and read a book instead. The next day, though slightly uncomfortable, they can still work and live healthily and energetically. This laid-back attitude keeps them calm and free from the entanglement of the "vicious cycle," thereby eliminating the root cause of insomnia—the lack of focus on insomnia, allowing it to fade away unnoticed.
Of course, the "untreated" approach we refer to is merely a psychological coping strategy. There are many causes of insomnia, and if you seek medical help, your prescription might simply read, "No treatment required." As the saying goes in psychology, "If you see yourself as a patient, you will always live like one; if you see yourself as healthy, you will live healthily and optimistically like a normal person." Therefore, do not treat insomnia as a disease—accept it openly, do not worry or fear it, and remember, "Only by giving sleep can you receive it." Sleep does not occur according to one's will, so do not chase after it. At the same time, it is essential to develop good living habits and focus on mental well-being.
Wang, a 25-year-old unmarried male, dreams every night, often waking up in extreme fear from terrifying dreams. He has trouble sleeping and lacks energy the next day. This situation has persisted for over six months, causing him great distress. With no other choice, he sought help from a psychologist. In reality, dreaming during sleep is a normal phenomenon. The presence of dreams indicates that you are indeed sleeping, not that you believe you haven't slept all night. Generally, people dream every night, but those with good sleep quality tend to forget their dreams upon waking, while those with poor sleep quality may remember some of them.