The document discusses combat stress, which is a common response to the mental and emotional demands placed on warriors in dangerous situations. Combat stress can manifest in thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and physical symptoms like problems sleeping. The document provides tips for managing stress, such as taking control of situations when possible, relaxation techniques, physical activity, seeking social support, and professional help if stress becomes unmanageable.

1. Dr. Sonia Kapur
PSYCHOLOGIST

2. Stress can manifest itself in many ways when you are a student,
Warrior , and a parent. But you must learn to recognize stress.
Combat stress (sometimes called combat and operational stress or
combat and operational stress reaction) is a common response to
the mental and emotional effort warrior exercise when facing
tough and dangerous situations. Simply put, combat stress is
similar to the muscle fatigue and soreness experienced after a
tough physical workout. The way your brain handles combat stress
can be compared to the way your body may handle a physical
workout; it all depends on your level of fitness/training.

3. COMBAT STRESS
 Some signs and symptoms of combat stress may be
harder to detect. Combat stress can cause problems
with the way you think and respond to emotions. You
may experience changes in your behavior, and
sometimes the symptoms may manifest in physical
form. Individuals respond differently to combat stress
and display different symptoms.

5. SYMPTOMS
THOUGHT PROCESS
 Problems concentrating.
 Confusion.
 Having problems in making decisions or processing
information.
 Memory loss.
 Having a hard time telling what is real.
 Re-experiencing events or flashbacks.
 Troubling memories or nightmares.
 Loss of trust.
 Hallucinations or delusions (that don’t go away with
adequate sleep).

6. EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS
 Unusual or excessive anxiety, fear, worry or nervousness.
 Depression, despair or unexplained sadness.
 Numbness and lack of interest in life.
 Agitation and intense anger or irritability.
 Guilt and shame or a sense of failure.
 Feeling overwhelmed.
 Feelings of isolation.
 Mood swings.
 Loss of confidence and trust.

7. BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS
 Withdrawing and avoiding others.
 Restlessness or fidgeting.
 Being over-watchful or overly concerned about safety.
 Angry outbursts.
 Crying.
 Changes in diet.
 Risky or careless behaviors, such as increased smoking,
drug or alcohol use, and reckless driving.
 Staring into space (the “thousand-yard stare”).

8. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
 Problems sleeping.
 Exhaustion.
 Worsening health problems.
 Pounding heart and sweating; cold sweats.
 Problems with eating or digestion.
 Nausea, frequent urination or diarrhea.
 Trembling hands.
 Numbness, tingling or loss of function in limbs or other
body parts.
 Headaches.
 Changes in vision.

9. You know yourself best, but
sometimes a second opinion helps
 A medical evaluation can be helpful for anyone
affected by combat stress. Many symptoms are the
same as those for physical conditions — so it’s
important to rule out any health problems. Seek help if
symptoms continue for more than a few weeks after
returning home or disrupt daily work and life.
 For symptoms that are more serious, getting help is
critical to the strength of your Work and family units
and to the health of relationships with friends. Seeking
help early can help avoid stress reactions from
worsening or becoming long-term.

11. STRESS MANAGEMENT
 Stress Management is the ability to maintain control
when situations, people, and events make excessive
demands. If you feel that stress is affecting your life,
your first option is to seek help through a counseling
center /Psychologist

12. Counseling session

13. Cognitive therapy

14. Behavior therapy

15. Tips for stress management
 Take control: See if there is something you can
change or control in the situation.
 Learn how to best relax yourself: Meditation and
breathing exercises have been proven to be very
effective in controlling stress. Practice clearing your
mind of disturbing thoughts.
 Remove yourself from the stressful situation:
Give yourself a break if only for a few moments a day.
 Set realistic goals for yourself: Reduce the number
of events going on in your life and you may reduce
the circuit overload.
 Selectively change the way you react: Focus on
one troublesome thing and manage your reactions to
it/him/her.
 Change the way you see things: Learn to recognize
stress for what it is. Increase your body's feedback
and make stress self-regulating.

16.  Avoid extreme reactions: Why hate when a little dislike will
do? Why generate anxiety when you can be nervous? Why rage
when anger will do the job? Why be depressed when you can
just be sad?
 Do something for others: Helping others can help get your
mind off yourself.
 Get enough sleep: Lack of rest just aggravates stress.
 Work off stress: Whether it's through workouts, jogging,
tennis, or gardening, physical activity can relieve stress. As you
have experienced, the military places great emphasis on
physical fitness and exercise training. Studies show that
physical activity enhances psychological well-being.
 Develop a thick skin: The bottom line of stress management
is "I upset myself."
 Try to "use" stress: If you can't fight what's bothering you and
you can't flee from it, flow with it and try to use it in a
productive way.

17.  Be positive: Give yourself messages as to how well you can cope
rather than how horrible everything is going to be. "Stress can
actually help memory, provided it is short-term and not too
severe. Additionally, stress causes more glucose to be delivered to
the brain, which makes more energy available to neurons,
according to a report titled .
 All Stressed Up." This, in turn, enhances memory formation
and retrieval. On the other hand, if stress is prolonged, it can
impede the glucose delivery and disrupt memory.
 Don't sweat the small stuff: Try to prioritize a few truly
important things and let the rest slide.
 Don't overwhelm yourself: Avoid fretting about your entire
workload. Handle each task as it comes, or selectively deal with
matters in some priority.
 Don’t self-medicate or escape: Alcohol and drugs can mask
stress. They don't help deal with the problems.
 Most importantly: If stress is putting you in an unmanageable
state or interfering with your education, social and/or work life,
seek professional help.

18. Have a stress free life 