Norberto Abdala
08/16/2021 8:21 AM
Clarín.com
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Updated 08/16/2021 8:21 AM
Question: I am 49 years old and for a long time I have been afflicted by worries and fear of what is coming and although afterwards nothing happens and I am relieved for a while, I return to the same thing. The clinician attributes my bowel problems to that. What I can do? Thanks.
Sergio Espinosa.
Escobar, province of Buenos Aires.
The human brain is a remarkable organ that allows us to think about the very existence of those who think.
Among so many of its many properties, it has two that are fundamental for the life of any person: it
stores information about events that occurred in the past through memories
and is capable of imagining events that could occur in the future.
Both mental phenomena are of vital relevance for survival
since it allows not repeating past mistakes and anticipating what could happen by selecting the best way to act on a future event.
Precisely, the future is something that worries us all to a greater or lesser extent and, sometimes, more than necessary.
It is not the same to be a cautious person who calmly weighs the pros and cons of a situation than to
be tormented by worries of events that have not occurred.
Most of the misfortunes that we usually imagine will happen in the future almost never happen, but they
end up affecting the present with anguish, fear
or a low mood.
Worrying about the future is not the same as being tormented by events that have not occurred.
Illustrative photo Shutterstock.
It is appropriate to recall the philosopher Seneca who more than 20 centuries ago stated: "He who suffers before necessary, suffers more than necessary."
Depression can be expressed through thoughts that have the conviction that well-being is very far away and suffering is very close.
Norberto Abdala, psychiatrist
What psychiatry says
Today psychiatry agrees with him: with the negative anticipatory vision of the future, the production and combined actions of cortisol and catecholamines are increased, which affect the nervous system and
generate psychic suffering and physical discomfort in various organs of the organism
(cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, muscular, immune).
Many people often
consider that the ailments they have and endure are inevitable reactions and the result of the stresses of the
present
time
.
But it helps to remember that depression often has many disguises and often does not reach the characteristic luxuriance so that neither the patient nor the family nor the doctor
have the slightest doubt about the existence of this condition.
The negative anticipation of the future generates mental and physical discomfort.
Illustrative photo Shutterstock.
Thus, it
can be a treacherous and silent disorder that manifests itself with other expressions
that make it invisible.
One is to assume that something is going to go wrong and not to doubt that prediction.
Those thoughts that have the conviction that well-being is very far away and suffering is very close are accepted.
These assumptions are usually recorded as
unquestionable and solid truths, even if the results are the opposite
or better than expected.
However, they do not usually change the background experience, which remains unscathed, very solid and repetitive.
Even possible encouraging and well-intentioned arguments from those close to you are always poor, insufficient and even annoying.
Anticipating certain risks and dangers protects us and allows us to
prepare
ourselves
as best as possible to face them, and activates the body and mind
to respond to everything that compromises our safety.
But when the misfortunes that the mind anticipates are not affirmed in reality, they are abstract, unfounded, exaggerated or illogical, they
paralyze us
, make
us sick and limit our ability to enjoy life
, both our own and that of those who accompany us.
EM
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