Category: Health

It has been a tough year for many of us due to the continuing strain that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our mental health, as well as upheaval and turmoil caused by recent lootings and taxi violence in various parts of South Africa. It’s no wonder so many of us are feeling stressed, exhausted and anxious. Medshield spoke to counselling psychologist, Jacqui Morgan of Morgan Practice in Johannesburg about the difference between stress and anxiety and the physical symptoms they present.

“Although stress and anxiety may share many of the same physical and emotional symptoms, such as mood fluctuations, tension, uneasiness, digestive upsets, fatigue, disturbed sleep, headaches, they have different origins,” explains Jacqui Morgan.

Stress Defined

“Generally,” she says, “stress is a response to an external circumstance – social, physical or economic. For example, like a tight deadline at work or an upcoming exam.”

“Unlike anxiety, stress subsides once the situation has passed or been resolved. Some degree of stress is natural and can even be helpful. Its roots are evolutionary and ensures part of our survival. Without it, we would not rise to meet life’s challenges, may risk missing a work deadline or be underprepared for an exam,” explains Jacqui. So, we understand that some level of stress is natural and helpful.

Jacqui further shared that everyone experiences stress differently due to their unique genetic make-up and histories. “Where one person might experience a certain level of stress as exciting, another may experience psychological and even physical strain. Coping skills are important to combat stress because in the absence of these, a person might feel as if the external situation exceeds their available internal resources, and one may start feeling overwhelmed,” she explains.

Anxiety Defined

“Anxiety is a specific reaction to stress which originates internally through our unique nervous systems, shaped by our specific histories and genetic predispositions,” explains Jacqui. “Anxiety is often characterised by a feeling of apprehension, fear or dread that persists after the stressful situation has passed.” Which, as Jacqui previously explained, is different to a feeling of stress, which eases after the situation has passed.

“Fear is the emotional response to a real or perceived threat, whereas anxiety is the anticipation of future possible threats. Anxiety persists in situations that are not threatening, and psychological interventions often work to gently challenge the irrational nature of anxious thoughts, feelings and behaviours,” she explains. However, Jacqui does say that through exposure to chronic stress, we may become more vulnerable to experiencing anxiety. “Unmanaged and/or chronic stress is a trigger for anxiety. It is important to identify and manage our stress and anxiety symptoms to prevent the development of an anxiety disorder,” she points out.

Stress VS Anxiety Symptoms

Physical symptoms of stress include:

• Low energy
• Headaches
• Upset stomach, including diarrhoea, constipation and nausea
• Tense muscles
• Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
• Trouble sleeping
• Frequent colds and infections
• Loss of sexual desire or ability

 Physical symptoms of anxiety include:

• Pounding and accelerated heart rate
• Rapid breathing or shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Headaches
• Stomach pain, nausea, digestive issues
• Sweating
• Cold chills or hot flushes
• Depersonalisation and Derealisation (thoughts and feelings seem not to belong to oneself or seem unreal)
• Trembling or shaking
• Sleep issues (trouble falling asleep and/or frequent waking)

“In addition to the above, children and adolescents experiencing anxiety report difficulty concentrating, as well as irritability, restlessness and nervousness,” says Jacqui.

If you’re struggling with stress or anxiety, but are unsure whether you should seek help or not, read our article: How Do You Know When It’s Time To Seek Help For Stress Or Anxiety

Jacqui works with individuals and groups at a psychiatric residence and co-facilitates a DBT group for adolescents. She currently belongs to several academic groups where she continues her professional development and stays informed on best practices. Her approach is largely informed by a psychodynamic perspective, and she works with each client according to their needs. For more information and to book an appointment, you can email her at Jacqui@morganpractice.co.za.

Medshield consulted counselling psychologist Jacqui Morgan about mindfulness: What exactly it is? and How it can work as a tool for stress management?

What Exactly Is Mindfulness?

“Mindfulness is being aware of your thoughts, emotions and physical sensations in the present moment without judgement and without trying to change it,” explains Jacqui. “Practising this will reduce suffering, increase control of your mind and add an openness to accept reality as it is,” she explains.

“The scientific rationale behind mindfulness has a lot to do with regulating the nervous system which in turn regulates your emotions. Having a regulated nervous system allows you to emerge from your ‘emotion brain’ and utilise your ‘thinking brain’, where it becomes possible to think about what you’re feeling – bringing a sense of containment and calm,” explains Jacqui.

Referencing meditation and mindfulness expert, James Baraz, Jacqui says: “Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on for when it will change – which it will; being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way – which it won’t.”

How to Practise Mindfulness

Jacqui recommends trying this quick mindfulness method from Marsha Linehan’s Dialectical Behavioural Therapy which we can all apply and try.

“When an uncomfortable emotion – or a thought that stirs up an unpleasant emotion – enters your mind, acknowledge it by describing it as it is: ‘naming and taming’ as it were. Resist evaluating it by labelling it as good or bad or whether you like it or not. For example, ‘A feeling has just washed over me that has made my body feel heavy in my seat’,” explains Jacqui.

“Picture yourself lying on your back watching the clouds drift across the blue sky. So too are thoughts and emotions drifting through your mind like clouds in the sky. Just because you have a thought doesn’t mean it’s true and just because you feel an urge doesn’t mean you have to act on it,” she says.

How to Become Present

“Taking hold of the mind has helped me and so many of my patients to do – and it starts with becoming present,” says Jacqui. Reflect on the experience of becoming more present as you ask yourself the questions below.  As you continue, read each question slower than you would usually.”

1. Can you feel your hair touching your head?
2. Can you feel the distance between your eyes?
3. Can you feel your chest rising and falling as you breathe?
4. Can you feel your arms touching your body?
5. Can you feel the space in your mouth?
6. Can you feel the position of your tongue in your mouth?

Jacqui’s approach is largely informed by a psychodynamic perspective/. She offers face-to-face and online psychotherapy to individual adults and couples. Email her at jacqui@morganpractice.co.za for more information and to set up an appointment.

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Many of us are more stressed than we’ve ever been. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, 2019 statistics revealed that one in six South Africans sufferered from anxiety, depression or substance abuse problems, according to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG). Medshield recently had a sit down with Johannesburg-based psychologist Jacqui Morgan of Morgan Practice about how to self-identify when it’s time to seek professional help.

“It is common and normal to experience feelings of anxiety, fear or worry during stressful times,” says Jacqui.  She explained that changes in our thoughts, feelings and behaviours may be a “sane reaction to an insane world” at present. “It’s okay to not be okay – you have done nothing wrong, but it is not okay to stay there if you are starting to feel out of control,” she says.

Read our article “What Exactly Is The Difference Between Stress And Anxiety” for a list of physical symptoms as well as Jacqui’s breakdown of the two.

Time To Seek Help

Jacqui says that it is time to see a psychologist if you start to experience any of the following:

1. “You are in danger of harming yourself or others in any way. This includes domestic violence, thoughts or plans of suicide and self-injurious behaviours, such as cutting your body.”
2. “Your anxiety interferes with your cognitive (thinking), physical and behavioural functioning in performing your daily tasks effectively at home, school or work.” Jacqui suggests checking your behaviour and asking yourself: “Do you find yourself avoiding people, places or events or doing something to soothe increased anxiety before or afterwards, including self-medicating, substance use or perhaps risky sexual practices?”
3. “You find yourself having emotional outbursts that feel difficult to control and that negatively affect your personal relationships.”
4. “You experience sudden panic attacks or have repeated panic attacks. A panic attack can feel frightening – it comes out of nowhere; your heart races and you may think you’re having a heart attack.  You may feel lightheaded and dissociated, like an out-of-body experience, and think that you’re going mad and you may feel trapped and experience the need to physically escape.” This might sound frightening, but it’s more common than you may realise.

How To Find A Psychologist

“Looking for a psychologist can feel daunting and scary and it is important to find a therapist that you feel comfortable with,” explains Jacqui. “To do so, you may need to visit more than one therapist to get a sense of who you connect with best.”

If you are unsure of where to start, speak to your family doctor or GP and ask for a recommendation. Alternatively, contact Medshield to help find a therapist within our network in your area.

Jacqui Morgan works with individuals and groups at a psychiatric residence and co-facilitates a DBT group for adolescents. She currently belongs to several academic groups where she continues her professional development and stays informed on best practice. Her approach is largely informed by a psychodynamic perspective, and she works with each client according to their needs. For more information and to book an appointment, she is available at Jacqui@morganpractice.co.za.