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themarkham economist sun health saturday may 31 2003 war crime disease take toll on everyones nerves by lisa queen staff writer it sars doesnt get you maybe mad cow disease will 5 if thats not enough to keep you awake at night remember to keep your children close because holly jones brutal killer remains at large j -s- j k never mind the 130 registered- sex offenders living in york region meanwhile terrorist attacks abroad and vague threats at home in the wake of the iraq war continue to capture me headlines but vacationing at home wont keep danger away mosquitoes a staple of the ontario summer could infect you with west nile virus the onslaught of bad news seems endless these days and men tal health experts warn the resulting anxiety has become a persistent nagging fixture for many people j its just one thing after another said jack knight a york region psy chotherapist i guess the question that people keep asking themselves is whats next m0 not surprisingly mr knight said some people are more resilient to ongoingbad hews than others some peopieareable to adapt and go on with their lives he said some people are more reluc tant to do mat they may have a whtq do get enough sleep0 vxi eat healthy food get regular jwercisejyv lake time s every day torelax talk about concerns to family and friends- keep a journal fi take care of yourself what not to do bont get hooked oh hoh news channels d6n use alcohol anddrugs to escape dont try to do more than you can han dle more heightened state of alertness because of other traumas in their lives they may go through their lives in a continuous state of anxi ety i think most people move on but dr janette collier argues sbme peoplemay be fooling them selves about their ability to adapt to ongoing bad news i think people are feeling trie symptoms of anxiety without real izing what theyre experiencing said dr collier a clinical psycholo gist withthe adult mental health unit at southlake regional health centre she said people can experi ence a wide range of symp toms such as moodiness or feeling shormempered for no reason not realizing those are signs of stress they may not be sleeping well they may be sleeping as long as usual butnot as well or theyre having more dreams or night mares dr collier said they have a general feeling of being unwell their stomachs upset their muscles are a bit achy they have sl mild headache you know youre not sick really but you dont feel well these are ajl normal reactions to stress and anxiety dr coluer said others are more aware they are experiencing stress just walking around in my neighbourhood people are com menting their level of anxiejty is cer tainly increasing even fori myself shesaid v c v people were especiauyalffected by holly the 10yearold toronto girl who was abducted killed and dismemberedpeople were partic ularly tearful about that or angry anger is a normal reaction dr collier argued the ongoing barrage of bad news stories oyer the past few months can in some ways take a greater toll on people than one huge catastrophe with one really huge traumatic event the stress is exaggerated and its accepted more she said after 9 11 people would say tm feeling really angry and upset and scared but i should be feeling this way butwith a series of events staff photobill roberts dr janette collier a clmicalpsydiqlogist at soumlake regional health suffering from anxiety without knowing it y- thai go on for some time it becomes a part of your daily life with smaller yet still notewor thy events dr collier said peoples anxiety level increases inimcre- rrientsf she also pointedout smaller events come oh top qf peoples daily worries over family and work v when you deal with multiple stressors to a lesser degree people turn and look inwardstratiier than talking- about their stress with oth ers she said looking out to the world has proven not to be a good thing so people look inwards she advised people who are unableto cope with their daily regime to seek professional help meanwhile both dr collier and mr knight agree there are coping methods to alleviate anxiety mr knight suggested turning off the news if you feel it is increasing your stress level i think it helps for people not to watch cnn nonstop or other radio programs pr tv programs where we are cbnstantiy bombarded with the medias insatiable lust for freportmg24hoursaday f knightalso stressed it is important for people to talk about their con cerns rather than brooding oyer them alone if people are not happy in their livesall this stuff is goingon around us will be worse he added ifs easy for people to get into a negative downturn its not even complaining its rurhinating it will make the anxiety worse dont dismiss children who express their worries mr knight advised its important to talk about it and riot dismiss it and let the child know the parents are there to pro tect them and they will do what they can dp so the child wont be put in any riskysituation alcohbiarid drugs are no escape he said they can make stress even worse- dr collier agreed makeure you get enough sleep eat properly your need for these increases when youre under stress shesaid its important to do some relax- ihg everyiiay take some time for yourselfriyteit family -and- friends vvvritirig iria journal is a good way of getting the stress out of your head and down on paper exercise is important dr collier said its easy for peo ple to push themselves harder when they feel stressed but you wont do yourself any favours in the longrun v when you get really stressed you get run down and you have fewer resources available within yourself to deal with it she said this is a catch phrase but peo ple need to take care of them selves benjammmoore markham colours decor newtpaiirit store iii marldiam 6605 highway 7 east unit 12 east of highway 7 next to weall and cullen r hours monfri 7 am 7 pm saturday 9 am 6 pm sunday 10 am- 4 pm 9054728997 fryy join us for our grand opening event on saturday june 21 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