Stress Can Make You Feel a Little Bit Crazy!
Author: Linda C. Senn

During any period of crisis or extreme stress, it’s common to experience frightening feelings of disorientation. Anxiety can be so generalized, you can't even put your finger on the exact cause. It feels like your brain is going to fly apart, and you might feel lost and confused most if not all of the time. Mental concentration is only a vague memory. Last year you could read a book and enjoy it. Now you read the same opening paragraph seventeen times, and still have no idea what it said.

That's not just scary. It's terrifying! The thoroughly capable person suddenly feels incapable. You feel crazy and stupid, and the worst part is that you think you may feel that way forever. At the same time, you're expected to hold a job, take care of the children, house, car, and possibly your parents.

Here's the really good news: it's only temporary!

When the stress hormones finally begin to recede and your life regains some definition, you'll find you're suddenly able to read whole pages at a time and to drive all the way to your friend's house without getting lost halfway through the familiar journey.

One of the reasons this temporary confusion is so debilitating is that pops up at the most unexpected times and it can be so bizarre. You might get sandbagged at the check out counter of the grocery store as I [Linda Senn] did.

I'd negotiated the aisles of the store, following my list, and concentrating on the job at hand. It all came apart when I handed the checker my plastic card, and she asked if it was to be debit or charge.

At that moment her words made no more sense to me that if she'd spoken in Sanskrit. I remember looking at her with great intensity, maybe thinking I could find some explanation in her eyes. But of course her real expectation was some kind of answer from me! At that point I felt a little foolish and vaguely light-headed. I asked her to repeat the choices. I still didn't know what she was talking about, but I did know that (at that time) I didn't charge my groceries, so I opted for choice #1 - debit. Surely I had to enter a PIN number, but my automatic pilot must have taken over that chore.

I left the store with a cart full of groceries, and not the slightest idea of what "debit" meant or how they would get my money to pay for said groceries.

Anytime you find yourself going through a “crazy period,?remember to be as kind and gentle with yourself as you would be if a dear friend was going through the same emotional turmoil. Try to squeeze a little walking or other exercise into your schedule, spend some time outdoors, and talk with a compassionate therapist if you seem to get stuck. Gravity and sanity will both return to normal by and by.








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Linda C. Senn is the author of "Your Pocket Divorce Guide" and "The Basic Divorce Workbook" and coauthor of "The Divorce Recovery Journal." Visit www.DivorceTransitions.com to learn more about her books.

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