You're listening to lifekit from NPR.
Hi, everyone.
I'm Lilliana Maria Percy Ruiz Infamriel Saguerra, and I'm here to talk about something uncomfortable.
Literally, a few years ago, I had a bad day at work.
A conflict erupted with my boss that left me feeling anxious and panicked and I couldn't get rid of it.
My chest felt tight, my stomach hurt.
I had trouble sleeping and focusing, and I felt like I was on high alert.
I knew something was wrong.
I just didn't know what it was.
I actually don't even know if clients say, I'm coming to you because I'm in a state of distress.
Doctor Kali Cyrus is a psychiatrist based in Washington, DC.
Doctor Kali says that when we are triggered by something in our lives, it is hard for us to decipher between what is discomfort, meaning something we can tolerate and work through, and what is distress.
In thinking about those words, one seems like a precursor to another.
Discomfort at extreme levels or heightened levels can lead to distress.
It's ratcheted in intensity.
It's past discomfort, or I think in frequency is when it starts to transition into the unhealthy, which is when I think of distress.
Distress has the word stress in it for a reason.
And when we're in a state of distress for longer periods, it puts a negative impact on our body that can become toxic, leading to high blood pressure, elevated hormone levels, and conditions like chronic fatigue, depression, and immune disorders.
Thankfully, there are techniques to help mitigate distress.
In this episode of Life Kit, we're going to talk about how to get our bodies more comfortable with being uncomfortable so that we can avoid getting to a state of distress.