Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "Zero stress means being fading away”

President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan met with his readers at the 9th Üsküdar Book Fair. Tarhan, who gave an interview on 'Stress from Individual to Society' in the program where great interest were shown, said that zero stress means being fading away. Emphasizing that anti-stress causes the globalization of laziness, the growth and spread of conformism, Tarhan stated that the things that increase stress the most are complaining, spitefulness and whining.

At the 9th Üsküdar Book Fair held at Bağlarbaşı Congress and Culture Center between February 16-25, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan received great interest.

Firstly, a conversation on "Stress from Individual to Society" was held under the moderation of Journalist Şaban Özdemir. In the interview held in the Eurasia Hall, Tarhan made evaluations on stress and how stress can be managed.

Stating that stress can be managed when acting in accordance with the speed and rhythm of nature, Tarhan also emphasized that we need to understand our brain to manage stress.

"Zero stress means being fading away"

Pointing out that the effect of stress on people has been understood more in recent years, President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized the importance of managing stress instead of overcoming it. Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that "Some people say to overcome stress; however, it is not right and possible to overcome stress. Stress can cause our body to have an energy source. The energy source is made possible by managing stress. Zero stress means being fading away. Some colleagues who do not know human psychology say, 'Run away from stress, live your life, you came into the world only once. When you have a marital problem, the family is not sacred, but you are. The individual is sacred, live however you like, you came into the world once.’ There is currently erroneous medical advice that recommends being stress free. As a result, there is someone who struggles, who runs away from energy, from self-mobilization, and causes the globalization of laziness. Currently, this anti-stress trend is leading to the globalization of laziness and the growth and spread of conformism. Therefore, the word stress is a resource. It is necessary to manage the resource.”

"A person must have a life purpose if they want to manage stress"

Stating that managing monetary resources and managing psychological and social capital in economics are similar to each other, Prof. Tarhan said that “The word economics comes from the Arabic root maksat (purpose). In other words, if a person has a purpose, they can do economics, and they can manage money. By the age of 10, a child must learn money management. If the child has not learned, then after entering adolescence there is a self-centered child who wants everything and expects only what they want to happen. One of the reasons for the globalization of narcissism is closely related to people's inability to manage their psychological and social resources. Therefore, it will be the life purpose of a person who wants to manage stress. Life will have a purpose to work for, to be tired, to suffer, to transcend oneself. A person with this goal can manage their stress and turn that stress into gain."

"If you can act in accordance with the speed and rhythm of nature, you can manage your stress"

Noting that controlled stress is beneficial, but uncontrollable stress is harmful, Tarhan expressed that "Like riding a bike, life is at a pace. You need to know where to speed up and where to slow down. If you can act in accordance with the speed and rhythm of nature, you can manage your stress. That is, it is necessary to know where to accelerate and where to stop. Controlled stress is beneficial so that we can use this source of stress, our energy source, our intellectual energy, our mental energy in an efficient and controlled way. Uncontrolled stress, on the other hand, is harmful. It is the dose that makes the drug a cure or a poison. Stress in its dose is beneficial whereas excessive stress is harmful. The brain secretes acidic chemicals, which we call the '5 Horsemen of Darkness'. Such as arrogance, anger, jealousy, hatred, hostility. If these feelings are present, acidic chemicals are secreted. Our energy resources are mobilizing. Sympathetic activation is happening. Since energy sources are activated, blood sugar rises, fats in the blood increase, vascular resistance increases, blood pressure increases, heart rhythm increases, attention increases, learning speed increases. If this happens for a few hours, it affects the body adversely.”

"Managing our stress is very closely related to understanding our brain"

Stating that the things that increase stress the most are complaining, vindictiveness and whining, Prof. Tarhan said that "The body of people who pursue negative thoughts is always stressed. The immune system of those people collapses early, and they get cancer at an early age. Another reason for getting cancer at an early age is the diseases that occur as a result of the suppression of the immune system by the stress hormones in the body caused by negative thinking. All of this is scientifically confirmed as it has been proven. The treatment method that measures brain function is now a global reality. It became a global knowledge. Managing our stress has a lot to do with understanding our brains."

What is the relationship between stress and personality type?

Stating that 3 types of personalities were identified in a study on stress, Tarhan said that "Type A personality, type B personality and type C personality have been identified. Type A personalities are impetuous, impatient, want to live fast, and are perfectionists. These people weave in and out of traffic while driving. They are also known as hyperactive. The rate of heart attack is 3 times higher in such people. Compared to type B personalities, heart, stomach, and intestinal disorders are 3 times more common. Some of these people's brains want to be perfect, and some want them to be immediate. They make their brains out like sandwiches. Since there is constant stress in the brain, there is constant tension. The modern system first makes you sick and then treats you. Fast life, success-oriented life, consumption-oriented life, crazy life, global suicide, and depression cause an increase in violent incidents. As a result, new types of antidepressants have emerged while looking for a cure for treatment."

"It is not the event itself that makes it stressful, but it is our reaction to it"

Talking about cockroach syndrome, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that what makes an event stressful is related to the reaction given. Tarhan said that "A lady was sitting in a restaurant when a cockroach came at her. When the woman sees the cockroach, she screams, trying to get rid of it. The cockroach immediately moves on to another lady, who immediately screams violently. The waiter comes, the cockroach sticks to the waiter, the waiter picks up the cockroach with a napkin and calmly throws it into the container outside. The cockroach is the same cockroach, but the reactions are different. That's what it is like with stress. Like the reaction of a cockroach, it is not the event itself that makes it stressful, but our reaction to it. If we react exaggeratedly, as we do to cockroaches, we will see every event as a threat. However, if we do 'Stop, think, manage' in the event, that event will not be a stress for us."

"As long as we do good, evil disappears by itself"

Talking about the third-generation psychotherapies, Tarhan drew attention to the gratitude modules. Tarhan stated that "In the gratitude module, we print a letter of gratitude. We write a letter of thanks to someone who has done them a favor in the past. We teach ways to be happy with small and ordinary things. In the gratitude module, we say go and buy a gift for someone who has done you a favor in the past. 'Why did you bring me a present?' he says, "That's why you have done me a favor in the past.’ A great friendship is emerging. These are all positive interactions. Therefore, the characteristic of the negative is that it over-alarms one’s brain compared to positive things. It is necessary to make an effort, effort and investment for positive things, this is called psychological entropy, behavioral entropy. If good and correct behaviors increase, evil in society decreases by itself. The best way to fight evil is like fighting darkness. If we want to fight the darkness, when a candlelight is lit, the darkness disappears by itself. As long as we do good, evil disappears by itself. For him, the best way to fight evil is to do good one-on-one. The better person you are, the more you make people do good and beautiful things, the better the surroundings will be, the better life will be."

"To be a good person is to pay the rent of our existence"

Stating that there are both pros and cons in life, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that the important thing is to be able to manage the events correctly. Tarhan expressed that "If you want to be happy, you must first cleanse your heart, your intentions, and make it your ego ideal to do good and beautiful things. To be a good person is to pay the rent of our existence. As Mevlana said, we do not live in the world, we pass through this world, so the most important thing is to be able to accumulate good and beautiful things at the end of our lives on our journey in this world. Achieving happiness is like chasing colorful shadows. A person tries to catch their shadow, but one cannot. Happiness and comfort are like colored shadows, escaping as they try to catch them. So is comfort. There are definitely pluses and minuses in this life, but the important thing is to be able to manage the events that come your way correctly."

"Most psychiatric illnesses are caused by epigenetic mechanisms..."

Stating that emotion must be added to that thought for a thought to be epigenetic information, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that when emotion is added to a thought, that thought turns into a belief. Tarhan stated that "Learned behaviors create a genetic conformism. Now that there is a change in that person's genes, one learns something from the gene. The brain reacts the same way in the same event, it reacts automatically. Automatic positive thinking or automatic negative thinking, also called mental rumination. The person does this epigenetically without being aware of it, without knowing it, without thinking. For example, when you are driving, you do a lot of different things. You are talking on the phone, you are doing something, but you are also driving because there is an epigenetic mechanism in the brain when you drive a car. In computer language, the brain creates shortcuts, but it is genetically encoded so that it does not learn new every time. In continuous work, the brain produces shortcuts and we do some things automatically. These shortcuts need to be repeated to produce them in our brains. Emotion must be added to that thought for a thought to be epigenetic information. When emotion is added to thought, that thought turns into belief. Returning to a state of belief is like pressing the enter key on the computer. When repeated, it becomes a habit. This repetition varies according to the personality structure, lasting eight weeks in some people and six months in others. In an average of 5-6 months, that movement becomes the personality of that person. Most psychiatric illnesses are caused by epigenetic mechanisms. Personality changes, addiction, diseases become permanent in the brain. You cannot do therapy without treating that person without correcting them because therapy cannot be done without correcting the biological infrastructure."

"Life gives its reward to those who can endure"

Referring to the importance of two skills in the fight against stress, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan informed about the ability to delay gratification and endurance training. Tarhan said that "A person who is resistant to stress and does not give up will come out stronger. Life gives its reward to those who can endure, and those who tolerate come out of this endurance training stronger and become more resilient in the face of events in life, they can manage stress better, and they do not panic in the face of events. For example, there are sponge type people, these people take stress, absorb it, always cry, are always complaining, always worrying, they have negative energy. When you talk to them, they are always sad, troubled, reproachful, always talking, negative people. It is very difficult to live with these people. Another personality is the Teflon personality. These are narcissistic people, and they are the most dangerous. They do not burn themselves, but they burn those who come into contact with them. Since these people lack mental flexibility, when there is a great trauma, they experience narcissistic injury and commit suicide immediately."

Israel is acting in Gaza with a 'Teflon Type' in particular...

Evaluating the events in Gaza as political narcissism, Tarhan said that "There is narcissism there... They do not see people as people. There is something cruel, the whole world is watching. The global conscience is facing a great test. If political Teflon is the best example of Teflon types in this test of global conscience, this is exactly what the state of Israel is doing right now. Since such people cannot stretch after a while, they break under too much pressure and fall apart. That is why, in such situations in history, people who lack mental flexibility endure up to a certain strength and then break and fall apart. And the third is normal rubber-type people. They are flexible, they take things, stretch, manage, and rephrase them. People with rubber type are able to manage stress. Whether you are neither Teflon nor Sponge, the ideal is rubber stress management."

"Experience is a psychological capital for us"

Stating that the old generations matured in poverty, while the new generations tried to mature in wealth, Prof. Tarhan said that "You have to understand why the child is stressed. We need to put ourselves in the child's shoes. The important thing in stress management is to see stress as a threat, stress is somehow an energy. Think of nuclear energy as electrical energy, it illuminates this place, if you give it excessively, the fuses will blow, if it is low, it will not illuminate like this... The older generations are maturing in poverty, while the new generations are maturing in wealth. It is not easy to mature in being. Especially families are trying not to make two things that children say one or two, in this case, children get many things easily. There are 2 types of pleasure in life, one is short-term pleasure, and the other is medium-long term pleasure. Children and young people think about short-term pleasure in the moment. If he puts in a little effort, sweats, gets tired, what will happen in three years, five or ten years, then he will have greater opportunities. The sweating, fatigue and sacrifices made at this time are an investment. Experience is a psychological capital for us. Experiences are a gift today, an investment in the future. If you do not invest in the future, you will have a random life in the future, events will rule you. If a young person wants to invest in the future, they should start that investment today. One should set their goal and while they are on the path of this goal, the efforts a person makes today are an investment that will bear fruit for them in the future."

Answering the questions of the readers, Prof. Tarhan signed his books for the readers in the book signing hall after the interview.

Tarhan received great interest from the readers

After the interview, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan signed his books for his readers.

Readers, who formed long queues for book signings, also had the opportunity to chat with Tarhan and take photos.

Answering the questions of the readers, Prof. Tarhan signed his books for the readers in the book signing hall after the interview.

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)