Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar University, participated in an event organized by the Washington Education Consultancy of the Ministry of National Education. Meeting with MEB scholarship students in the USA, Tarhan made evaluations on “Stress and Anxiety Management.” Underlining that one of the most important causes of stress is aimlessness, Tarhan said; “Events drag a person without a purpose in life wherever they want. The wind takes a ship without a purpose wherever it wants, but a purposeful ship can take the wind behind it.”
“If there is anxiety, there is a breakdown in the psychological dynamic”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan pointed out that when there is a fight response, the brain secretes five acid-like chemicals; “What we feel when our physical integrity is disturbed is pain. Anxiety and worry are accepted as the feelings experienced when our psychological integrity is disturbed. Distress, anxiety, that is, if there is anxiety, there is a breakdown within the psychological dynamic created by the person. In other words, there is a balance within the topographical structures we call consciousness, subconscious, unconscious, ego, superego. A person who is at peace with themselves establishes this balance in some way. A stress that disrupts the cycle, a compulsion comes, and the word equivalent of stress means compulsion, pressure. The word stress was first used in the industrial revolution for the dominant stress points of mines. Engineers used it, and then in the 1960s, a Canadian physiologist conducted animal experiments. In animal experiments, he observed that animals have fight-or-flight responses under stress. That is, when you force an animal into stress, it either fights if it has the strength or flees. He observed that humans also have a fight-or-flight response, and this response in humans also has a biological counterpart. It has a physiological and psychophysiological counterpart. That is, when there is a fight response, the brain secretes 5 acid-like chemicals. We call them the 5 horsemen of darkness; rage, anger, hatred, jealousy, hostility. If a situation arises with these emotions, the brain triggers cortisol in the body. When cortisol is triggered, vascular resistance increases, and blood pressure rises. Shoulder, neck, and back muscles contract, and the body enters a battle position. Pupils dilate, and we focus on the danger.”
“Stress has a compelling effect on our psychological integrity in our body”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan mentioned that there are 3 types of people in stress management and anxiety resolution. Tarhan said; “Stress has a compelling effect on our psychological integrity. If we have elasticity in the face of stress, we do not get into trouble in the face of stress. Initially, when we make an analogy through metaphor in stress management and anxiety resolution, it is very easy to remember. I want to make such an analogy. There are three types of people. The first is the sponge type person. They constantly absorb everything, are constantly complaining, and cry. That is, they are constantly distressed and spread this to everyone. Sponge-type people constantly draw everything in. They exist in many societies. When you talk to them, no kind words come out of their mouth. They constantly criticize this, criticize that. They always have a negative mood. Another type is the Teflon type. The characteristic of Teflon pans is that they don't burn themselves, but they burn what they touch. Teflon individuals are indifferent and carefree in human relationships. That is, their faces never blush, they are not ashamed, they are not bothered, they are selfish, narcissistic types. But they devastate their loved ones. In other words, their first-degree relatives cannot convince them; they do as they please. Teflon types use people. After a while, they are left alone. They appear comfortable and carefree, but they always remain alone to achieve their goals, and they make mistakes. Even if they succeed by working very hard at first, this is something seen in many later stages of life, especially when they are very lonely. The third type is the rubber type. What does the rubber type do? When challenged by an event, it stretches, and after the event is over, it returns to its original state. In positive psychology, this is even called social resilience. Resilience is translated into Turkish as psychological robustness, but it actually means flexibility. Resilience means being flexible. To be able to return to its original state after being challenged again. In fact, stress is an inevitable part of our lives; that is, when you go somewhere, you are in traffic, you get stressed. Everyone has a method for coping with stress.”
“Solution is more difficult for causeless anxieties”
Underlining that an anxiety state is considered a pathology if it lasts more than 3 days, Tarhan said; “Managing stress varies from person to person. Ideally, psychologically robust individuals, when experiencing stress, their psychological integrity stretches but then returns to its original state. That is, they do not prolong their anxiety much. If an anxiety state lasts longer than 3 days, it is considered a pathology, and if it lasts longer than 15 days, it is considered an illness. It then becomes necessary to use medication. Sometimes there are causeless anxieties. If there is a reason, that is, if an event happened and caused it, the solution is easier. The solution is more difficult for causeless anxieties. In such cases, childhood traumas usually play a role, or internal dynamics influence unconsciously. In fact, for this reason, anxiety or worry is called psychic pain, or psychological pain. People suffer to that extent. I know of cases where individuals came in having stabbed themselves in the stomach due to their anxiety. It is not such a simple thing. For example, there were psychotic anxieties. There are psychotic anxieties. They start as soon as one wakes up in the morning. They are so terrifying that the person will say; ‘How will today pass, what will happen all day, how will I live with this distress?’ There are people who use substances and become addicted because they cannot resolve their anxiety. There are people who take handfuls of medication. Mild anxieties are easy to resolve, but when a person cannot resolve them, and it becomes a clinical case, it impairs the person's quality of life. If depression is added to anxiety, in such situations, we certainly use anxiety scales for individuals. Situational anxiety and general anxiety are examined.”
“Stress and traumas are a part of growth”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan pointed out that events have an opportunity dimension as well as a threat dimension; “Anxiety is a preliminary symptom of trauma. Anxiety is a part of growth. Stress, traumas are a part of growth. This means something is not going well; you need to change your shell. This means you need to grow. That is why those anxieties are very beneficial, not in vain. We call such traumas 'developing traumas.' The person develops, emerges stronger, but for this, they need to take the right position. They need to perceive events correctly, interpret them correctly, but if they cannot do this themselves, they can do it by getting help from someone who knows. They can do it by changing their problem-solving style, by developing different perspectives, by putting forward new options. All these, every event experienced, every stress, every anxiety is actually something. Just as there is a threat dimension for us, there is also an opportunity dimension. When it is in the threat dimension, our peace of mind is disturbed, our enjoyment is spoiled, our physical comfort is disturbed, that is, our routine is disturbed at that moment. When you look at the opportunity dimension, you say, 'What did this teach me?' and you can emerge from it by developing and growing.”
“Lack of rules is the biggest cause of stress”
Tarhan mentioned that uncertainty and the unknown have the biggest trauma effect; “We need to protect our own personal boundaries and respect the personal boundaries of others. It is thought that the Stone Age and the Polished Stone Age civilized humans. We say they became civilized because they produced tools, but in reality, the measure of civilization is not carving stone, but building fences. Being able to draw a line between one's own boundary and a neighbor's boundary is a sign of civilization. The most important feature that distinguishes civilized people from uncivilized people is whether they comply with laws, rules, and principles. Lack of rules is the biggest cause of stress. A rule-bound environment creates trust. If we make our home rule-bound, it creates trust. A lawless environment leads to uncertainty and the unknown. Uncertainty and the unknown have the biggest trauma effect. For example, when an earthquake occurred, it was uncertainty and the unknown, more than the trauma of the earthquake itself, that affected people. It is the same in life events, and it is the same in death events. Uncertainty and the unknown cause more suffering to people than death. When you give meaning to death, when you provide an explanation, regardless of one's worldview, when a person provides a reasonable explanation for death, someone who understands the trauma of death can even comfortably face death. They can overcome the stress of death in that way.”
“What flies the kite is its position against the wind”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that one should not fear stress itself, but rather fear taking the wrong position against stress; “We will know our strengths and weaknesses. Knowing our strengths, we will set our goals accordingly and draw our roadmap. This is called psychological SWOT analysis. What does SWOT analysis contain? There are strengths and weaknesses. You look at opportunities, you look at threats, and accordingly, the person determines their strategy. They make their strategic accumulations and progress on the path of life. I see that one of the most important causes of stress is aimlessness. Events drag a person without a purpose in life wherever they want. Just as the wind takes a ship without a purpose wherever it wants, a purposeful ship can take the wind behind it. It is not the wind that flies the kite, but the kite's position against the wind. The position we take against life events, against stress, that stress can be a wind for us. One should not fear stress at all; one should fear taking the wrong position against stress. Therefore, events called stress are actually stress in our perspective or they become a whip. So, it should be approached in this way, but if a person is constantly tense, we recommend breathing exercises. For example, it is also used in meditation. You breathe in counting '1, 2, 3, 4', hold for '5, 6', and then exhale slowly. You then exhale again counting '7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12'. You breathe in quickly, hold, and exhale slowly. When you do this, in the sudden effect of stress, the oxygen going to the brain increases. If you change your focus of attention, if you realize you are about to fight with someone, or got angry at something, you can pull aside and do this, and after a while, your muscles relax.”