Kelly Mental Health
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Meet Your Therapist
    • Meet The CEO
    • Tour Our Office
    • Join Our Team
    • KMH Foundation
  • Our Services
    • Counselling
    • Workshops
  • Book Online
  • Resources
    • KMH Podcast
    • Mental Health Articles
  • Get In Touch
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • Featured >
      • 2020 New Business Excellence Award
      • Mask Anxieties - CBC News
      • Entrepreneur of the Year
      • Mental Health Newspaper Column
      • 2019 Quality of Life Award Nominee
      • Operation Red Nose
      • Women Magazine Fall 2018
      • Women Magazine Spring 2018
      • Thunder Bay's Finest
      • Thunder Bay Guest
      • ISC The Heart of our City
      • Commercial by DZ Photography
      • 2018 Business Excellence Awards Nominee
      • TBNewsWatch: Around Town
      • TBNewsWatch: What's Happening
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Meet Your Therapist
    • Meet The CEO
    • Tour Our Office
    • Join Our Team
    • KMH Foundation
  • Our Services
    • Counselling
    • Workshops
  • Book Online
  • Resources
    • KMH Podcast
    • Mental Health Articles
  • Get In Touch
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • Featured >
      • 2020 New Business Excellence Award
      • Mask Anxieties - CBC News
      • Entrepreneur of the Year
      • Mental Health Newspaper Column
      • 2019 Quality of Life Award Nominee
      • Operation Red Nose
      • Women Magazine Fall 2018
      • Women Magazine Spring 2018
      • Thunder Bay's Finest
      • Thunder Bay Guest
      • ISC The Heart of our City
      • Commercial by DZ Photography
      • 2018 Business Excellence Awards Nominee
      • TBNewsWatch: Around Town
      • TBNewsWatch: What's Happening
Kelly Mental Health

Sandpaper

30/4/2017

Comments

 
By Linda Kelly, MSW, RSW
It was actually a Redditor who described this scenario to me once, and I have to say that it really stuck. You’re locked in an enclosed room, and the floor is made of very slowly-moving sandpaper. It would be the most subtle form of torture. At first it’s not a big deal. Just keep moving. You could probably keep up for hours without an issue. But then as time passes, you wouldn’t be able to sleep or rest, not for longer than 30 seconds anyway.  

Imagine trying desperately to just close your eyes but having to continuously roll over or get up and move to the other side of the room to try to prolong the short moments of peace. Imagine trying to calm yourself because you have no idea how long this ride will be. 
Picture
You’d probably experience anger, frustration, anguish. Sadness. More anger. Hopelessness.

You’d probably go through all of those feelings that we try to suppress whenever we are bothered by something that we feel we can’t fix. Something bad is happening, but it’s not a massive disaster that’s over as soon as it began. It gets worse as time goes on, but only enough to make the frustration grow, and not enough for us to feel justified in yelling for help. 

That’s chronic stress. Imagine what that would do to a person’s ability to cope, to handle new stressors, to even manage their emotions effectively.  

So why are you beating yourself up so much for being emotional when you've been under so much pressure for so long?

For those of you who experience guilt for getting overwhelmed, for wanting to give up, or for losing your temper from time to time, the key is in learning how to temporarily stop that floor from moving, because continually getting up to move yourself out of the way is just addressing the symptoms and avoiding the cause. 

If I can leave you with anything here, I’d tell you this: figure out what is the primary cause of your chronic stress (what's moving the sandpaper) and force it to pause long enough for you to rest, recuperate, and regenerate. ​

Comments

    Thoughts

    Check here periodically for updates from Kelly Mental Health staff. 

    Check out kellymagazine.ca for recent mental health articles and blog posts.
    View my profile on LinkedIn
    This blog is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide personal support as an alternative to psychotherapy services. Please note that replies are viewable by the public, and we may take a few days to respond. If you require immediate assistance, please call us during business hours. 

Visit us

Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 
9:00am - 5:00pm 
Please call to book your appointment

Support

Resources
All Services
​FAQ / Policies
Referral Form

Chat with us

(807) 767-3888
Toll-free: 
​1 (833) 467-0275
info@kellymentalhealth.com
Picture

© COPYRIGHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WEB DESIGN BY KMH