Incest 0000i-xiv FM 1 - William L. White

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t h e i n c e st u o u s wo r k p lac e
Knowing Your Early-Warning Signs. Each of us has a unique earlywarning
system that indicates when our personal defense structure is
approaching overload. It takes a conscious effort, however, for most of
us to learn what our early-warning signs are and to sensitize ourselves
to recognize when we are reaching overload. Scan figure 1-B in chapter 1
and see if you can identify the indicators you are most likely to exhibit
when distressed. See how specifically you can identify the earliest indicators
of excessive stress. What we often call our “early” warning signs
actually signal an advanced level of arousal to distress. To discover what
some of your true early-warning signs are, you can ask family members,
friends, or co-workers for feedback on your style of managing excessive
stress. Ask them what they first see that tells them you are having a bad
day. Their answers may provide you with a number of subtle (and surprising)
indicators of personal distress.
The importance of recognizing these early symptoms can’t be
overemphasized. All the stress-management techniques in the world are
useless if we don’t recognize when we need to use them. Early distress
signals represent an internal feedback system that tells us when we are
reaching the limits of our physical and emotional defenses. To ignore
these signals is to invite serious physical and emotional illnesses. Such
signals may also reflect areas of needed skill development, a need for
time-out periods (vacations, for example), a need to take the next step in
our professional development (school, job change), personal needs outside
the work setting that are being neglected, or a need to reestablish a
more equitable balance between work life and personal life.
Expressing Emotion. The ability to express emotion decreases our vulnerability
to distress and strengthens our personal defense structure.
Those of us who grew up in families in which the healthy expression of
emotion was not the norm must acquire this skill.
Verbalizing emotion discharges the feelings and high level of physiological
and psychological arousal that accompany stressful situations.
When strong feelings cannot be verbalized or are discharged in an uncontrolled
manner (for example, rage reactions), our personal defense
system breaks down in a way that further erodes our personal and interpersonal
health.
The ability to manage emotion is particularly important to people in
service occupations who may encounter clients in great physical and