The Psychological Services Group (PSG) would like to share with you this one last tip in our "Healthy Ways of Relaxation" series. Next issue, we will conclude with the second wave of officers' suggestions, before launching a new series of interesting psychology topics. We look forward to hearing readers' opinions, so contact us at 2866-6206 if you have any ideas to forward.

Seek Help And Share With Others

When we encounter a personal problem, we naturally feel tensed and uncomfortable. The feelings upset our body and mind. They slow down our thinking and drain our energy. They distract and prevent us from enjoying life. It doesn't help at all if we keep the problem to ourselves. It won't go away just by pretending it doesn't exist. Like any bodily pains and aches, emotional upsets are signals telling us to take a break and seek help.

Most of us have at least one good companion who we trust and confide in. A good friend is someone who will accompany us, listen and advise us how to tackle our problems.

A 1970s song You've Got a Friend, so well written and sung by Carol King and James Taylor, reminds us how wonderful it is to have a friend and to be somebody's friend. They sing: "When you're down and troubled . . . all you've got to do is call, and I'll be there."

Moreover, there is no issue of inequality in friendship, for your friend may be helping you today, but you may be helping them tomorrow. That's what friends are for: enriching one another's life.

Family is another source of support. Our family is often trying to protect us even though we may not always feel so. Anger and nagging are almost inseparable parts of their protection and concern for us. We tell them our troubles, they overreact, but then they will help us to the furthest extents they can. They mean well, and we should trust them. Although family can be one of the causes of our unhappiness, it often remains the most reliable and enduring source of help in our lives.

Keeping all the worries to yourself is like building a tall brick wall around you. You are either locking yourself in or waiting for it to crumble down upon you. Very often, you'll be surprised how experienced your family members are in dealing with similar problems.

When you encounter a personal problem and there's no one to help you should call a professional, be it a social worker, a counsellor, a therapist, or a psychologist. They are there to assist you voice your distress, breakdown the problems into manageable parts, and find good solutions. Many people find one or two sessions adequate to relieve their burden. Others prefer more time to try out new problem solving methods.

Help seeking is one aspect of a healthy lifestyle and everyone is entitled to it. As more and more people talk about their personal problems, human relationships will actually become more intimate and meaningful.

To be truthful to one's weaknesses is much healthier than pretending to be a super human being. It takes some courage to reveal your problems to others, but once you've disclosed it to a trustful person, you will naturally feel better and healthier.