Stress & Life Management

We all need four basic elements to maintain a healthy stress level and get us through the day: good family/friend relationships, stress management skills, enough sleep, and healthy diet and exercise. 

If we’re out of balance in any of those areas, we may find ourselves dealing with chronic stress or other symptoms of an over-active brain, such as: irritability, anxiety, fatigue, sadness, low energy, poor eating patterns, and disrupted sleep. Are you struggling with symptoms like these? You might benefit from some support. 

No matter who you are or what your life is like, we're all trying to make it through this crazy world just the same. The buildup of the day to day stress and worry can leave us worn down not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually. Not to mention when the inevitable monkey wrench gets thrown into our laps, unbalancing our routines and putting even more strain on our minds -- but we're still expected to get up and make life happen just the same. 

Maybe you're feeling overwhelmed by what's expected or required of you, or that daily grind has gotten in the way of your ability to care for your own mental wellbeing, or even know what you need to support it. Maybe you feel weighed down as you're helping support a loved one in crisis, or maybe a drastic change in your life has left you not knowing what to expect. 

These are all feelings and situations we can help you with. 

Having to deal with whatever is thrown at you is a natural and necessary part of life, but the ways we choose to deal with it is up to us, even if we sometimes forget that. In therapy, you can find more than just emotional support, you can find guidance. You can discover and learn new tools, new perspectives, and develop your abilities to cope with whatever life throws at you. 

Some common behavioral responses to stress include ruminating on negative thoughts, over-caffeinating, physical inactivity, and social isolation. With your therapist, you can explore the unique ways you have learned to deal with stress, both healthy and unhealthy, building on the good ones and modifying the bad ones. 

A major component of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy involves finding those negative thought patterns going around and around in your head all day long, and discovering new ways to think about your situation and those around you.
 

Finding the right balance of acceptance of action can increase your levels of perceived control and satisfaction with the world around you. With your therapist, you can take the time to explore what kind of balance is right for you, and learn how to implement it.

Don’t let chronic and built-up stress negatively affect your life any longer. Reach out for a consultation today!