Managing Stress
Does this sound familiar?
Claire, a 55-year-old professional, finds herself in a whirlwind of responsibilities and worries that seem to amplify by the day. Balancing a demanding career with the care of her aging parents and supporting an adult child struggling with substance use, Claire feels pulled in all directions.
Her concerns extend beyond the immediate challenges of her family - non-stop coverage of war and violence; tumultuous political events, and ageism/racism/sexism (all the ‘isms’) weigh heavily on her mind. Like Claire, you may feel overwhelmed by stressors in your life.
What does Stress Feel Like?
Stress manifests not just emotionally but physically, creating a cascade of symptoms that can affect various aspects of your health. Physical symptoms of stress include headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, and sleep disturbances, alongside more severe impacts like high blood pressure and heart disease. Emotionally, stress can lead to overwhelming feelings of helplessness, desperation, irritability, anxiety, and depression, making simple tasks feel insurmountable. For Claire, these symptoms translate into sleepless nights, rumination and constant worry, and a sense of being perpetually on edge.
How Therapy Can Help
Counselling Offers a Safe Space
In the face of stressful challenges, counselling offers a safe space to explore the sources of your stress, understand its impact on your life, and develop coping strategies. Counselling can help untangle the complex issues surrounding family dynamics, career pressures, and personal wellbeing.
Specific therapy approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), offer effective tools for addressing stress. CBT focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors, which helps to bring back some sense of control. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is another useful approach, that can help you anchor yourself in the present moment, and repattern the brain to have less stress and anxiety.
Additionally, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) acknowledges thoughts, feelings and emotions and provides ways to choose actions that will enrich your life according to your personal values. This approach can be especially beneficial if you are dealing with stress sources that get in the way of living your life. It can also help to prioritize and focus on actionable steps for more wellbeing.
Coping Mechanisms for Managing Stress
Exercise
Exercise is a powerful tool for stress reduction. Engaging in regular physical activity helps to lower the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, over time. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, often referred to as the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators. Beyond the biochemical effects, exercise provides a mental break from daily stressors.
Exercise can offer a meditative effect as you become engaged in the physical activity at hand, shifting focus away from your worries and stresses. Whether it’s a brisk walk, a yoga session, or a more vigorous workout, integrating regular exercise into your routine can significantly enhance your ability to manage stress, offering both immediate relief and long-term benefits for mental health and resilience.
Stress Reducing Mindfulness Activities
Engaging in activities that ground us in the present moment can significantly lower stress levels, and gardening is a prime example of such an activity. The act of tending to plants, feeling the soil between your fingers, and witnessing the cycle of growth and decay naturally encourages a state of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is just focusing on your sense of smell, touch, sight and sound. Many activities can be done mindfully and will help to reduce your stress. For example, crafts like knitting and woodworking, or jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, Suduko, reading a book, stretching, even household chores can be done with your mind solely focused on that particular task. Activities done mindfully will strengthen the calm part of your brain and reduce your rumination and stress over time. Mindfulness diverts the mind from stress-inducing thoughts and promotes a sense of calm and wellness.
Managing Stress Resources
Here are some resources that can help with managing stress. These are not meant to be a substitute for therapy, but can be a helpful supplement. Lassen Counselling has no affiliation with any of the following resources unless otherwise stated, and cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.
Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It
By Ethan KrossKross explores the internal monologues that can dictate our feelings of stress and anxiety, offering insights into how we can...
Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free
By Caroline WilliamsWilliams delves into the fascinating connection between physical movement and mental health, presenting the latest scientific...
Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind
By Judson BrewerBrewer offers a novel approach to understanding and managing anxiety, which is often a significant component of stress. Throu...
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook
By Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, and Matthew McKayThis comprehensive workbook provides a multitude of strategies and exercises designed to reduce stress. From progressive rela...