Therapy for Stress Management

While different things lead to stress for different people, there are a few common incidents/situations (known as, stressors) that many people find difficult to manage.

Common stressors include:

• Relationship conflict – tension or breakdowns in romantic, family and friend relationships are common causes of stress. Major events like Christmas, weddings and birthday parties can be particularly triggering.
• Financial problems – losing a main source of income, being unable to make important payments or not being able to live the lifestyle you want due to debt can be major sources of stress.
• Health concerns – managing ongoing health concerns or the diagnosis of a serious illness, either for yourself or your loved ones can be incredibly distressing.
• Work issues – starting or ending a job, feeling unable to manage your workload, or having difficulties with management can all be major stressors, particularly if your work is a large part of your identity.
• Caring for a baby – the responsibility of caring for a newborn, paired with the sleep deprivation and dramatic change to everyday life can be overwhelming for many parents. Persistent feelings of anxiety and sadness may be indicative of postnatal depression.
• Traumatic events – experiencing or witnessing physical and emotional trauma is highly distressing. Persistent feelings of stress, vigilance and/or disruptions to everyday life following the incident may be a sign you are experiencing post-traumatic stress.

Everyone responds differently to stress. New research suggests there are genetic differences in the way that our bodies express stress hormones, making some people more vulnerable to stress than others. Where one person may thrive in a high-pressure work environment another may feel overwhelmed and inefficient. According to the Yerkes Dodson Law, we each have a ‘comfort zone’ within which we operate effectively under stressful conditions. Levels of stress beyond this comfort zone can lead to negative emotionality, exhaustion, and poor health. While ‘problem stress’ is not a diagnosis, it can be very impactful and plays a major role in the development of clinical disorders such as anxiety and depression. It is therefore important to be aware of what too much stress feels like in our bodies.

Unhealthy or prolonged stress often affects us in the following ways:

• Emotionally: Increasing feelings of anxiety, low mood, exhaustion, tension or anger
• Cognitively: Brain fog, forgetfulness, hypervigilance, circling negative thoughts, hopelessness or apathy.
• Behaviourally: Affected sleep patterns, an increase or decrease in appetite, being accident-prone and an increase in unhelpful coping strategies such as smoking, drinking, or gambling.

Chronic stress takes a physical toll. Every major system in the body is affected, leading to a range of health concerns. Reproductive issues, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, chronic fatigue, and cardiovascular disease have all been linked to problem stress. Stress has also been found to impact the immune system making you more prone to infection.

Many of the symptoms of prolonged stress are also present in several mental health conditions, particularly generalised anxiety disorder, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. If left untreated, these disorders can severely impact your ability to function and enjoy daily life.

Developing effective strategies to manage harmful, prolonged stress has benefits on both our physical and emotional wellbeing. 

The first step is to become aware of your reactions to stressful events. Consider a stressor you encountered this week. On a scale of 1-5 how stressful did you consider it to be? What were your thoughts and feelings about the event? Did your behaviour change in reaction to it (e.g. did you have trouble sleeping, eat unhealthy food, smoke or drink more than usual?) Were you able to calm yourself down? If so, what was most effective? 

Secondly, remember to engage in behaviours that help to manage and reduce stress. These healthy behaviours are also considered protective factors for mental health in general. These include healthy routines, exercise, engaging in activities that recharge you and managing situations or potential conflicts that will lead to further stress. It’s no surprise that these behaviours can be hard to put into practice when you are feeling overwhelmed, so having an idea of the things that help you destress and practicing these habits can help you to put this into practice in the moment more effectively.

Finally, if you need some further support in managing stress, reaching out for help, whether from a friend, family member or accredited psychologist may be the most important action you take.

While there are many ways you can manage stress on your own, working with a registered psychologist will ensure you are receiving evidence-based care that is customised to your specific circumstances. 

Therapy can help you to better understand your triggers and responses to problem stress and help you learn strategies to more effectively respond across different domains of life. You can book a session with a registered psychologist within 24 hours via our online portal. Select your psychologist based on their bio to find the practitioner best suited to help you.