We all have those times when everything feels like too much. There’s so much going on and you’re just not sure how it’s going to work out, or even what to do about it.
Stress is a part of all our lives, and at pretty constant levels too. In many ways, this stress is healthy. It’s what urges college students to study for finals, what keeps us alert during driving, and can even push us to accomplish great things. Stress can positively impact your overall life—when properly managed, that is.
That is where a lot of us get into trouble. When the stress becomes too constant, and too much, it overrides its benefits with a lot of negatives. It can consume our lives and our health. Thriveworks Decatur understands the tricky balance stress requires in our life, and we are here to help you learn how to control it, instead of it controlling you.
Why Do I Have So Much Stress?
Stress is a physical reaction to danger. It dates back to when predators hunted the night, a bad storm could kill, and food had to be scavenged or hunted. The problem is now, most of us hunt for food in a Walmart grocery aisle and the biggest predator is the coworker after the same promotion as you.
Our brain and body are hard-wired for danger, but the danger we experience today is vastly different from the danger we experienced hundreds of years ago. This is not to belittle your stress- what you’re feeling is completely valid! Moving somewhere new, bad relationships, and financial crises are all very distressing events. Our bodies just don’t know always know how to cope with them. Especially when that stress is near constant in our lives.
So, what can you do? Is there anyway to manage stress when our bodies seem to be working against us? Yes! The counselors at Thriveworks Decatur are adept at guiding their clients through stress management and working through any problems the stress many be causing.
Stress takes an emotional and physical toll on both you and the people around you. Some signs you have unmanaged stress include:
- Constantly avoiding confrontation (initiating the “flight” response)
- Angry outbursts or aggressive behavior (initiating the “fight” response)
- chronic headaches
- joint pain
- upset stomach
- easily-triggered anger
- irritability
- panic attacks
- feeling overwhelmed
- trouble sleeping and/or nightmares
- memory loss
- impulsive behavior
These are just some examples of ways stress can attack your wellbeing. It is something no one deserves to live with. Thriveworks Decatur has methods we can use so that you don’t have to anymore.
What Does Stress Management Look Like?
Because stress will probably be a part of your life for a long time, stress management needs to be as well. Thriveworks Decatur counselors work hard to ensure that the skills you learn during a counseling session can be transferred to your day to day life, so you can continue to live happy and fulfilled.
Stress management will also look differently for each person and each situation. Almost anything can bring about a damaging amount of stress: a large move, school, work, relationships, personal goals you feel you aren’t attaining, the list can go on and on!
Luckily, there is a way to manage the stress associated with every scenario. And no scenario is too hard! You don’t have to live in stress anymore, there is a way out.
Some tools we may teach and use during a counseling session with Thriveworks Decatur include:
- Learn mindful and relaxation techniques for when you are in a stressful moment
- Proactively plan stress relievers
- Talk through any underlying problems that may be causing stress
- Practice healthy habits like getting enough sleep, exercise, and healthy nutrition
- Build a strong social support group
- Learn to identify stress before it gets to be overwhelming and ways to stop it from growing
- Pick out negative thoughts that may be driving stress, and learn to replace them
At Thriveworks Decatur, we strive to form a relationship with our clients and make sure each session is engineered for you. Therefore, each session will be different, and there is no cut and paste way to stress management.
No matter the problem, there is a way to cope with it. Our counselors are excited to begin the journey with you.
