Stress Management

There are many definitions of stress.  Many consider stress to be those factors in everyday life which negatively impact on our adjustment and coping.  Others however, consider stress as a challenge to perform or succeed as a positive influence which may improve performance and productivity.  It is clear that individual responses to stress are highly variable.

Common symptoms of stress include:

• Sweating, nervousness
• Inability to sleep
• Poor appetite and weight loss
• Headaches
• Tension, being on-edge

• Inattention and poor concentration
• Irritability and moodiness
• Feeling overwhelmed and with no way out
• Feeling worthless and unable to cope

Because stress is different for each of us, it is important not to apply a blanket treatment approach for everyone in the hope that it will work.  Our counsellors realise how important it is to assess stress on an individual basis and understand what associated problems may be contributing to the stress. This is the first step in effectively dealing with stress.

Our counsellors can then utilise a range of effective approaches to deal with stress experienced by the individual. These include, education and recognition of the problem, physiologic techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, addressing lifestyle problems which may be exacerbating the problem such as substance abuse or insomnia, and problem-solving approaches which can often rapidly help restore a sense of some control over a seemingly insurmountable problem.