Stress

Greene Psychology Group in Raleigh, North Carolina understands your stress. We all experience everyday pressure, particularly when major events happen in our lives. For the times when life becomes too much to handle alone, we offer help. Through treatment by our caring therapists, you can learn new techniques for managing your life to feel better.

What is stress?

Your body detects changes in your life and sometimes responds through a stress reaction. These responses are physical, emotional or mental, in an effort to adjust to the circumstances. Although this is a normal part of everyday living, it can feel overwhelming at times. That is when you need outside assistance in dealing with your stress and building new coping skills.

Stress Can Damage Your Health

Never let any of your feelings become too much to deal with as they can affect your health and well-being. Stress is a normal reaction that motivates us, keeps us aware of our surroundings and enables us to avoid bigger problems. But it can cause negative health effects, too. You can feel like you are constantly on edge, over-challenged and unable to get a break.

Also because of stress, your "fight or flight response" that is important in an emergency can remain activated. This causes damage to your body and mind. That is when stress becomes distress. It leads to internal imbalance and an array of problems, including:

Headaches

Upset stomach

High blood pressure

Chest pain

Sexual problems

Sleep problems

Depression

Panic attacks

Anxiety

Worry

In fact, it has ties to heart disease, lung diseases, accidents, cancer, liver cirrhosis and suicide.

Many people develop unhealthy ways of coping with these feelings. Some compulsively use food, tobacco, gambling, drugs, sex, alcohol, shopping or the Internet. Although they believe they find some relief or relaxation from these compulsions, this is untrue. Instead, these activities keep the body in its unhealthy state. They also cause bigger life problems that contribute to everyday strain and fuel an ongoing cycle.

Signs and Symptoms

Stress affects how your body takes care of itself. It damages your immune system and causes physical symptoms. These include:

• Numbness or dizziness
• Upset stomach and diarrhea
• Headaches
• Teeth grinding and jaw clenching
• Sexual dysfunction
• General aches and pains
• Acid reflux and indigestion
• Lost or increased appetite
• Muscle tension
• Sleep problems
• Racing heart
• Exhaustion
• Trembling or shaking
• Weight changes

Reducing Your Stress

You can learn new ways to manage. Through positive coping techniques you can have a healthier and happier life.

Below are some tips for managing this on your own, to start:

• Staying positive
• Accepting life changes
• Being assertive without aggression
• Avoiding anger, defensiveness or passive aggression
• Using relaxation techniques
• Exercising regularly
• Setting appropriate limits
• Pursuing your hobbies or interests
• Getting enough rest
• Avoiding compulsions and mind-altering substances
• Seeking support through therapy

Therapy provides a wide range of options for dealing with your stress. You can learn particularly valuable coping methods to deal with issues as they arise.

Stress Management Therapy

Stress is dangerous in many ways. It leads to substance abuse, physical health problems, mental health problems and emotional issues. This is why it is important to seek therapeutic help when you need it. A therapist helps you work through your symptoms and find ways to relieve your burden, while also working through root issues.

Therapy is most useful in dealing with stress occurring because of events happening in your life, such as divorce, health problems, death of a loved one or employment changes. When you feel overcome by family or relationship problems, your therapist can help with these issues, too. Couples or family therapy can find new resolutions for problems stagnating the relationship or causing strain.

Types of Therapy Used

Talk therapy is one of the most beneficial and healthy ways of dealing with this. In these sessions, your therapist uses a variety of methods and approaches.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of those methods proven to work. In CBT, you learn to change your negative thinking that keeps you in the cycle of stress. In place of this negativity, you learn to foster positive thinking that helps you focus on your needs and solve problems. In turn, your stressors stop affecting you so much and you achieve greater resolution in problems.

Mindfulness-based therapies also work very well to help with reduction. Your therapist can use mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (MBCT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Because stress often forms from other mental conditions, therapy can provide excellent results. This is true if you suffer PTSD, anxiety or a substance use disorder. You can develop greater understanding of your mental health in therapy and learn new coping skills.

Stress Therapy in Raleigh, North Carolina

At Greene Psychology Group, our goal is to help you work through life's problems and get you to your best mental and physical health. We look forward to helping you achieve your treatment goals through an individualized pathway to reduced stress and better well-being. Schedule your first visit today by calling us at 919-205-5339.