Feeling stressed?
You may feel stressed when there’s too much to do and can’t find time to fit it all in; you may feel stressed at the end of the month when there’s not enough money left; you may feel stressed when you have issues with colleagues or bosses and you feel stressed before you get married, move house or have a baby.If you’re stressed, whatever the reason, the first thing to do is to identify the cause.
Once you have done that and put merasures in place to mitigate the cause as much as possible then try to improve your emotional strength, take control of your situation, buld a good social network, and adopt a positive outlook.
What’s the difference between stress and anxiety?
There are some very clear distinctions between stress and anxiety and this page will tell you about the types of stress I treat here at Behavioural Freedom but for an answer to the question ‘what is stress’, please go to the What is Stress & Anxiety page.
One of the fundamental and often-quoted differences is that anxiety is permanent but stress comes and goes dependent on the situation you find yourself in.
Types of Stress
The symptoms of stress are in three distinct forms – physical, psychological and behavioural.
- Physical Symptoms such as Low Energy, Headaches, Insomnia, Teeth Grinding, Aches
- Psychological Symptoms such as Agitation, Low Self-Esteem, Frustration, Moodiness
- Behavioural Symptoms such as Procrastination, Nail Biting, Smoking, Drinking, Pacing
As with the root causes of anxiety, the symptoms above aren’t exhaustive but should you feel stress and you notice an increased occurrence of these or similar symptoms, PLEASE contact me today. It could very well be the most important call you make this year.
10 Stress Busters
A very useful article listing 10 stress busters on the NHS website lists 10 ways of relieving stress.
Be active
Exercise won’t make your stress disappear, but it will reduce some of the emotional intensity that you’re feeling, clearing your thoughts and letting you deal with your problems more calmly.
Take control
There’s a solution to any problem. “If you remain passive, thinking, ‘I can’t do anything about my problem’, your stress will get worse,” says Professor Cooper.
Connect with people
A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your work troubles and help you see things in a different way.
Have some ‘me time’
Here in the UK, we work the longest hours in Europe, meaning we often don’t spend enough time doing things we really enjoy.
Challenge yourself
Setting yourself goals and challenges, whether at work or outside, such as learning a new language or a new sport, helps build confidence. This will help you deal with stress.
Avoid unhealthy habits
Don’t rely on alcohol, smoking and caffeine as your ways of coping.
Help other people
Professor Cooper says evidence shows that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, become more resilient.
Work smarter, not harder
Working smarter means prioritising your work, concentrating on the tasks that’ll make a real difference.
Try to be positive
Look for the positives in life, and things for which you’re grateful.
How I Treat Stress
At Behavioural Freedom, I use a skills-based model for treating stress. During our sessions, I will teach you relaxation techniques and helpful ways in which you can fundamentally and positively change the way you behave, think, act and react. It’s also important to note here that you can’t be stressed when you are in a relaxed state. The skills you’ll learn during your time with me will be vital to both your on-going treatment and perhaps more so as you leave my care.
A combination of Applied Relaxation and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is considered by the British Medical Journal to be one of the most effective therapies to combat stress and put you on a path to having a positive mind-set and being able to live life to the fullest, free of worries. By combining both and adding in the element of hypnosis, I believe this is the most effective, pragmatic and relevant approach to the treatment of stress.
Please contact me today to start the journey back to behavioural freedom.