We all need stimulation, engagement and challenges to enable us to feel like we are living a fulfilling and meaningful life. However, it is when these 'stressors' becomes too much for us that we can become overwhelmed and 'stressed-out'. When we are stressed-out, our anxiety levels increase, and we shift from being able to field demands on us to feeling like we can't cope.

Importantly, the 'fight-or-flight' response system sets off in our body as we start to feel stressed: our heartbeat increases, our breathing quickens, our muscles tense, our pupils dilate which means that we literally cease to be able to 'see the big picture'.

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This fight-or-flight state is designed for us to deal with immediate threats such as, in evolutionary terms, a wild animal attacking us. It shuts down non-essential systems and focuses on us simply trying to survive. When our fight-or-flight response is happening regularly, or even on a continual basis, all our systems are under enormous stress and something will eventually need to give. 

We all have different fight-or-flight thresholds and feel different responses to different stressors; what one person views as stressful another might consider a challenge or even fun. But we do all have the capacity to become overwhelmed or 'too stressed' and the symptoms for this can include:

 

• feeling nervous, anxious or afraid

• having racing thoughts

• aches or pains in the body, particularly muscle tension

• sleep disruptions or insomnia

• breathing fast or shallow, sometimes breathless

• feeling irritable, angry or short tempered

• heart palpitations

• finding it difficult to concentrate or make decisions

• feeling dizzy, light-headed or faint

• frequent infections or bouts of sickness

• seeking comfort from alcohol, drugs or food

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Therapy for Stress

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As symptoms of stress can vary considerably from person to person, all treatment is individually tailored to meet your unique needs and preferences in order to produce sustainable, positive outcomes.

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Therapy for stress seeks to help you establish a balanced life, with time for work, education, relationships, relaxation and fun - and the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.

 

Stress therapy explores the current sources of your stress and the root causes of it, equipping you with healthier coping strategies and skills to manage triggers and reduce your stress levels. 

 

By empowering you to cultivate greater self-awareness, resilience, inner calm, and regain a sense of control over your stressors, you can break the hold stress has over you and achieve more balance, fulfillment, and overall quality of life, enabling you to thrive even in the face of adversity.