Stress
Counselling for stress
What is stress?
In simple terms, stress is our body’s response to pressures from a situation or life event. Stress isn’t necessarily a ‘bad’ thing. Because without our ability to feel stress, humankind wouldn’t have survived. Our cavemen ancestors used it to alert them to a potential danger. For instance, being hunted by a sabre-toothed tiger.
Some of the things that lead us to feel stressed include experiencing something new or unexpected. Something that threatens your feeling of being in control over a situation, for example.
When we become stressed, our body is stimulated to produce hormones that triggers a ‘flight or fight’ response. For the reason that, it helps us respond quickly to dangerous situations. You may notice that your heart pounds, your breathing quickens, your muscles tense, and you start to sweat.
Sometimes, this response can be an appropriate, or even beneficial. The resulting feeling of ‘pressure’ can help us to push through situations that can be nerve-wracking or intense. Such as running a marathon or talking in public to a large crowd.
If stress is short lived we quickly return to a resting state without any negative effects on our health. Many people are able to deal with a certain level of without any lasting effects.
However, if you’re constantly stressed, as a result, your body stays in a state of high alert and you may develop stress-related symptoms. As a result, thiss can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress can suppress your immune system, upset your digestive and reproductive systems, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and speed up the aging process. It can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.
Symptoms of stress
Stress can affect how you feel emotionally, mentally and physically, as well as how you behave.
How you may feel mentally
Memory problems
Inability to concentrate
Poor judgement
Seeing only the negative
Anxious or racing thoughts
Constant worrying
Self-doubt
How you may feel physically
Headaches
Sleep problems
Feeling tired all the time
Chest Pain
Rapid Heartbeat
Aches and Pains
Frequent Colds
Skin Complaints
Indigestion
High blood pressure
How you may behave
Eating more or less
Sleeping too much or too little
Withdrawing from others
Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)
Drinking or smoking more
Common causes of stress
Losing a job or starting a new job
Heavy work load
A relationship breakup
Getting married
Discrimination/bullying
Financial diffulties/debt
Having a child
Moving
Experiencing a loss
Being diagnosed with a serious illness
How counselling for stress can help
Talking with a professional therapist about the difficulties you’re experiencing can help you understand any underlying issues causes. Above all, working with a counsellor will enable you to identify your personal triggers and discuss ways of coping with them.
Whilst stress cannot be removed from our lives completely, it is possible to learn step by step techniques that minimise the impact on in our daily lives. So our stress counsellors use a combination of CBT and counselling techniques to prevent excessive stress reoccurring in future
Our therapists will help you find when and why you began to experience heightened levels of stress.
We will help you understand the triggers that cause your stress to exceed comfortable levels and what you can do to stop this happening in future.
You will be helped to explore why, in particular situations, you feel stressed. While others appear to stay along with the steps you can take to change it.
Together we explorer how to create balance in your life.
If you would like to make an appointment to see one of professional counsellors at any of our practices in Kent. Please contact CBT & Counselling Today. Request an appointment
Self help books
Problems we can help you with
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Anxiety
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Counselling For Children
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Bereavement Counselling
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Anger Management
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Low Self-Esteem
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Stress
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Depression
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Jealousy & Insecurity
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Relationship Problems
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Work Related Stress
Our Locations
- Ashford
- Ashford (Egerton)
- Aylesford
- Birchington
- Brabourne
- Chatham
- Dartford
- Faversham
- Folkestone
- Gillingham
- Gravesend
- Maidstone
- Margate
- Online Counselling
- Sevenoaks
- Sidcup
- Sittingbourne
- West Malling
- Whitstable
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