Stress Management
What is stress?
Stress can be seen as the way you feel when you're under too much pressure. All sorts of situations can create this unhealthy pressure. For example, public speaking, rushing because you're late, or redundancy.
Normal pressure can be positive, research shows a moderate level of pressure helps
us perform better. It also makes us more alert and can help us in challenging situations such as job
interviews. Pressured situations can also be exhilarating and some people actually
thrive on the excitement that comes with dangerous sports or other `high-risk' activities.
It's when pressure builds beyond our resources to cope with it that the harmful effects of Stress can be
felt.
The most common situations that can cause Stress involve work, money and relationships with partners, children or other family members.
Stress may be caused either by major upheavals and life events such as divorce, unemployment, moving house and bereavement, or by a series of minor irritations such as feeling undervalued at work or dealing with difficult children. Sometimes there are no obvious causes.
Stress only works as a short-term solution to an
emergency. Excessive or prolonged stress can lead to illness and physical and emotional exhaustion. Taken to extremes, stress can be a killer.
What are the symptoms of stress?
Physical changes
When you are stressed, your body produces more of the so-called 'fight or flight' chemicals which prepare your body for an emergency. Adrenaline and noradrenaline raise your blood pressure, increase the rate at which your heart beats and increase the rate at which you perspire. They can also reduce blood flow to your skin and reduce your stomach activity. Cortisol releases fat and sugar into your system (but also reduces the efficiency of your immune system.) All of these changes make it easier for you to fight or run away.
Unfortunately there are not many situations in modern life where
this response is useful. Because of this, you can't use the chemicals your own body has produced to protect you. Over time these chemicals and the changes they produce can seriously damage your health.
For example, you may start to experience headaches, nausea and indigestion. You may breathe more
quickly, perspire more, have palpitations or suffer from various aches and pains. Longer term you
may be putting yourself at risk from heart attacks and strokes.
Emotional changes
When you are stressed you may experience many different feelings, including anxiety, fear, anger,
frustration and depression. These feelings can feed on each other and can themselves produce
physical symptoms - making you feel even worse. Extreme anxiety can cause giddiness, heart
palpitations, headaches or stomach disorders and feelings of panic. Many of these symptoms may
make you feel so unwell that you then worry that you have some serious physical conditions such as
heart disease or cancer - making you even more stressed.
Behavioural changes
When you are stressed you may behave differently. For example, you may become withdrawn,
indecisive or inflexible. You may not be able to sleep properly. You may be irritable or tearful all the
time. There may be a change in your sexual habits, and even if you were previously mild-mannered
you may suddenly become verbally or physically aggressive.
Who is affected by stress?
All of us can probably recognise at least some of the feelings described above, and may have felt
stressed or anxious at some time or other.
Research has shown that around 12 million adults see their GP's with mental health problems each
year. Most of these suffer from anxiety and depression much of it stress related. It's estimated that
about 45 million working days are lost each year through anxiety and stress-related conditions -
costing industry more than £3000 million.
Some people seem to be more affected by stress than others. For some people, just getting out of the
house can be a very stressful experience. Others are more relaxed and easy going and seem to cope better with pressure.
How can Stress Management help?
Working with me can help you recognise your own particular vulnerabilities to
Stress. This can help you to avoid the factors that create Stress, but more importantly can help you to change
those automatic ways of behaving that tend to take you
repeatedly into the pattern of Stress.
Up to six sessions is normally all that is required to enable you to access all the benefits of a stress free
approach to life and to discover how much more effectively and efficiently you can work with your
own resources.
What about cost?
Each session normally lasts 50 minutes and costs £38. In cases of exceptional hardship I am happy to talk about a reduction in costs.