Feeling Stressed or Overwhelmed?

What is stress? Stress is an emotion. We feel “stressed” whenever we feel overwhelmed by something, or we feel like we can’t handle it. This happens when we feel like our resources for coping with whatever it is are not enough to handle that situation or problem (i.e., when the demands of the situation are greater than our resources for dealing with it).

This can happen in a million different situations:

• if you’re really behind at work and there’s a progress meeting with your boss first thing tomorrow;
• your beloved pet died unexpectedly and you’re struggling with how to help your child cope with everything while coping yourself;
• you’ve been in a relationship with someone for a long time, something is wrong or doesn’t feel right, and you’re worried about how to talk to them about it, or
• you just have too many problems or tasks to deal with, and you’re not sure where to begin.

Many other emotions can also occur when you’re stressed: sadness, worry, anger, frustration, guilt, grief and many others.

What can I do myself to deal with it?

First, it can be helpful to figure out where to focus your energy. If a problem is changeable, it can be helpful to use problem-focused strategies. So, if you’re stressed about an upcoming assignment at work, there are probably lots of things you can do. You can talk to your boss about her expectations, you can ask about what’s worked before and what hasn’t, you can come up with a plan and a schedule, you can ask for feedback, and many other things.

However, there are some times when you can’t change the situation itself or the time isn’t right, so it will be most helpful to focus on the emotions that the situation is bringing up for you. Sometimes just having the support of people who care about you can be a big relief. Also, journaling about your feelings has been shown through lots of research to help with difficult emotions. Meditation, yoga, or relaxation can also help.

What if those things don’t work?

Sometimes the above techniques help but they don’t help enough. Or stress has become persistent and you feel like it is wearing you down. In those cases, it may be helpful to talk to a psychologist who’s trained and experienced  in helping adults one-on-one to learn coping techniques they can use for long-term relief.

Ready for help?

No matter what challenge(s) you’re facing, contact me at 512-627-3583 today so we can work together and help you with solutions that will help you feel better and last a long time. I can help you learn more about the mind-body connection, coordinate care if needed, and choose a psychotherapy approach that can help.