STRESS!!!

Stress is so common, it's unbelievable. We see stress on the road a lot, in stores, everywhere - so many people feel so incredibly stressed. When I say stressed, I mean a great deal of internal pressure, tension, frustration, feeling overwhelmed and intensely self-critical. It frequently becomes irritation, or worse, with others. It often is triggered by external stressors, but it becomes an internal experience for us all. Many people are stressed but it doesn’t show; they appear calm on the outside, it’s only when talking about how they really feel that it becomes more obvious.

Stress affects your mood, your energy level, your patience with others - and it certainly affects your health. It's so well-documented, there is no doubt that your health suffers a great deal when you are highly stressed. Telling yourself to "just calm down", or worse, having someone else say that to you - doesn't work at all! Effective stress management begins with identifying the sources and learning to cope with them differently.

When we are highly stressed, we don't think very creatively. We tend to see everything in a black-and-white, either-or, all-or-nothing way. So in the beginning, I help you find different solutions that bring some relief. Then, I help you find ways that work for you to bring the stress level down for yourself. 

In our “American, super-independent” culture, there are tendencies to expect unrealistic time-lines and outcomes. This is often pushed further in the workplace - we have not really fully recovered from the pandemic, that was so close to being global depression. It has become "normal" to expect one person to do several jobs. In the long run, it may be a good idea to find another job if you are being mistreated at work, but it's certainly not the first solution.

Quite a few clients have told me they have been to see their Primary Care Physician because of the stress they are experiencing, only to be told to quit their job! Needless to say, this is not helpful at all. It's not realistic, it's not understanding, it's way too simplistic. That is something to be VERY carefully considered. I've worked with many people who have had horrific work environments, awful supervisors or managers, back-stabbing co-workers, slackers who make things difficult for people who actually want to get the job done.

The bottom line is: I can help you navigate the muddy waters and find ways to become calmer, helping you make better choices for yourself.