Does Counseling For Stress Management Work?
It can be natural to undergo a spike in stress levels from time to time, whether experiencing a high-stakes work project or a significant life change like having a baby. However, when you feel stressed every day, you may be experiencing chronic stress, which can have negative effects on your physical health and significant long-term mental health impacts. Even if stress is not a chronic condition, you may benefit from learning stress management techniques to relieve stress in your daily life.
Techniques to manage and reduce stress
Stress counseling can help clients address chronic and temporary high-stress situations, as well as promote health and wellbeing. Stress counselors trained in various stress reduction and relaxation techniques can assist you in understanding the causes for your stress and mitigating your body’s stress response.
What is stress?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines stress as “a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.” Stress involves worry and physiological response to an external cause. It differs from anxiety, a mental health condition involving internal distress, fear, and anxiety without a cause or external inciting event. However, stress does show some characteristics of anxiety, and it can be linked to the development of anxiety in the long term.
Symptoms of stress
Stress occurs in the nervous system, releasing chemicals like cortisol and adrenaline that keep the body safe in case of health emergencies. However, when these stress chemicals remain for the long term, they can cause various physical and mental health problems, including heart disease, inflammation, and headaches. Counseling for stress is one way to work through chronic stress and symptoms of stress that may lead to these risks.
Potential effects of an inability to manage or reduce stress:
- The development of mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or substance use disorders
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate, which may result in a heightened risk for heart disease and cardiac conditions
- Emotional eating of comfort foods high in sugar, fat, salt, and carbohydrates
- Diabetes
- Weight fluctuations
- Insomnia, sleep difficulties, or a change in sleep patterns
- Headaches or migraines
- Muscle loss or a decrease in muscle tone and strength
- Stomach ulcers
- A suppressed immune system
- A lower sex drive
- Disrupted menstrual cycles and irregular periods
- Fertility challenges and infertility
- Erectile dysfunction
- Social withdrawal and isolation
- Embarrassment and shame
- Irritability
- New or increased use of substances
- Development of unhealthy coping mechanisms like gambling, compulsive pornography use, or reassurance seeking
Mental health counseling for stress
Meeting with a mental health professional trained in one or more of the following techniques or types of stress therapy can be the first step to addressing how stress impacts your life and managing stress.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and other types of therapy
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a therapeutic method developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor of medicine who incorporates theories of Buddhism and traditional Eastern medicine into his practices. Mindfulness-based stress reduction is grounded in mindfulness techniques that emphasize grounding yourself in the present and recognizing sensations in your body and thoughts that pass through your mind without judgment.
How does mindfulness-based stress reduction work?
The formal MBSR program developed by Kabat-Zinn and implemented by various practitioners nationwide lasts for eight weeks and can be a significant time commitment. Participants can attend weekly group or individual counseling sessions and an eight-hour retreat near the program’s conclusion. They may also be asked to devote 45 minutes daily to implementing the mindfulness techniques they are learning. You can also choose to attend a five-day intensive residential version of an MBSR program.
Even if the time commitment for the formal MBSR program is not feasible for you, you can still work on understanding and using MBSR techniques with your counselor. You may try a relaxation technique like meditation, deep breathing, body scanning, mindful eating, yoga, or other methods of reconnecting your body and mind.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy, also called “talk therapy,” is often considered the “gold standard” for addressing various mental health and life challenges, including stress and its associated symptoms. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that changing negative thought patterns and attitudes can result in behavioral changes that may significantly improve one’s life and mental state.
How does cognitive behavioral therapy for stress work?
With cognitive-behavioral therapy, your therapist might first identify ineffective or unhealthy thoughts or assumptions (i.e., “If I don’t work twelve hours a day, I will lose my job”). Those thoughts can then be linked to behaviors (overworking) that may be causing stress. Once the negative pattern has been identified and understood, the unhealthy attitudes can be replaced with more beneficial thoughts (“Working is important, but life is about more than work”). Those thoughts can translate into healthy behaviors (better work-life balance), resulting in a positive life change (less stress). Though it can be difficult to change negative thought patterns, CBT-based stress management has helped many people improve their overall mental health, well-being, and ability to manage stressful events.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy combines the principles of mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive-behavioral therapy into one comprehensive therapeutic approach for reducing stress and symptoms of other mental health conditions.
How does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy work?
MBCT uses mindfulness techniques and relaxation training, primarily mindfulness meditation, to help clients understand that their thoughts and emotions are one component of their lives and do not necessarily control their behavior. It helps them find new strategies to manage stress in and outside of counseling. A counselor trained in MBCT can help you keep negative thoughts from progressing or encouraging unhealthy behaviors.
MBCT counselors can help you reduce stress by teaching you techniques to calm the body’s stress response and develop ways to process maladaptive thoughts so that they no longer lead to high levels of stress hormones in the bloodstream. MBCT can also involve other relaxation techniques for addressing and managing stress, including meditation, deep breathing, and other coping strategies.
Find a therapist online who can help you reduce stress
If you are seeking a counselor specifically trained in stress management techniques, you might benefit from online counseling through a platform like BetterHelp. Online counseling can connect you to thousands of trained and licensed counselors with educational backgrounds in multiple techniques, including mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
Benefits of online therapy for stress management
Online counseling may be helpful for those who experience stress related to setting appointments, commuting, parking, and organizing a schedule around in-person counseling. With an online counselor, you can meet with a professional from home and choose between phone, video, or chat sessions.
How effective is online mental health counseling for stress management?
Online delivery of these various therapeutic methods to address stress may be as effective as traditional in-person counseling sessions. One study found that an online cognitive behavioral therapy program significantly reduced symptoms of stress in participants. If you can’t find a therapist in your local area who has trained in the specific stress reduction technique, online therapy may be a convenient option.
Takeaway
Stress might not seem serious and may happen occasionally due to life events or a particularly stressful situation, but chronic stress can significantly impact your brain and body. Improving your relaxation response through techniques like mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can help you learn stress relief strategies and reduce overall stress levels. Consider reaching out to a provider to get started.
How can mental health counseling or therapy help manage stress?
Some argue that stress is a public health crisis. Still, mental health counseling or therapy can equip people with the necessary coping skills to deal with challenging situations effectively. With the help of mental health professionals, individuals can learn stress management and relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, and tai chi, for instance.
How to counsel a person with stress?
To counsel a person with stress, it can be helpful to let them know you’re there for them if they need support, validate their feelings, and help them in identifying triggers for stress in their life. You could also encourage the person to seek mental health care for better stress management.
What is the best type of therapy for stress management?
Many mental health professionals believe the best therapy for stress management is cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT focuses on identifying patterns of thinking that may be contributing to stress and reframing them to promote a healthier mindset.
For more severe conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, exposure therapy may be necessary. This type of therapy will gradually expose individuals to the source of their fear or anxiety while teaching them distress tolerance techniques. It’s often relied on when people experience traumatic events such as abuse or a natural disaster.
How to fix chronic stress?
One effective way to manage chronic stress is to begin making positive changes and additions to your lifestyle. Lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet or getting more physical activity are some practical ways to decrease stress, promote overall well-being, and help your body cope with stressors more effectively.
What not to say when someone is stressed?
It’s natural to want to help someone deal with stress, but there are some things you might avoid saying, so you don’t unintentionally make things worse. Here are some examples:
- Perk up; it’s not so bad.
- I bet you’re not as stressed as I am.
- Hard work is good for you.
- You shouldn’t have waited until the last minute.
What is the best medication for stress?
Most mental health professionals recommend healthy lifestyle changes and mental health support to cope with stress. Still, some people may benefit from pharmacological treatments and mental health medications. A psychiatrist or other qualified healthcare provider can help you determine which medication might be best for you.
How do you release your stress?
There are many different ways to release stress when you feel overwhelmed. For example, you can try exercising, spending time with friends, practicing techniques to promote relaxation, and meditating, for example.
What happens to your body when you stress too much?
Too much stress can take a toll on your mental and physical health. When your body releases too much cortisol or adrenaline in response to stress, it can result in a host of issues like high blood pressure, digestive issues, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders to name a few.
Can your body recover from years of stress?
Yes. Your physical and mental well-being can recover from chronic stress over a period of years, but it may require some changes on your part. Learning how stress affects you and how to combat it is the first step. Many people also benefit from seeing stress therapists for regular psychodynamic therapy. A therapist or group counselor can teach you coping strategies for when you’re feeling overwhelmed by stressful situations and personal challenges like a new job or divorce, for example.
What is the best vitamin to reduce stress and anxiety?
Some experts believe Vitamin B12 can help with stress. Moreover, the Mayo Clinic staff recently published an article on the benefits of the herbal supplement ashwagandha, pointing to the results of one of several meta-analyses indicating it can relieve stress.
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