We all feel stressed at times, and we will all go through different life events that we will find stressful and difficult. There may be times when we feel able to cope well with this, and therefore do not feel our mental health is being heavily impacted by the stress we are under. However, at other times it may feel like it is too much for us and we can quickly start to feel overwhelmed.
In small amounts, stress isn’t always harmful to us. In fact, some people can find a degree of stress to be energising or motivating – for example, having to work to a deadline. Stress generally becomes a problem when it goes on for a long period of time, or if it is very intense. When this is the case, stress can affect both our mental health and our physical health.
Signs and Symptoms of Stress
- Increased feelings of anxiety or worry
- Feeling overwhelmed, or like you have too much on your plate
- Feeling irritable or angry
- Feeling impatient
- Racing thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty making decisions
- Forgetfulness
- Changes in sleep pattern
- Changes in appetite
- Using alcohol or drugs more frequently
- Headaches
- Muscle tension or pain
- Stomach problems
- Racing heart or palpitations
Types of Stress
- Acute Stress – This type of stress generally occurs directly after a specific, stressful event and lasts for a relatively short period of time, usually days or weeks. It is very intense and may happen after an event that is very upsetting, such as a bereavement, or after something very unexpected and sudden happens, such as an assault or crime.
- Chronic Stress – This type of stress lasts for a much longer period than acute stress, often for months or even years. Sometimes it can settle down for a while, and then flare back up, depending on what is happening in your life at the time. Usually people will experience chronic stress when they are consistently under a lot of pressure, day after day, for a long period of time. For example, if you have a high pressured job, or there are unrealistic expectations placed on you at work. Or if you are balancing several different stressful situations, such as being a full time carer while also trying to work.
Common causes of Stress
Different people will experience stress to different degrees, given any particular situation. However there are several common causes of stress that often come up when we work with people in therapy. These include:
- Feeling under pressure
- Big life changes – for example, having children, changing jobs or getting divorced
- Having many worries
- Feeling out of control of a situation
- Lack of strategies or activities to relieve or release stress
- Financial difficulties
- Relationship difficulties
- Feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities
- Problems with health
- Difficulties at work
- Feeling alone or unsupported
What type of therapy can help?
Many people reach a point with stress, whereby they need some additional support in order to manage it. A therapist will normally work with an individual to identify the different sources of stress that they are experiencing, and then put a plan in place for how best to manage the stress based on that person’s individual circumstances.
There are various different strategies for managing stress, from practical things like making sure you are getting enough sleep and exercise, to learning new skills and techniques such as mindfulness and breathing exercises.
To find out more about some of different types of therapy we offer for stress, please visit our Services section where you can read about the different therapeutic approaches offered by Turning Tides Psychology.
Why should I choose Turning Tides?
At Turning Tides, our team of Psychologists are highly trained and have many years of experience working with common mental health conditions such as stress. Our therapists are all fully qualified in using a range of different approaches that can be helpful in managing stress and they are able to integrate aspects of different approaches to ensure your sessions meet your individual needs. The aim of therapy is to provide you with the tools you need to be able to manage your mental health independently.
Our psychologists can help you to understand your stress, exploring some of the different factors that are contributing to how you are currently feeling. Based on these individual factors, they will teach you strategies to effectively manage your stress and allow you to move forwards in your life.
We offer regular face to face appointments at our modern and comfortable clinic in Hoult's Yard, Newcastle or we can offer online therapy via Zoom if you live further afield or have a preference for online sessions.
Our fees
We have tried to keep our pricing as simple and straightforward as possible. We charge £120 for a 60 minute appointment, regardless of whether this is an assessment or therapy session. Our fees are the same for face-to-face appointments and online appointments as you will receive the same high standard of care from our psychologists, regardless of how it is delivered.
Contact Us Today
For a free 15-minute consultation with a psychologist complete the contact us form.
