Stress Management

Stress Management

Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed?

Stress seems to be a part of our lives in many different ways.  It is present at work, home, in our relationships and also brought on by life events. It’s true that some stress can be good, but when we are experiencing it in a few different areas of our life at once, it can be difficult to manage. We cannot always eliminate the circumstance causing our stress and at times it can become overwhelming, but lifestyle counselling can help teach the tools needed to get through these difficult times by providing an outlet to help us cope with the stress of everyday life and specific life events.  With practice, and support we can keep our stress at healthy levels that keep us alert and motivated to face challenges.

There are several signs and symptoms of stress including the following:

Physical:  Fatigue, headaches, nausea, chest pain, muscle spasms and numbing
Mental:  Forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, inattention, poor problem solving
Emotional:  Anxiety, depression, hopelessness, worry, anger
Behavioral:  Isolation, diminished sexual drive, sleeping/eating less or more

Understanding Your Stressors:

Before implementing any coping strategy, lifestyle counselling can be beneficial to help determine what your stressors are. Once you become aware and are able to identify and understand the triggers in your life, learning coping skills and developing a coping strategy becomes much easier.

Stress Management Techniques

There are many effective ways to manage your stress, but the best one depends on you. Try out the following to see which technique you connect most with:

  • Meditation
  • Deep breathing
  • Listening to music
  • Going for a walk
  • Talking to a trusted friend
  • Engaging in a hobby you enjoy
  • Going for a walk
  • Exercise:  e.g. Yoga, Qi Gong

At KIH we we have caring therapists available to help you deal with stress better including our Naturopathic Doctors and Clinic Psychotherapist.  They each have specific training and credentials enabling them to provide high level care to patients struggling with these concerns. 

Read more about our Psychotherapist Alexandra Gurinsky’s therapeutic approach here:

Holding relationship in psychotherapy