Stress Management

Stress is so ingrained in daily life that it’s easy to ignore. But without treatment, ongoing stress can take a toll on your mental and physical health. The experienced team at Westwood Psychiatry Associates in Westwood, New Jersey, offer an effective solution: stress management. They use numerous holistic approaches to help you break the grip stress has on your life. To schedule an in-person or telepsychiatry appointment, call the office or book online today.

What is stress management?

Stress management refers to a plan you can use to reduce your stress levels. Stress is a group of feelings (anxiety, fear, dread, worry) and the physical reactions that occur when you face a threat or difficult experience.

Your stress may appear frequently or occasionally, come and go, or become a constant presence. Stress that turns into a persistent problem puts your mental, emotional, and physical health at risk.

Stress frequently comes from your environment, such as:

• Daily life (computer crashes, traffic jams, waking up sick)
• Family and relationship problems
• Work challenges
• Financial difficulties
• Life transitions (moving, starting a new job)
• Being bullied or discriminated against

Stress can also begin inside your body. For example, strong emotions or a health condition cause just as much stress as environmental triggers.

What are the symptoms of stress?

In addition to the classic feelings of anxiety, worry, and dread, you may have symptoms such as:

• Anger
• Irritability
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches and cramps
• Irregular heart beat
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory loss
• Mood swings
• Nausea
• Diarrhea or constipation

If your stress is severe, it may trigger a panic attack.

How does stress management improve my mental and physical health?

As long as you feel stressed, your body is flooded with stress hormones. These hormones energize your body to deal with the challenge, tensing muscles, raising your heart rate, and boosting blood sugar.

Everyday stress is only temporary, so your hormones return to normal levels. But if you have long-lasting (chronic) stress, they stay elevated and cause serious problems, including:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Weight gain
• Insomnia
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease

Stress management helps you prevent these problems.

What should I expect during stress management?

During your first appointment, your Westwood Psychiatry Associates therapist learns about your stress and what causes it. They may complete a psychiatric evaluation if your symptoms suggest a mental health disorder, such as depression.

Your stress management plan may include:

• Starting talk therapy
• Making dietary changes
• Improving your sleep habits
• Practicing mindfulness meditation
• Learning relaxation techniques
• Creating a time management plan
• Getting daily exercise
• Building a support system
• Identifying and reducing triggers

While there aren’t medications for stress, your therapist may prescribe medicines to reduce anxiety and depression or help you overcome severe anxiety.

When you need stress management, call Westwood Psychiatry Associates or book an appointment online today.