Stress Management
We are not only exposed to external stressors such as life events, people’s reactions, and deadlines but also to internal stressors that we ourselves unintentionally create such as our own thoughts, self-esteem, choices and actions.
Stress that We Create
Getting lost in all the ways everything can go wrong,
Judging ourselves for not doing or being enough,
Seeing only the negative in our relations and lives,
Dwelling on the negative,
Burning bridges …
Those are things that we can non-judgmentally put to test during the counselling process. Together, we can see if they are working out for you and if not, we can challenge them, and replace them with more adaptive alternatives. Even though it may not feel that way, we are in charge of our internal stressors.
External Stressors We Can Control
While we may have little control over our external stressors, there are still some things we can do to manage them. For example, to reduce the stress you feel towards upcoming deadlines, you can learn to improve your time management skills, set realistic goals, learn new relaxation strategies and self-care practices. You can also learn to better manage conflicts by increasing your self-awareness around your contributions towards the conflict and sort out the part of the conflict that is in your control. In counselling. you can also work on communicating your perspective and needs more effectively.
Accepting What We Cannot Control
During our time together, we will also create space for you to work towards accepting those things that you cannot change. Acceptance is not limited to accepting the situation as is but also accepting and processing the feelings and grief it may bring.