Stress Management

Stress occurs when we perceive the demands of life exceed our ability to cope with them. Some stress can be beneficial, producing a boost of energy to help us get through challenging situations. However, too much stress can have detrimental consequences to our physical and emotional health. Some coping mechanisms work as healthy tools for managing stress. Unfortunately, most of us resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms that magnify the negative effects of stress.

A few examples of potentially harmful coping mechanisms for stress include:

• Drinking alcohol to excess
• Smoking cigarettes
• Emotional eating
• Substance use
• Over exercising

Counseling can help you identify the unhealthy coping mechanisms of stress and assist you in developing healthier ones instead. We can work with you to help you find more positive, healthy ways of coping in order to drastically reduce your stress and help you build resilience for future demands.