Understanding and Treating Stress

Stress is an internal experience within the mind that can feel like carrying a heavy weight that never quite lifts. We experience stress as combinations of a racing mind that won’t slow down, worries and what-ifs, tension in your shoulders and neck, difficulty sleeping and a constant sense of being Overwhelmed. Perhaps you feel irritable, exhausted and always on edge—waiting for the next demand or crisis. This persistent state of activation leaves you feeling drained, disconnected; you strive to find the calm and balance you once knew. For some, it seems an inherent personality characteristic waiting to be triggered. For others, it has a causes in trauma or distressful experiences. You current circumstances and challenges aren’t helping either.

Stress as a Generalized Response

Stress is a generalized response to a broad spectrum of stressors—from work pressures and relationship conflicts to financial concerns and daily hassles. While the specific triggers vary from person to person, the body and mind respond in remarkably similar ways with heightened arousal, vigilance and a sense of threat.

The Role of Perception

As well as solving the problem that triggers stress responses, a key therapeutic target is ‘Perception‘ – it’s how we interpret, understand, and respond to potential stressors. This also influences the intensity and duration of our stress response. Stress is, in many ways, a construct—a learned pattern that often develops during our formative years. Perhaps you learned to view the world as demanding and threatening, or to believe that you must be perfect to be acceptable. These perceptual patterns, once established, become automatic lenses through which you view your experiences. Therapy can unlearn them

How We Magnify Stress

One of the most powerful ways we magnify the impact of stress is by focusing our Attention on it. When we ruminate on stressors, catastrophize about potential outcomes, or constantly scan our environment for threats, we amplify the stress response. We magnify it through our attention, our thoughts, and our interpretations. This creates a cycle where stress breeds more stress, and our perception of being overwhelmed becomes self-fulfilling.

Solutions: Evidence-Based Strategies

Fortunately, psychotherapy offers proven, evidence-based strategies to address stress effectively:

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you identify and change the thought patterns that fuel stress. By examining the automatic thoughts and beliefs that magnify your stress response, you can learn to evaluate situations more realistically and respond more adaptively.
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teaches you to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment, reducing the tendency to amplify stress through rumination. By cultivating present-moment awareness, you can break the cycle of stress-focused attention.
• Relaxation Techniques including progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, and guided imagery, provides concrete tools to activate your body’s natural relaxation response and counter the physiological effects of stress. Incremental practice.
• Stress Inoculation Approaches helps you develop coping skills and build resilience by gradually exposing you to manageable levels of stress in a controlled way, allowing you to practice and refine your responses.
• Problem-Solving Skills addresses stress by helping you identify specific stressors, generate solutions, and take concrete action—moving from a state of overwhelm to one of agency and control.

My Experience and Training

I have extensive experience and specialized training in treating stress and stress-related conditions. My therapeutic approach integrates evidence-based techniques tailored to your unique experiences and needs. I understand both the psychological and physiological dimensions of stress, and I am skilled in helping clients shift their perceptions, develop effective coping strategies, and build lasting resilience.

Effective treatment can help you feel calmer, more confident, and more in control of your life. I invite you to reach out to discuss how we can work together toward the relief you’re seeking. Phone: 410-970-4917; Email: edgewaterpsychotherapy@gmail.com; I look forward to hearing from you and helping you on your journey toward greater peace and wellbeing.