Stress is something that is
an everyday discussion for most people in the United Kingdom as well as around
the world. This is even more pronounced as everyone is plugged in and online,
constantly viewing news, opinions and events that can seem like a never-ending
tidal wave of negative information.
Then, there is also the
stress of daily life. Everyone feels the need to do more with less, to perform
to the highest possible standard and to follow all the latest trends, fashions
and demands of society. For many people, financial stress, worries about
relationships, health issues or even how to simply get through the day adds to
the level of stress and distress in life.
Coping With Stress
The reality is that it is
not stress that is the problem, it is the way that people are able to cope that
is the issue. Individuals with highly effective responses to stress are able to
process stress in a way that has minimal negative impacts on their physical and
mental state. However, a sudden spike in stressful events can easily create
problems even for these individuals.
For those with highly
stressful careers and lives, even a small amount of additional stress can prove
to be a tipping point. Chronic stress is more challenging to deal with than
acute stress that is very short in duration.
The ways that an individual
is able to cope with acute or chronic stress is often a product of their
upbringing. Children that grew up in chaotic and dysfunction homes without
stability and parent role models providing love, support and guidance typically
have less ability to manage stress as adults. They also are individuals who
have experienced chronic stress through the family, which is another factor to
consider.
Stress can also occur
internally when someone constantly strives to be perfect at all they do. This
is also a factor of the family where parents demanded perfection or the child
felt the expectation was to be perfect. This may have extended to providing a
"perfect" picture to the outside world while covering up the discord
in the home.
Learning A New Way of
Dealing With Stress
At Philippe Jacquet &
Associates, clients can learn to let go of those issues and recognise their
unhealthy and unrealistic thoughts that are driving stress levels up in their
life.
Through counselling or
therapy, Philippe Jacquet can work with individuals to understand the negative
self-messages that are contributing to stress and blocking the ability to
problem-solve and resolve the issues.
Turning around these
internal messages can be done through a variety of integrated approaches to
treatment. Clients and therapists work together to understand the individual
stress triggers and the unhealthy and unproductive reactions that are
occurring.
Then, through therapeutic
exercises and talk, the client will develop effective strategies he or she can
use when those stress triggers occur. These often include changing the mental
messages and adjusting the expectation of self. It may mean learning to let go
of the need to be perfect and in celebrating creative solutions that address
the stressful issues.
Many individuals will also
find relaxation techniques, yoga, breathing, meditation and mindfulness
training to be highly effective as part of the holistic treatment plan
available through Philippe Jacquet & Associates.
