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Stress and Stress Management

Stress may underlie up to 60% of all visits to primary care physicians. Its causes are diverse, and a good counselor will help determine these causes very carefully, because a treatment program – to be most effective – must be tailored to the individual as much as possible.

Take, for example, someone who is under a great deal of stress due to a marital problem so serious that it may lead to divorce. The therapy plan for this individual might vary a great deal from that designed for a top-level athlete preparing for the Olympic trials.

This being said, a possible – but often missed – factor in both cases above, and for that matter in the majority of stress management problems, is that of an internal contributor. It’s easy to see how an impending divorce or an international athletic performance could be stressful; what is harder to see, however, is the possible contribution of a person’s background, habits, perspective, attitude, and emotional conditioning history to the exacerbation of the problem.

We are providing a list of common, stress reduction suggestions below as a matter of interest. Please keep in mind, however, that these are rarely sufficient resolutions because they are not tailored to the specifics of any individual’s problem at hand:

1. Exercise
2. Decrease or Discontinue Caffeine
3. Practice Meditation
4. Get Enough Sleep
5. Have fun: Get more leisure time away from stressors

Consider getting the advice of a specialist to help you understand your stress problems, their origin, intricacies, and both their external and internal causes, as a way of maximizing your happiness and success.