We all know what stress is. It creeps in to our lives every day, whether it’s the traffic jam en route to work, an unexpected bill or the challenges we face as parents and caregivers.
We are constantly surrounded by stress, but we do not always recognize it as a serious health risk.
Many people are unaware that therapy and counseling can be a powerful tool for reducing stress and its long-term impact on health. This is a crucial area to highlight during International Stress Awareness Week.
What does the data say?
One recent study revealed that on average adults in the UK are stressed 10.3 days per month, or more than twice a weekly.
Another study found that 80% of UK employees experience moderate to high levels stress at work, which contributes to 17 million days lost of work. 1/10 employees consider quitting their job because of stress.
Understanding the impact
Stress can be harmful even when it appears to be low.
You can pick up your phone or coffee mug by looking around. Decide on a 1-10 scale how heavy the object is by holding it at arm’s-length. Imagine you must hold the object at arm’s-length for 20 minutes. What would the weight be? The weight of an object does not change but how long you hold it increases the feeling of .
Even mild or moderate levels of stress can be exhausting if we have to endure it for too long.
Long-term stress has well-known risks. Burnout, characterized by fatigue, confusion, and difficulty with motivation, is the most common result. This leads to an increase in absenteeism and difficulty retaining employees.
Stress can also lead to mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety or psychosis. It can also affect our physical health. Stress is closely related to conditions such as IBS.
Understanding the Therapy
Counselling and therapy are not usually considered when we consider ways to manage our stress levels.
Counselling and therapy are often seen as the best course of action for those who have serious mental health issues, but they’re not always considered preventative measures. We don’t do the same with physical health. For example, people may go to the gym to improve their health and fitness if they are feeling unwell, but others go to prevent injury or maintain fitness.
The same is true for counselling and therapy. Counselling and therapy are not different.
Supporting therapy
We can learn to manage stress by engaging in counselling and therapy.
Life is full of stress. A safe space where we can express ourselves and develop effective coping mechanisms will help us deal with the stresses of everyday life.
Therapy can help us reframe negative thinking, better regulate our emotions and identify the underlying causes for stress. This will ultimately contribute to building resilience, an essential skill in our everyday lives.
The first time this post appeared was on HR News.
