Feeling Stressed to the Max? Counseling Can Help 

Stress is a natural and even healthy response that everyone experiences. But when you experience too much stress, it can have a negative effect on your mental and physical health.

For this reason, our experienced mental health team at Desert Bolt Behavioral in Phoenix, Arizona, offers services centered on helping you identify and manage stress in your life. One of our go-to treatments for stress is counseling, or psychotherapy. 

Through regular counseling sessions, we help you address the underlying triggers of stress and work with you to create a plan for preventing it from taking over your everyday life. 

Keep reading to learn what you need to know about stress and counseling. 

A closer look at stress

Not all stress is bad, and in fact, a little stress can be a good thing. When your body feels stressed, it helps strengthen neural connections in your brain and improve your cognitive function. 

Stress also gets you ready for physical challenges by releasing hormones that shut down certain functions and improve others.

The problem comes when you experience near-constant stress, or chronic stress, or severe stress. When this happens, the scale tips and the negative effects of stress start to outweigh the benefits. 

This increases your risk of developing chronic health conditions, including anxiety, depression, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Some of the most common signs of chronic stress include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Digestive issues
• Frequent headaches
• Appetite changes
• Difficulty concentrating
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Unexplained weight changes
• Increased substance use or abuse

If you’re feeling stressed to the max, meet with a mental health expert, like our team at Desert Bolt Behavioral, so you can prevent negative health consequences from developing.

How counseling can help with stress

Also referred to as psychotherapy, counseling is a type of treatment we use to help patients manage different mental health and emotional conditions, including chronic or intense stress. 

There are group counseling sessions, couples counseling, and individual psychotherapy, as well as several types of counseling approaches identified by the American Psychological Association:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy to help you identify your core beliefs and how they influence your thoughts and behaviors
  
  
• Psychodynamic therapy or psychoanalysis to help change unhealthy thinking, feelings, or behaviors by addressing the unconscious meanings and motivations behind them
  
  
• Behavioral therapy to address unhealthy behaviors by replacing them with healthier alternatives
  
  
• Humanistic therapy to help you achieve your potential using self-actualizing practices
  
  
• Holistic or integrative therapy, which combines different counseling approaches to meet your needs 

All types of psychotherapy help people overcome stress and mental health issues. The right one for you depends on your symptoms, personal preferences, and the recommendation of your mental health provider. 

What to expect during counseling for stress

Talk therapy is extremely beneficial for those who are experiencing a high amount of stress. Many people under high levels of stress can’t easily see the whole picture related to where the stress comes from and the impact it has on their life.

Our team at Desert Bolt Behavioral helps you identify the causes of your stress and makes sure you have the resources needed to manage them. We also help you manage any mental health side effects, such as anxiety or depression.

During your counseling sessions, we work with you to improve your well-being. The heart of psychotherapy involves helping you discuss and explore your concerns, challenges, and emotions with an unbiased, nonjudgmental psychotherapist. 

By helping you communicate and articulate your concerns, struggles, and stressors, counseling gives you a better understanding of these issues. Once you’ve identified the triggers of your stress, we work with you to develop strategies to help you better manage that stress.

Counseling sessions are strictly confidential, so your privacy is protected. And while your life won’t change overnight, the right treatment plan can put you on the path to long-term stress management and better overall mental and physical health.

Are you tired of feeling stressed to the max? Learn how counseling can help by scheduling a consultation online or over the phone with us at Desert Bolt Behavioral in Phoenix, Arizona.