Life Stressors

Life has a way of throwing curveballs and bombshells. From professional pressures to personal challenges, stressors can accumulate and present themselves as seemingly overwhelming obstacles.

You might be facing challenges like:

  • Marital tensions or relationship breakdowns

  • Career uncertainties: hostile work environments, burnout, job insecurity

  • Financial pressures and economic challenges

  • Caretaking or childcare responsibilities

  • Personal or family health issues

  • Legal battles

  • Major life transitions: divorce, retirement, new career, relocation

Although we all experience one or more of these major stressors over the course of our lives, there are times when their impact clearly threatens our quality of life, health, or productivity. This is especially true when stressors are sudden, recurrent, or occur simultaneously. It is during these challenging times that professional consultation can help us get back on our feet, even when recovery seems impossible.

 

How do I know if I could use help managing Life Stressors?

When life stressors lead to “excessive” anxiety, treatment can often be helpful.

Signs of excessive anxiety include difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, lack of energy, strain in close relationships, impaired work-functioning, and decreased or altogether halted overall productivity. Additional signs include panic attacks, feeling chronically keyed up or on edge, suppressed appetite, weight loss, muscle tension, irritability, social isolation, and avoidance/procrastination.

 
 

What treatments can help manage Life Stressors?

Generally speaking, psychotherapy and medications are the most effective treatments for managing anxiety disorders, including excessive anxiety due to life stressors. Combining both approaches is usually the most effective, though either method can work alone.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the most effective and the most well-researched form of psychotherapy for the treatment of stress and anxiety. It is a collection of techniques including relaxation training, cognitive therapy, gradual exposures, and assertiveness training which are taught over the course of 5-8 sessions with a skilled professional.

Medications are also highly effective for excessive anxiety due to life stressors (more so when they are combined with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). The best way to learn about medication options and whether or not they are right for you is through a one-on-one evaluation with a qualified medical professional such as a psychiatrist.