Stress and anxiety aren't the same but feel similar. Whether you have stress over a particular matter or are battling with recurring or persistent worry, help is available from a member of our team at JSR Family Therapy, serving Palm Desert in person and California online.
Stress Vs. Anxiety
Stress is a normal response that occurs whenever you're faced with a challenging situation, while anxiety is persistent. However, there’s not always a clear reason why you feel anxiety, or you may fear a hypothetical issue or be responding in a way that isn’t helping you solve a problem.
Anxiety can cause symptoms like digestive upset, headaches, and muscle tension, and you may find yourself having panic attacks, which are sudden, intense feelings of fear that cause physical symptoms such as hot flashes, sweating, trembling, a rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath.
If you have continuous or recurring stress, especially if you don't resolve it, you may develop anxiety.
Therapy for Stress or Anxiety
Various options are available for managing stress or anxiety in our office in Palm Desert, CA.
Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one option used by our therapists, and it helps by identifying thought patterns that are contributing to your anxiety or leading you to cope in a maladaptive way.
For instance, let's say you're always telling yourself that there's no way you're going to complete your work project well. Or you may say to yourself you know you're going to make a fool of yourself at the next social event.
During therapy, you'll learn to challenge those thoughts and replace them with more positive ones that focus on your strengths and ability to make change. This will help you better regulate anxiety or prevent it from occurring altogether.
Lifestyle Management
Part of your therapy may include helping you manage your stress through lifestyle changes, such as changing your diet, exercising regularly, or making a habit of setting aside time to do things you enjoy. Deep breathing may be recommended as a preventive method if you notice your symptoms becoming more intense.
If a certain aspect of your life is contributing to stress or anxiety, such as trouble at work or with your family, a counselor from JSR will help you work through what changes you need to make to feel safe.
In general, you and the counselor will work on developing better problem-solving skills so stress and anxiety are less frequent and you'll have the tools you need to handle problems as they arise.
Start Therapy to Live with Less Stress
JSR Family Therapy, serving Palm Desert in person and California online, has multiple mental health providers to help if you're struggling with a stressful time or experiencing long-term anxiety.
Call 760-625-9092 today to book an appointment.