How To Reduce Psychological Stress
While resilience is often described as the ability to bounce back from difficult times, research suggests there may be more to it than that. Successfully coping with stress typically involves one, or a combination, of the following (Boniwell & Tunariu, 2019):
- Recovery
Our ability to return to and restore normal life at pre-stressor levels of functioning.
- Resistance
When we show little or no impact in response to a stressor or stressful event.
- Reconfiguration
A return to a new normal. A significant event may change who we are and how we live – positively or negatively.
Unlike recovery and resistance, reconfiguration suggests transformation; rather than returning to pre-stressor function, we travel beyond maintaining or sustaining our old lives.
Accepting a ‘new normal’ can help us reduce psychological stress and move forward.
Attempts to understand why we differ in our response to stress suggest that our sense of coherence (SOC) may also be important in lowering our suffering and experience of difficult emotions (Boniwell & Tunariu, 2019).
Indeed, research suggests that the “extent to which one is confident that internal and external environments are predictable and that there is a high probability that life situations will work out as well as can be expected” is influenced by our (Boniwell & Tunariu, 2019, p. 137):
- Comprehensibility
Our degree of insight into our achievements and difficulties and our awareness of our resources.
- Manageability
Our belief that things will work out as we expect and that our resources are adequate and appropriate.
- Meaningfulness
Our motivation surrounding our wish to cope and move on.
Additionally, according to Martin Seligman, hope and optimism about future outcomes are vital factors in our overall wellbeing and ability to overcome life’s difficulties. They belong to a “family of strengths that represent a positive stance toward the future.” (Seligman, 2011, p. 260).
7 Effective Stress Management Techniques
Our ability to manage stress, and create more resilience in our lives, can be helped in several different ways, including:
Recognizing how we currently deal with stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are a part of life. The difference between those that handle such unpleasant feelings well and those that don’t may depend on how they make sense of them (Forsyth & Eifert, 2016).
Understanding how we react and behave when confronted by stressful situations and anxiety can help us recognize how to better manage stress going forward.
Existing stress responses
Ask your client to consider which of the following applies to them (Forsyth & Eifert, 2016):
- Do you run away from or avoid stressful and anxiety-inducing situations?
- Do you suppress or push out feelings that are upsetting?
- Do you distract yourself from stress (keeping busy, eating, drinking alcohol)?
- Do you replace ‘bad’ thoughts with ‘good’ thoughts?
- Do you talk yourself out of feeling anxious, stressed, or worried?
- Do you seek help (therapy, stress-relief books, chatting with friends)?
This list is not exhaustive or judgmental. It is simply a list of some responses–positive and negative–people have to stress and anxiety.
Ask the client to consider which one’s offer short-term relief and which provides long-term support.
Now ask them to consider what they may be missing out on in life. The answers will either lead them to accept that they are successfully managing stress or provide valuable insights for the changes needed.
Changing how we see stressful situations
We may not be able to change our circumstances, but we can see them differently (Forsyth & Eifert, 2016).
Accept – Choose – Take action
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has proven valuable for clients learning to manage anxiety and stress; it encourages (Forsyth & Eifert, 2016):
- Letting go of the struggles that keep them stuck
- Cultivating peace of mind
- Accepting what is, and doing what works
Rather than struggle to reduce stress and anxiety, the client accepts what they are already experiencing and then chooses the direction they would like their life to take. The third step is to take that action and realize their valued life goals (Forsyth & Eifert, 2016).
The following techniques should help the client see and make such changes:
Radical acceptance
Radical acceptance is often practiced within Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). This worksheet teaches the client that they cannot control every aspect of their experience (Linehan, 2015).
Setting goals for radical acceptance helps the client understand how it will help them in their lives.
Challenging core beliefs
Our core beliefs can shape how we face up to the difficult times and how we react to stress (Beck, 2011).
The Core Beliefs Worksheet encourages the client to reflect on how they see themselves and what experiences shape the beliefs they hold. Interpreting stressful experiences through a new belief set can change how they impact the client.
Acceptance of our thoughts and feelings
The goal of ACT is to encourage clients to accept what lies beyond their control and commit to life-enhancing actions instead. The Thoughts and Feelings: Struggle or Acceptance? worksheet helps the client gain more insight into how much control they have over their feelings and thoughts (Harris, 2008).
What our readers think
This article was very useful.
I love this information about helping to stay positive and not stressed out. I love my job and I definitely create a safe place for the clients and it’s been a great experience, because they feel they can trust me and share the bad from the past and the beauty in the future.
I feel that this was a very important and helps in so many ways. We must understand this at all aspects and when we do we can understand the full job and what is expected of us. We must be patient and find our peace with dealing with this disease. If we understand everything then we understand how we can overcome the stress this will bring on us. Mind over matter and understanding as counselors we are helping other’s love life and to me that’s helping us love ourselves at the same time.
Excellent read! The content has friendly reminders, which most are common sense. However, this article breaks down the contributing factors to stress and gives great advice on coping mechanisms:)
Thank you I found this information very useful.