Chronic Stress Management

Chronic stress has become a common experience in our fast-paced world, but when stress becomes constant and overwhelming, it can significantly impact your mental health, physical wellbeing, and relationships. If you're feeling burned out, constantly overwhelmed, or like you can't keep up with life's demands, counselling can help you develop effective strategies for managing stress and reclaiming your sense of balance.

Common sources of chronic stress we help with:

Work-Related Stress - Demanding jobs, workplace conflict, job insecurity, or work-life balance struggles

Caregiver Stress - Ongoing stress from caring for aging parents, children with special needs, or ill family members

Financial Stress - Persistent worry about money, debt, job loss, or economic uncertainty

Relationship Stress - Ongoing conflict, communication problems, or relationship transitions

Health-Related Stress - Managing your own chronic illness or supporting a loved one through health challenges

Life Transition Stress - Major changes like moving, divorce, retirement, or empty nest syndrome

Academic or Performance Stress - Pressure from school, professional expectations, or perfectionist tendencies

Multi-Role Stress - Juggling multiple responsibilities as a parent, partner, employee, and caregiver

You might be experiencing:

• Feeling constantly overwhelmed or like you can't catch up
• Physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, or digestive issues
• Difficulty sleeping or feeling tired despite adequate rest
• Irritability, mood swings, or feeling emotionally depleted
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Using unhealthy coping strategies like overeating, alcohol, or social withdrawal
• Feeling guilty when you try to take time for yourself
• Worrying excessively about things beyond your control

Our approach to chronic stress management:

Effective stress management involves both addressing immediate symptoms and building long-term resilience. Our approach may include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - Identifying and changing stress-producing thought patterns and behaviors

Emotion Focused Therapy - Learning to recognize, understand, and manage emotional responses to stress

EMDR Therapy - Processing past experiences or trauma that may be contributing to your current stress responses and building positive resources for resilience

Stress Assessment - Understanding your unique stress triggers and responses

Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques - Developing practical skills for managing stress in the moment

Boundary Setting - Learning to say no and protect your time and energy

Time Management and Prioritization - Creating realistic expectations and manageable schedules

Self-Care Planning - Developing sustainable practices that support your wellbeing

Communication Skills - Improving how you express needs and negotiate responsibilities

What you can expect:

Chronic stress management focuses on helping you develop a personalized toolkit of strategies that work for your specific situation and lifestyle. Many clients begin to feel more in control and experience reduced stress symptoms within the first few weeks of counselling.

We'll work together to identify what's contributing to your stress, explore patterns that may be increasing your overwhelm, and develop practical strategies you can use immediately to feel more balanced and resilient.

Sessions are available in-person at our Calgary office or online throughout Alberta, Nunavut, and Quebec. We understand that stress can make it difficult to prioritize self-care, so we'll work flexibly to ensure counselling feels manageable, not like another item on your to-do list.

You don't have to live in a constant state of stress and overwhelm. With the right support and strategies, it's possible to feel more balanced, peaceful, and in control of your life.