make a virtual appointment or check my schedule
Are You Overwhelmed By Stress?
Does it feel as though there’s never enough time to complete all the tasks of the day?
Perhaps you're coming up against an important deadline at work, and you manage to stay calm and productive there, only to lose your cool at home with your family.
Or, perhaps heightened stress levels are impacting your ability to concentrate, feel stable or work toward your goals.
You may intend to devote time to healthy relaxation, such as exercise or meditation, only to give in to readily available but poor coping mechanisms that don’t serve you physically or emotionally, like drinking, drug use, binge eating, excessive internet or T.V. use, angry outbursts and more.
Do you feel like your friends are avoiding you? You might feel like you continue to exhaust the same conversations with them, and more and more, asking them for advice doesn’t seem to help.
Do you wish you could slow down and catch your breath—if even just for a moment—and learn to how to relieve stress in easier, more effective, healthy ways?
Dealing with stress can be an isolating and confusing experience that eventually leads to physical discomforts, such as sweating, shaking, increased heart rate, headaches and digestion issues. When you’re unable to relax, everything from your performance at work, to relationships, to self-esteem and feelings of self-worth are affected. You may find yourself struggling to connect with loved ones or find meaning in life. Being in a state of constant distress can also fuel thoughts, emotions, behaviors and choices that keep you feeling on edge or withdrawn. Regardless of how your stress is manifesting, you may feel overwhelmed and exhausted and desperately relief.
Stress Is Very Common In Our Culture
If you’re feeling defeated by stress, you are not alone. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in the U.S., affecting approximately 18 percent of adults.
Although stress is something that affects everyone, if you are experiencing emotional and physical stress symptoms, such as lethargy, relationship issues, irritability, joint pain or an inability to concentrate, complete daily tasks or function well, it may be time to seek help. With the guidance of an experienced, empathic counselor, you can come to recognize and pursue a positive path forward.
short-term Therapy Can Provide You With StraightForward, Effective Stress Management Strategies
Therapy for anxiety and stress relief can be highly useful and enrich your life in a variety of ways. Together, we can assess your inner strengths and external support system and embark on a plan of action that continues to draw from and build upon that foundation. I provide a warm, humane, hospitable environment for you to expel and process pent-up anxiety. Here, you are welcome to be completely and utterly yourself; I do not judge anyone's lifestyle, culture or identity.
By learning and practicing simple concepts and exercises, you can increase self-awareness and become more accepting of your own thoughts, emotions, sensations and experiences. With guidance and support, it’s possible to develop the ability to acknowledge and understand what comes your way and face challenges head on. In controlled and compassionate stress management counseling sessions, you can gain the insight needed to make positive choices that support your overall well-being.
My approach is holistic, meaning we may also discuss self-care practices such as exercise, diet, Buddhism, sleep hygiene, mindfulness and yoga, with the focus on scientifically proven methods. There are several established ideas and techniques available to help you regulate and alleviate stress. Ultimately, the ones that will be most effective are the ones that resonate with your personality, relationships and existing routines. Together, we’ll work toward lasting solutions that work for you. By systematically instilling healthy habits, it’s possible to become increasingly resilient and experience more joy, balance and energy in your day-to-day life.
You may still have questions or concerns about THERAPY FOR stress reductioN, such as:
I’ve sought help for stress before, and it wasn’t REALLY helpFUl. How will working with you be different?
Your safety and comfort will always be at the forefront of our work, and you will determine the pace at which we progress. Throughout our work together, I will encourage your feedback and adapt our treatment as needed. My approach is solution-focused, down to earth and committed to results. I am trained in several modalities and techniques and ultimately use methods that are tailored to your wants and needs.
I don’t think I’m ready for THERAPY. Are there resources that could help me MANAGE MY STRESS in the meantime?
If you’ve been struggling with debilitating stress, you may find it difficult to seek out help, leave your house or book an online appointment just yet, so:
Here are some resources that have helped many of my clients:
- The Healthy Minds app gives a flexibly structured way to learn self regulation skills, including explanatory talks, practices, and varied paths to tailor the approach to your preferences and situation. Developed by a neuroscientist and his colleagues, the app integrates neuroscience and research-based techniques with meditation training to increase your ability to reliably calm yourself. The talks and meditations are given by real people who themselves meditate, who work in neuroscience research. There are several different people delivering the same information, so unlike a lot of other services, you can pick the personality you feel most comfortable listening to.
- This podcast episode with Richard Brown Ph D., while it was done some time ago, still clearly explains the how breathing works to quickly learn to manage stress. His website BodyMindBreath links to his multi-format book The Healing Power of Breath, teachers trained by him and workshops you can take.
Dr. Jud Brewer wrote a book and developed an app to go with it called Unwinding Anxiety. His website also has a number of useful resources on habit change and managing cravings.
The UCLA Mindfulness Research Center offers and app free recordings and classes
-These MP3s are from the book The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems by Dr. Ron Siegel
- this article on types of meditation for beginners describes what types of meditation that are readily available
-this article describes the major types of yoga that are readily available
If stress is something everyone experiences, shouldn’t I be able to handle this on my own?
Although we all have to navigate and manage stress, most of us are never taught how to release stress from the body. Educating yourself on the ways in which stress manifests physically and developing tailor-made tools that reduce physical ailments can radically improve your life.
Experience work-Life Balance
If you have additional questions about stress and anxiety counseling or my practice located in New York, New York, I invite you to phone 1-929-484-0700, email gracie@sexrelationshipfamilytherapynyc.com or just schedule an appointment. You can also read and subscribe to my blog on stress reduction. I am only working remotely, with no immediate plans to return to in person meetings.
My CLIents SAY:
"I think through working with you, I've gained a deep understanding about true communication, how to negotiate conflict and boundaries, how to heal from past hurt, and how to work on my reactions...If I don't do meditation for too many days in a row, I'm suddenly more testy, quicker to react, etc. I think it's connected!"
--
"You are truly a wonderful therapist. You know how to sit in the silence, how to move the conversation in a healthy direction and showed such a level of genuine empathy. Thank you for everything."
