Why am I so stressed?

How can I be less stressed?

What helps stress?

Stress isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a biological, physical and emotional experience too. When we’re stressed, Cortisol levels increase in the body which have an affect on how we operate. We might feel overwhelmed, heightened, irritable, impatient. We might experience physical symptoms – sleep disruption, nausea, palpitations, brain fog. Stress shows up when levels of responsibility, concern and duties exceed current capacity. It's worth noting, our brains have barely changed in thousands of years – yet how we live now is very different. Our brains process the equivalent of downloading 100 HD movies of sensory information per second!

• Acute stress can occur with something new and challenging and is usually short term, but can feel intense
• Episodic stress can show up as a pattern, feeling regularly under pressure
• Chronic stress is when you feel stressed all the time – feelings of pressure and anxiety become part of daily life

Our feelings show up as messengers, trying to let us know something. It can be useful to get curious – What's it trying to tell you? When and how does it show up? What are you noticing?

Counselling can help stress levels by releasing, reducing distress, feeling understood by someone outside of your relationships. Being supported and having a space for you to slow things down, figure out what needs to stop, pause and adjust and look at realistic, manageable ways you can take care of yourself.