– Understanding the Impact of Stress Through Nashville Counseling Services

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF STRESS THROUGH NASHVILLE COUNSELING SERVICES

Resource: 10 Lessons to Transform your Marriage. Dr. John Gottman. 2006

Stress is a normal part of our everyday lives. There is no escaping some component of stress in our regular routines of life. Yet, there are seasons in every person’s life where stress is more paramount, or where external circumstances dictate that our normal routines won’t allow us to survive. This article will focus on those seasons when stress is higher than normal, but it is solely due to outside forces beyond our control such as: serious illness to a family member, loss of a job, birth of a new baby, or moving to a new city. During these seasons of external pressure, we all adopt a crisis-mode behavior that allows us to focus more of our energy and efforts on surviving, rather than thriving.

NASHVILLE COUNSELING SERVICES FOR AFTER THE STRESS

Most people don’t turn to Nashville counseling services when they are in the midst of crisis. Predominantly, because we are simply in survival mode, we don’t have the necessary capacity to enter counseling and think about things from a grander perspective. I’m not even sure how helpful Nashville counseling services could be while in the midst of dealing with one of these stressful situations listed above. And while most of us could do a lot better at congratulating ourselves and our loved ones for surviving the harrowing time, we usually just have our heads down looking for the next problem to solve.

And while we may come out on the other side as stronger people, we often lose sight of the toll that stress produces on our bodies. Furthermore, we may not recognize that the difficult situation has subsided, and we stay in constant crisis-mode, because it is what we have become accustomed to. Dr. John Gottman, in a fantastic book called, “10 Lessons to Transform Your Marriage,” does a masterful job describing these seasons of stress and chaos. He writes, “All of us face major stress at some point in our lives—such as a serious illness in the family, adjusting to parenthood, or a demanding new job. And most of us respond by giving more. After all, that’s what we are taught. In a crisis, you step up to the plate. You do more than your share. You put other’s needs before your own. Such tendencies are not only admirable; in many cases they’re essential to a family’s survival. Things tend to get worse, however, when people adopt such crisis-mode behavior beyond the crisis—when they turn self-denial into a habit, when self-neglect becomes a lifestyle.” (p.86)

HOW NASHVILLE COUNSELING SERVICES CAN HELP

Nashville counseling services provides a place where individuals or couples can debrief stressful circumstances and get a better understanding of where they were, how they got through it, and what they can do on the other side to settle back in to a healthy rhythm. Some of the most basic principles for settling back in to a healthy lifestyle are: exercise, down-time, dreaming about the future, planning a vacation, and thinking about healthier ways to eat. During stressful seasons, all of those activities just listed are the first to go. It’s not wrong or bad that we let those activities slide, but it is paramount that we make a conscious effort to put them back in our life once things settle down.

If you, or you and a loved one, have noticed that stress has taken a serious toll on your life, then Nashville counseling services may be a helpful place for you to let the dust settle and begin to rebuild a healthy lifestyle. Transitioning back to a healthier, slower lifestyle won’t be simple or easy, because we have become used to the fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled systems during chaotic times. Most of us also might be quite scared to even trust that life can really go back to a slower pace. We might fear that slowing down will “cause” a stressful situation to arise again.

Chris Roberts is a licensed, professional counselor in Nashville, TN that has many years working with individuals and couples through stressful situations. Chris would love the opportunity to speak with you more about your questions or concerns.