SWISS MEDICAL EXPERTISE: MALLORCA, ZURICH, LONDON, OFFSHORE

13 Minutes

Edited & medically reviewed by THE BALANCE Team
Fact checked

Stress is a natural reaction to the inability to cope with particular requirements and situations. If an individual does not take action to manage stress, it might become a lifelong condition. Relationships, work, financial obligations, and other conditions can all generate stress, but everything that poses a perceived or real threat to a person’s well-being can induce stress.

Stress may be a motivation, and in some cases, it is even necessary for survival. The fight-or-flight response system in the body tells a human how and when to react to danger. When the body is triggered too readily or when there are far too many stressors at once, it can jeopardize an individual’s physical and mental health and can be detrimental.

No one is resistant to the effects of stress, irrespective of age, gender, race, or faith. The prevalence of this mental health condition is demonstrated well by statistics.

Global Impact of Stress

Although stress is a major issue in the United States, the rest of the planet is not exempt from its negative consequences. Stress is a worldwide issue that includes:

  • Ninety-one percent of Australians are worried about one or more significant aspects of their lives.
  • Around 450,000 employees in the UK believe that stress is making them unwell.
  • Stress is reported by 86% of Chinese workers.

Prevalence of Stress Disorders

Traumatic experiences generate stress illnesses such as acute stress disorder (ASD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In any given year, 3.5% of adults in the United States suffer from PTSD. Acute stress disorder affects up to half of all individuals who are susceptible to a serious or life-threatening stressor.

According to the Global Organization for Stress:

  • In the previous month, 75% of Americans reported moderate to high levels of stress.
  • The number one health concern for High school students is stress.
  • At a job, 80% of people are stressed.

People who are prone to experiencing mood disorders and high levels of stress include:

  • Minority ethnic groups
  • Women
  • People who are in charge of making healthcare decisions for their families
  • Single parents

The American Institute of Stress states:

  • Around 33% of people say they are stressed.
  • 77 % suffer from stress that has a negative influence on physical health.
  • Stress affects the mental health of 73% of its affecters.
  • Stress causes 48% of individuals to have problems sleeping.

Sadly, stress levels are increasing rather than decreasing for roughly half of all Americans.

Although stress is a natural component of life, it is not acceptable when it compromises your everyday activities or your general well-being. Intense worry, difficulty sleeping at night, and excessive fatigability are all examples of stress symptoms.

Stress can be debilitating, but therapy will help you effectively manage it. Certain forms of therapy may even teach you how to deal with stress in the future. The most prevalent therapy for stress and associated mental conditions are listed below.

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)

Since it tackles your thinking patterns and habits, CBT is likely one of the most prevalent forms of therapy available. Your psychotherapist will assist you in identifying your stressors and developing healthy coping mechanisms to minimize the effect of your triggers.

CBT can be utilized for a short or extended time. This makes it appropriate for treating chronic mental health disorders as well as coping with traumatic experiences and other forms of acute stress.

If you’re worried about any of the following, CBT might help.

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Phobias
  • Insomnia and other sleep disorders
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Psychodynamic therapy

Psychodynamic therapy, like CBT, offers to help you uncover patterns of thinking that may influence your behavior. Psychodynamic therapy, on the other hand, is employed for a longer time. It might be effective for stress produced by long-term concerns that are linked with certain other mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

Behavioral therapy

Behavioral therapy is comparable to CBT in that it focuses on behavior modifications. Behavioral therapy, however, differs from cognitive behavioral therapy in that it focuses on your behaviors rather than your emotions and thoughts.

Gambling Addiction Luxury Treatment

Your actions are governed by prior behavior as per this form of therapy. You can build new habits and potentially avoid more stress by adjusting your behavioral stress response today.

Long-term stressors, like traumatic experiences, as well as disorders like phobias, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety benefit most from behavioral therapy.

Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy is a treatment method for phobias, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. If you have a mental health issue that leads you to ignore specific situations, things, individuals, or places, you can benefit from this sort of therapy.

This form of therapy may also be beneficial for chronic stress management if you practice avoidance to avoid additional stress. Sadly, avoiding stress and anxiety-related problems might exacerbate them by causing you to feel even more anxious.

Exposure therapy involves your therapist progressively exposing you to the stressors that you have chosen to avoid. The notion is that as you become more habituated to your anxieties, you would become less bothered about them.

Group therapy

If you are coping with a particularly distressing incident, group therapy may be an alternative. Natural disasters, child death, divorce, and other events are examples. Sessions are led by a skilled therapist, and you may realize that being in a group environment makes you feel more confident and less lonely.

The finest form of mental health practitioners for stress-related therapy are trained psychotherapists or psychologists. Their goal is to assist you in identifying stressors and working with you to establish a plan to deal with them. “Talk therapists” is another term for psychotherapists.

You might ask a prospective therapist what methods they specialize in when searching for a therapist. Some talk therapists, for instance, use CBT, while others may specialize in psychodynamic therapy. Several therapists also specialize in stress and associated mental health issues like anxiety.

While psychotherapists and psychologists are the most effective at assisting clients with behavioral adjustments in reaction to stress, some conditions may necessitate the use of certain types of mental health specialists who also use talk therapy approaches. These are some of them:

  • Psychiatrists, who are medically trained and can provide mental health drugs.
  • A group counselor is someone who works with a small number of people who are dealing with similar issues.
  • For kids, there are play therapists.
  • School counselors, who can help school-aged children and college students dealing with stress

Whichever specialist you choose to help you with stress management techniques, make sure they are licensed in your area and have the necessary experience and education.

The below lifestyle changes assist people to prevent or managing stress-induced symptoms of exhaustion.

Exercise: According to a 2018 comprehensive review of animal experiments, exercise helps lessen cognitive problems in stressed subjects, while human studies are needed to corroborate this.

Decreasing alcohol, prescription medications, and caffeine consumption: These stimulants will not help you avoid stress, and they may make it worse.

Nutrition: A well-balanced, healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables helps boost the immune system during times of stress. A bad diet can cause health problems as well as increased stress.

Prioritization: Spending a little time arranging a daily to-do list and concentrating on essential or time-sensitive chores may be beneficial. Individuals can then concentrate on how much they have done or achieved for the day rather than the things they still have to finish.

Time: Individuals should plan time to organize their routines, rest, and follow their hobbies.

Relaxation and breathing: Massage, yoga, and meditation can all aid with the recovery process. Relaxation and breathing practices might help you relax and slow down your pulse rate. Mindfulness practice includes deep breathing as well. 

Talking: Expressing sentiments and worries with friends, family, and coworkers can help a person in “letting off steam” and reduce the sense of loneliness. Others may be capable of offering unexpected, practical remedies to the stressor.

Recognizing the signs: A individual may be so worried about the problem that they are oblivious to the repercussions on their body. It is critical to be aware of any changes.

The first step in taking action is recognizing clinical symptoms. People who are stressed at work because of long hours may need to “step back.” It could be time for them to reconsider their work habits or speak with a supervisor about ways to lighten the load.

Reading a book, going for a stroll, playing music, or choosing to spend time with friends, dear ones, or a pet are all activities that help people calm down. Some people find that joining a chorus or going to the gym helps them relax.

The American Psychological Association (APA) encourages people to build social support networks by chatting to neighbors and others in the neighborhood, or by joining clubs, nonprofits, or religious groups. Individuals who experience stress in their daily lives should seek professional assistance. 

Techniques for dealing with stress

Stress reduction can be achieved by:

  • The cause of stress is removed or altered
  • Changing a person’s perspective on a distressing incident
  • Reducing the negative consequences of stress on the body
  • Finding new coping mechanisms

A few of these approaches are used in stress management therapy.

Self-help literature and online resources can assist people to improve their stress management skills. They can also enroll in a stress reduction course.

A person suffering from stress might be connected with personal growth courses or group and individual therapy sessions by a counselor or therapist.

Doctors rarely offer stress-relieving drugs unless they are addressing an underlying condition like anxiety or depression disorder.

They may recommend an antidepressant in such instances. However, there is a chance that the medicine will just cover the stress instead of helping the person cope with it. Antidepressants can have side effects, and they might exacerbate stress-related issues like reduced libido.

Individuals can manage new conditions and preserve their mental and emotional well being and physical health by learning coping mechanisms before stress becomes persistent or intense.

Those who are already under a great deal of stress should seek professional care.

Many individuals assume that because stress is something everyone encounters, they must be capable of dealing with it on their own. However, many people require more help than they can give themselves. Professional assistance can be valuable in providing you with a safe place to talk about your stress, in helping you identify the primary sources of stress in your life, and in teaching you how to implement stress-reduction methods into your daily routine.

Residential Treatment and Rehabilitation Programs

The residential treatment programs specialize in providing holistic care for stress, behavioral addictions, substance abuse, and other mental health issues. Your staff will develop a personalized treatment plan that focuses on all aspects of your psychological, physical, and emotional health that are contributing to your life’s excessive stress.

Executive Detox Program

The executive detox program is for people who need to de-stress and reclaim their wellbeing but don’t have the need or time to undergo a one-month treatment program. It is especially good for people who are exhausted, overworked or burned out.

Comprehensive Health Examination

The staff will conduct a thorough investigation of your present health status during a highly systematic evaluation. This program is for everyone interested in learning how their daily lifestyle choices affect their stress levels as well as how to prevent, repair, or reverse any damage.

Although stress is a natural nervous system function, certain stressors occur at prescribed intervals, such as during your commute to and from work, a meeting with your employer, or family reunions. You have two options for dealing with predicted stressors: alter the circumstance or change your response. It’s useful to remember the four A’s approach which is frequently utilized in Premium residential and inpatient Stress rehab centers while selecting which alternative should be chosen in just about any given situation. The four A’s are; avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.

Avoid causing yourself undue stress.

It’s not beneficial to avoid coping with a difficult situation that requires your attention, but you might be amazed at how many stressors you can remove from your life.

Practice saying “no” in a polite manner. Admire and understand your boundaries. Putting more than you can manage, whether in your professional or personal life, is a guaranteed formula for stress. Differentiate between “musts” and “shoulds”, and say “no” to take on too much when feasible.

Those who stress you out should be avoided. Reduce the amount of time you engage with someone who frequently generates stress in your life, or quit the relation altogether.

Take command of your surroundings. Turn off the television if the nightly news makes you nervous. Take an extended but less-traveled route if traffic congestion makes you nervous. If visiting a grocery store is a bother, shop for groceries online.

Reduce the size of your to-do list. Examine your everyday chores, obligations, and timetable. If you have too much on your schedule, move non-essential chores to the bottom of the priority list or remove them altogether.

Alter the situation

Try to change a stressful situation if you can’t prevent it. Transforming the way you interact and work in your daily life is frequently required.

Instead of burying your emotions, communicate them. Be more forceful and share your issues in an open and frank manner if someone or something is troubling you. Say it upfront that you can only talk for 5 minutes if you have a test to study for and your talkative roommate just got home. If you don’t express your emotions, bitterness will grow and your stress level will rise.

Be willing to make concessions. When you ask somebody to change their conduct, show that you are prepared to change your own. You will have a high chance of reaching a nice balance ground if you’re both ready to bend a little.

Make a well-balanced schedule. Burnout is a result of all effort and no leisure. Make an effort to strike a balance between job and family life, social engagements and alone pastimes, daily duties, and downtime.

Adapt to the source of stress

Change yourself if you can’t change the stressor. By altering your attitude and expectations, you can adjust to difficult events and restore control.

Problems should be reframed. Try to see things in a more positive light while you’re in a difficult scenario. Instead of being annoyed by a traffic delay, consider it an opportunity to reorganize, listen to your favorite radio program, or have some self-time.

Take a step back and look at the larger picture. Consider the situation from a different angle. Consider how crucial it will be in the long term. Will it make a difference in a month? Or a year? Would it be worth stressing about? If the reply is no, you should devote your time and efforts to anything else.

Alter your expectations. Perfectionism is a key source of stress that can be avoided. Stop expecting perfection and set yourself up for failure. Establish appropriate expectations with yourself and others, and start to accept “good enough.”

Accept what you can’t change and go on.

Stress is unavoidable in some situations. Stressors as the death of a loved one, a serious sickness, or a national recession are impossible to avoid or change. Accepting things as they are in the greatest method to cope with stress in such situations. Acceptance may be challenging, but it is preferable to ranting against a circumstance you can’t change in the long run.

Don’t try to control what you can’t control. Most parts of life are just beyond our control, especially other people’s actions. Instead of worrying about them, concentrate on the factors you can control, like how you respond to challenges.

Seek for the silver lining. When confronted with huge obstacles, strive to see them as chances for personal development. Reflect on and learn from your mistakes if your poor decisions contributed to a stressful scenario.

Acquire the ability to forgive. Recognize that we reside in a flawed world in which people make bad decisions. Move past your resentments and wrath. By forgiving and moving on, you can free yourself from negative energy.

Feel free to express yourself. Even if there’s nothing you can do to change the unpleasant circumstance, expressing what you’re going through can be quite relieving. 

Make an appointment with a therapist at a high-end stress rehab center and give yourself a chance of improving your quality of life.

FAQs

HOW THE BALANCE CAN HELP WITH Burnout

The Balance RehabClinic is a leading provider of luxury addiction and mental health treatment for affluent individuals and their families, offering a blend of innovative science and holistic methods with unparalleled individualised care.

A UNIQUE METHOD TREATING Burnout

a successful and proven concept focusing on underlying causes
ONE CLIENT AT A TIME
TAILORED LASTING APPROACH
BIOCHEMICAL RESTORATION
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY & HOLISTIC
TECHNOLOGY BASED TREATMENT
TRAUMA INFORMED THERAPY

Burnout TREATMENT LASTING APPROACH

0 Before

Send Admission Request

0 Before

Define Treatment Goals

1 week

Assessments & Detox

1-4 week

Psychological & Holistic Therapy

4 week

Family Therapy

5-8 week

Aftercare

12+ week

Refresher Visit