How can therapy reduce my stress?

We’ve all felt stress…the tense shoulders, clinched jaw, scrunched face, headache, tight muscles, sick stomach. But how does it get there? How does stress, fear, and anxiety get inside our bodies? Through our minds, of course.

Figure 1: The Relationship Between Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions

For any given situation, whether it’s a surprise birthday party, a phone call delivering bad news, facing a pile of overwhelming work, or relaxing in the sun on a beach, we form thoughts, have ideas, and gain impressions. Perhaps we see images in our mind’s eye, or flashes of what could be. Whatever our perception, it affects how we feel—just as how we feel affects our perception of a situation. And both our thoughts and feelings influence our actions. In turn, the actions we take affect the situation, creating cycle of situation-thoughts-feelings-actions-situation-thoughts-feelings-actions…

Sometimes our perceptions about a situation are accurate, but sometimes our perceptions a skewed towards the negative. When our perceptions about a truly dangerous situation are accurate, we experience a “real alarm.” For example, out on a nature walk you see a snake on the path and hear a telltale rattling sound. You perceive danger! Your body experiences an alarm reaction that can include rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, tense muscles—all of which are preparing your body to either fight or flee the situation so you stay safe.

Our “real alarm” reaction to truly dangerous situations prepares our bodies to do what is necessary to avoid harm. However, not all alarm reactions are “real.” When we perceive danger in situations in which the risk of harm is minimal, our bodies experience the same alarm reaction. Such repeated exposure to “false alarms” can take its toll on our bodies and can interfere with our everyday lives by preventing us from doing things we might enjoy if we didn’t feel so afraid.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches you strategies that can help you think more positively, feel more relaxed and confident, and do things differently so that your anxieties and fears no longer limit your life.