Therapy and Work-Related Stress [How to Manage]

Work can be stressful that can affect our well-being. Therapy can help significantly, and you can easily get matched with a counselor on websites like BetterHelp. Things like long hours, low pay, excessive demands, or unfulfilling work can contribute to our anxious feelings. How can we manage these and how does therapy help?

Managing Work-Related Stress

If your job is a common source of stress, it is best to manage it the best you can on your own, even if you do see a counselor as well.

Work stress can cause headaches, sleep problems, irritability, issues with concentration, anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, and more. Since almost all of us have to continue working, it is important that we learn to deal with stress in a healthy way.

Healthy Living

Eating healthy and exercising can do wonders for our mental health and help to alleviate our excessive stress. Take a walk around the office (or block if you work from home) whenever you can. Substitute fruit, veggies, and whole-grain bread for the high-calorie low nutrition foods many people eat daily. Also, it may be tempting to up your caffeine consumption when you have a lot of work to complete, but it is best to avoid excessive caffeine consumption because it can add to your stress, tension, and anxiety.

Leave Work at Work

It is not always easy to leave work at work so that you can enjoy your nights and weekends. Some careers make it more difficult than others, but it is important for anyone to have a healthy work-life balance. This is harder when we work from home, but if you can make the commitment to set down your work until the next day, your evening will be much more relaxing and help you deal with the stress.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness and relaxation techniques can help us relax and do not take up much time. In fact, you can practice them during the workday. Deep breathing can supply more oxygen to the brain and meditation can help our body and mind simultaneously relax so that your stress flows away. Finding a time that you can incorporate mindfulness during the workday can be greatly beneficial for your stress levels and productivity.

You may read, Skills You Need at Work

How Does Therapy Help?

A counselor can help you effectively manage your stress in the long-term by helping you identify your stressors there are a few methods therapists use that can help. These are two of the most commonly used therapies for stress caused by work.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a great way to help stress in the short term but can be used long term as well. This type of therapy can help you identify your stressors, address your thought patterns, and alter your behaviors. It can help you discover a healthy way to respond to your job-related stress.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, combines elements of CBT with mindfulness. It addresses your negative thoughts and emotions but doesn’t view them as problems. Instead, it will help you learn to accept them. Then, the way you view your thoughts and emotions can lead to a positive change in your behavior and overall wellbeing. This type of therapy is typically short term.

ACT and CBT are not the only methods that counselors use to manage your work-related stress. In fact, they can use a combination of techniques from mindfulness, to interpersonal or existential psychotherapy. What works for you will not necessarily be the same thing that works for others.

Final Thoughts on Job-Related Stress

Almost anyone who has worked a job has experienced stress in one form or another. Stress can impact our relationships, sleep, and physical and mental wellbeing. It is also important that we do not deal with it in unhealthy ways such as drinking, smoking, or eating unhealthy foods. Instead, it is important to live right, identify stressors, and manage our emotions.