Today, I wanted to talk about some of the most common questions I have been receiving about stress, stress management, and anxiety and anxiety relief. I’m going to discuss them below.
“Will I ever feel better?”
The short answer is yes. It is absolutely possible to feel better. By choosing to work on and practice healthier, effective coping strategies you will feel better within time.
“Do other people struggle or go through these thoughts and feelings too? I feel alone in this.”
You are definitely not alone.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 1/3 of Americans suffer from extreme stress and 48% of Americans believe their stress level increased over the past five years. And now with the coronavirus pandemic, stress levels are naturally skyrocketing.
Why then do so many people feel they are alone in the struggle?
There are two parts to this. First, we assume everyone else is doing okay and there is something wrong with us. We see things on social media that make it look like everyone is handling things just fine. People are showing up to virtual meetings with smiles on their faces so they must be doing well. But these are all assumptions.
And now these assumptions might be harder to break because we can’t actually see people in the way we used to. Everyone else is doing fine, so why am I struggling so much? But with these statistics, you can see it’s a crowded boat!
Second, we don’t talk about it. People say they are doing “fine” to co-workers, loved ones, and friends when really they are having a hard time. If we could openly talk about what is stressing us out, we would find we are not alone, which could bring more support and not feeling so alone.
“What are the most common causes of stress?”
Some of the most common causes of stress are financial, work, and adding in the most recent, the coronavirus pandemic. These stressors can often trickle down into and affect personal wellbeing and relationships.
“How long does it usually take for someone to see results and start to feel better?”
Everyone is different, but what I can say is that the people I work with who actively engage in the therapy homework by practicing skills and strategies on a daily basis, report seeing improvement within six to eight weeks.
Regardless of our lifestyles and the types of jobs we hold, we will always have high levels of stress at some point, but the most important thing when it comes to stress and anxiety management is to make sure it’s not overriding our lives.