|
12/23/2019 0 Comments The Best & Worst Ways to Manage Stress Let’s talk about STRESS. Whenever I’m working with therapy clients or personal development consultation clients, the one thing that always comes up is “how can I better manage my stress?” The reason that it seems to be such a popular topic is because we all have stress. We all feel busy, we are all taking care of our families, or we are working hard on our jobs. Hence, stress is inevitable but the real issue is that we don’t always know the best ways to manage that stress. Here are three of the most common ways to manage stress, starting with the least effective to most effective. Damage ControlThis is an approach to stress management that I commonly see however this is not a strategy that I would recommend. Often, we don’t notice the stress that we are experiencing until its too late or we don’t take the time to properly address it while it's manageable. When this is the case, we are later forced to manage it after it's already caused damage. This usually comes about when we are burned out, feeling exhausted, or feeling physically, mentally, or emotionally unwell. In-The-MomentThis approach might include practicing breathing techniques, doing mindfulness meditation, or any other practice designed to momentarily bring down your stress level. While this is more effective than doing “damage control,” it is still not the most effective approach to managing stress. What you might notice is that “in-the-moment” stress management feels very effective in the short run but over the course of time, it's not as effective because it may not manage stress in the long run. Preventative & ProactiveBeing preventative and proactive is absolutely the most effective way to manage stress. This generally involves practicing healthy habits, lots of self-care, setting healthy boundaries, and a lot of self-discipline. All of this allows us to build healthy habits that helps to buffer the negative impacts of stress over the course of time. In life, we are going to experience stress no matter how good things may feel. Yet, if we can be preventative and proactive in our approach to manage stress, we will see the very best outcomes when it comes to our personal well-being and development. Are you feeling ready to better manage stress and work toward your personal development goals? Check out the video below to learn more about personal development consultation and how it may help you in meeting your personal development goals! To book your personal development consultation or talk more with Dr. Amber Thornton about personal development, book your FREE 15 minute consultation here.
0 Comments
 It's really important for us to have BOUNDARIES. I know that we are hearing that word a lot more now. Even with the topic and idea of boundaries becoming more popular, sometimes we still aren’t sure where to start when it comes to setting healthy boundaries. The very first step we need to take when learning how to set healthy boundaries is to learn where our boundaries need to live. It may sound simple but it can be complex. It's important to take some time out to learn where our boundaries are so that we are able to effectively communicate them to other people. What I encourage you to do is take a moment to reflect on all the things that feel good and all the things that don’t feel good. As you notice things that do not feel good, that is an indication of where a boundary may need to be set. For example, if you notice that you attend events late in the evening and starting to realize that you don’t enjoy being out that late, maybe that means there needs to be a boundary set around when or what time of day you will attend those types events. As you start to learn more of what does and doesn't feel good for you, you then get to decide whether you are going to set a boundary or not! Boundary Setting Activity
I hope this helps you as you begin to set new healthy boundaries in your life! Are you feeling ready to establish healthy boundaries and work toward your personal development goals? Check out the video below to learn more about personal development consultation and how it may help you in meeting your goals for 2020! To book your personal development consultation or talk more with Dr. Amber Thornton about personal development, book your FREE 15 minute consultation here. |
Dr. Amber ThorntonClinical Psychologist | Personal Development Consultant | Cultural Diversity Consultant ArchivesCategories |
RSS Feed
© Dr. Amber Thornton Consulting, LLC 2019
DISCLAIMER: The information provided throughout www.dramberthornton.com is for educational and informational purposes only. Using or seeking information from this website does not establish a therapeutic relationship between you and Dr. Amber Thornton. Communication of any form with Dr. Amber Thornton does not establish a therapeutic relationship. Therefore, communication with Dr. Amber Thornton or any information you provide via this website is not privileged or confidential. Any and all services rendered by Dr. Amber Thornton Consulting, LLC should not be considered therapeutic services and do not establish a therapeutic relationship.