Manage Stress

Managing stress is not easy, but it can be taught and learned very effectively in psychotherapy. The very act of sitting with an experienced, active therapist will also helps clients relax to can be at their best to deal with the normal stress of living and the abnormal stress of having a taxing job.

Just like the other times that didn’t work?

Been there, done that? From Dr. Regedanz’s experience and research, she has found this often happens because solutions are often technical and not adaptive ⁽²⁰⁾. That is, a technical solution (e.g. meditation for an hour every day) is often a good idea. It is ideal for solving a mechanical, straight-forward problem: you are stressed out, you work on relaxation.

Unfortunately (regardless of what many well-meaning people will tell you), when you face a problem that technical solutions haven’t solved, that means the solutions weren’t adaptive enough to really work. You can tell if you need an adaptive approach if you have:

• Counter-productive, illogical behavior. This behavior is ego-dystonic meaning it conflicts with your needs and goals
• A pattern of stress that hasn’t gone away, especially when you have tried solutions other people have said worked for them
• Feelings of overwhelm
• Know you could have a better life (i.e. be more productive, creative, patient, happy, centered, successful) if you could find something to help you
• Have been told by someone that you have to make changes or else, and you haven’t been able to do it (even though you want to or part of you does)

These are the challenges Dr. Regedanz helps her clients face and work through.