Stress and Anxiety
1 in 7 Australians will suffer from an anxiety disorder, this year alone, making it the most common Mental Health disorder in Australia. Stress and anxiety are the major factors of depression. Some adults and children will have to take medicine to manage their stress and anxiety. Some will manage it with support from professionals, family and friends; and some will manage stress and anxiety using a combination of both. At Mindful Relationships we will help you explore and understand the meaning and cause of your stress and anxiety and give you strategies to manage them or even achieve a life where you don't struggle with them on a daily basis!
What is Stress?
At Mindful Relationships we recognise that stress is the body’s natural response to challenges that may upset the natural balance, like the undue pressures of life, relationship problems, divorce and financial worries. Our brain is programmed to respond to stress either by running from the stressor or fighting the aggressor. We achieve this by stimulation of the adrenal glands which then release adrenaline, a hormone that primes our body for a physical reaction. This reaction can be an increase in heart rate, increased energy in muscles, greater mental alertness and increased blood flow (causing increased blood pressure). It is purely a primitive physiological response to a threat that requires action. However, in modern society most threats do not require physical engagement BUT our brain and body continues to prepare us in this way. For short periods of time this is manageable, however, if this level of stress continues for a few weeks or more it can have a profound effect on your physiological and psychological well-being, including, fatigue, diminished mental capacity and sustained high blood pressure.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is similar in its mechanism to stress in that it prepares us for physical exertion. The difference here is that anxiety occurs or continues with no threat or stressor. Anxiety is fear based and has a primary feeling of insecurity. Anxiety often has no obvious or real threat initiating the stress reaction. Anxiety produces the same physical changes as stress but because the perceived stressor is not real it can continue for long periods, leading to the high levels of fatigue, mental health breakdown and diminished functioning. The effects of anxiety impact our ability to function and maintain healthy relationships, this in itself can lead to more anxiety and so the destructive cycle continues!
How Does Anxiety Present Itself?
Anxiety has many presentations including Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic Disorders or General Anxiety Disorders. The form of presentation is a manifestation of the underlying distress that is similar for each presentation.
At Mindful Relationships we understand that while the physiological mechanisms that kick in when we are anxious are normal, they are an exaggerated response to distress, it is the body over-reacting to a situation. This exaggerated response can be modified and calmed by changing the thought patterns that initiate this response.
Support
At Mindful Relationships, we are interested in the systemic cause and treatment for depression, stress and anxiety. While the diagnosis and treatment of each will vary, our therapeutic work with you will focus on exploring, reflecting and addressing the root and meaning of your depression, stress and/or anxiety.