Understanding and Managing Stress

Understanding and Managing Stress can be easier if you have the right tools and also if you are aware of the different types of stress one can experience. Guidelight is pleased to be supporting National Psychology Week.  As long established members of the Australian Psychological Society ( APS ) we are proud of the ( APS ) series of tips and video resources on stress, well-being and healthier lifestyles that we have selected as resources for people to easily peruse via a link on our website.

Below is a copy, for your reference, of a Stress Tip Sheet, provided by the Australian Psychological Society.  It details the different types of stress, symptoms and how to manage everyday stress.

Understanding & Managing Stress

Tips for Managing Stress

Stress and how we manage it is one of the most common problems we face in our lives today.  Feeling overloaded, overwhelmed, tense and worried can impact our lifestyle and affect our well-being. Guidelight is pleased to be supporting National Psychology Week.  As long established members of the Australian Psychological Society ( APS ) we are proud of the ( APS ) series of tips and video resources on stress, well-being and healthier lifestyles. 

Tips for Managing Stress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKY6YrKamqM

The APS has provided Tips on Managing Stress which include:-

• Identifying warning signs
• Identifying triggers
• Establishing routines
• Looking after your health
• Noticing 'self-talk'
• Spending time with people who care
• Relaxation

For more detailed information on these tips go to  Australian Psychological Society Tips for Managing Stress

Guidelight also provides Interactive Stress Management Workshops

If you are experiencing stress and finding it difficult to manage, contact Guidelight to arrange a confidential appointment with one of our caring psychologists.  07 5527 0123

Guidelight Expands Range Of Services For Individuals & Families

As the pace of life quickens for many in our community, individuals and families and some of the previous building block certainties in life seem to become less stable or predictable, it is not surprising that an increasing number of clients choose to seek our professional guidance for themselves and loved ones.

Guidelight expands range of services for Individuals & Families

Guidelight recently announced securing another talented psychologist, Roz, into our team and you can read more about Roz in our Guidelight Team section of our website.   In this brief article we would like to put into context four of the reasons we have identified, that everyday members of our community our increasingly seeking to utilise our services.

1. Some of us have allowed the intricacies of technology to become so complex in our life, that what was once a simple task, has become labyrinth like over engineered process. ( The tail is wagging the dog ).
2. Some of us have lost the ability or desire to regularly have face to face conversations ( As opposed to mislabelling a text message as the same as conversation )
3. Some of us have forgotten about how to focus on being content and happy with what I have accomplished now, rather than fighting to get that next step ahead.
4. Some of us have lost the ability to focus on peace of mind as an internal process, not automatically controlled by events that happen around us. ( Like watching less disaster and crisis drama by not turning on the TV for extended periods ).

Any or all of these factors can unsettle individuals and impact upon family dynamics in a draining sense of cumulative challenges. Two decades into our journey of providing confidential tools and strategies to help people think and feel at their best, we are delighted to be continually learning new ways to assist.

Is Your Attention Under Siege?

In their recently released book One Moment Please; It’s Time to Pay Attention, authors Martina Sheehan & Susan Pearse wisely remind us to step back from the all consuming, task driven  busyness, of our working lives and instead remember that deep happiness is found in moments of clear and open attention. May I invite you to stop for a moment, please read their selected comments in the three paragraphs below and consider whether you might like some focussed professional guidance to get back on track too – like so many of our valued, but initially frazzled clients?

“We became concerned that attention has become one of the most threatened resources on the planet. More information, more access, more choice, more change, more uncertainty, more expectation, more noise, more distraction, more, more, more…Attention is fragile and limited, and when you’re surrounded by an endless selection of things just itching to steal a piece, it becomes overwhelming, almost sickening. In fact it is making us sick.

Stress, anxiety, loneliness, guilt, confusion and disappointment are the symptoms, and an empty life is the result. It’s ironic that living in a world with so much to offer has left us feeling like we have less, rather than more. But it’s clear that the things we are adding to life are just pushing out those things that make life worth living.

We live in a world of contradictions. We care about happiness, but spend time dwelling on worries and frustrations. We care about our loved ones, but allow our to-do list to come before spending time with them. We care about our friends, but only half listen when they tell us what’s going on in their lives. We care about living a life of meaning, but fill the space for deep reflection with busy activity.

Reducing Stress & Enjoying Your Life More

Currently one in every six people in the Australian workforce spend more than 59 hours per week on work related duties. A pattern such as this, unchecked over a prolonged period of time is a concerning recipe for potential burnout, crisis, illness and fatigue. Over the course of a 12 month period we undertook a study to identify the major reasons people (who held any level of paid employment ) had chosen to make an initial appointment to consult with a Guidelight Psychologist.

In a previous blog article, I commented that as an overall average, 53% of clients initially seeking our professional guidance and assistance indicated the primary reason they were no longer thinking & feeling at their best, was because of problems they were encountering in their relationships with other selected people in their lives.

Another 23% of clients ( in that particular year of our study ) indicated the primary reason they were no longer thinking & feeling at their best, was because of problems they were encountering in managing the elevated levels of stress in their lives.

While it is concerning to see that in total more than three quarters ( 76% ) of people who we assisted were aware that work related stress and/or relationship issues were diminishing their quality of life, the good news is that it is very reassuring to recognise that you are not alone  ( nor inadequate ) should you presently find yourself with diminished enjoyment of life because of elevated stress levels.

An even better piece of news is how effective the range of tools, strategies and techniques that we show clients how to expand upon, from within our field of positive psychology expertise, can rapidly renew and inspire a person to begin enjoying the best of their life again.

We look forward to talking with you in confidence soon, should you wish to learn more together.

Contact us for a confidential consultation on 07 5527 0123