CBT Self Help for Stress
From Getselfhelp.co.uk
Stress is normally when we feel there's too many demands
being made on us, and we don't have enough
resources to be able to cope with it.
The vicious cycle of stress.   There may be some
trigger, when we think there's too much to
do, and there's not enough time to do it  -
it's out of control!
I can't cope!   And if you're thinking and
believing those thoughts, you're going to
feel very stressed.
You're going to get this drip feed of
adrenaline and cortisol, the stress
hormone, and it's going to affect you
physically.   So if you're thinking and
feeling that, it's going to make you
react in certain ways and it's different
for everybody.  But you might spend more
hours at work to try and fit in what
you've got to do.  You might spend less time at
work because you take time off sick.
You might avoid doing things, puts things off.
You might start lots of things but
actually have difficulty completing a
project.  You might sleep more or less,
drink or smoke more, shouting,
arguing, getting angry, or you might spend
less time with your family or fun time.
And that's going to have an impact on
the one on the way you think.   You get
caught up in this cycle:  There's too much to do,
and not enough time!  You feel more
stressed.   You do these things that help
you  cope, but actually it's not helping at
all.  You need to do something different.
We can learn to break the cycle with CBT.
You can learn to think or do things differently.
We can learn to think differently
by changing and challenging
the way we think about a situation.
We might have to learn to accept situations
that we can't change or have any control
over, we can reduce the expectations
we have of ourselves, and we can change
what we do.   Make an action plan to identify
and make changes, however small.
Sometimes a small change can
have a big impact.  Changes in situations
where we have some control.   Look after
yourself, do things that help you feel
better.  Set times for me time for
relaxation and enjoyment.  Learn to
problem solve rather than avoiding and
putting things off.   Prioritise and think
about what you need to action.  You can
learn to do mindful activity, and do
activities which will charge your battery,
and increase your resources.   And if
you're doing and thinking differently,
that's going to have a big impact on
your stress level.  You're gonna feel much
less stressed and much more in control.
You can learn a lot of these
strategies by visiting the webpage www.get.gg/stress.htm
Follow the steps in the self help guide
 
Download guided self help mp3s
www.getselfhelp.co.uk
CBT self help and therapy resources
