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Stress Management Specialist

Quandary Peak Counseling

Psychologists located in Denver, CO

Stress might be an ordinary part of life, but what happens when you have constant stress that becomes overwhelming? At Quandary Peak Counseling in Denver, Colorado, board-certified psychologist Trey Cole, PsyD, ABPP and Maddy Bollinger, MA, LPC, provide customized stress-management support, including psychotherapy and lifestyle advice, to help you cope with your stress. Call Quandary Peak Counseling or request an appointment online for expert stress-management support.

Stress Management Q & A

What is stress management?

Everyone feels stress occasionally, but if you’re always stressed, it can take a toll on your mental and physical well-being. Stress management helps you learn techniques to reduce your stress levels and prevent them from becoming overwhelming. 

Stress management helps you recognize the warning signs of stress, develop stress-management skills, and apply those techniques in real life. You also learn to take responsibility for your feelings, identify and live by your values, and set realistic goals and expectations. 

In addition to taking care of your mental health, Dr. Cole can help you implement changes to improve your physical health and stress levels, including smoking cessation, regular exercise, and choosing a healthy, nutritious diet. 

Why is it important to manage stress?

When you’re stressed, your body produces cortisol and adrenaline, which give you the boost you need for your fight-or-flight response. However, when you suffer from chronic stress, your body continues to produce those hormones, which disrupts nearly every system in your body and triggers a variety of symptoms, including:

  • Irritability
  • Clumsiness or becoming accident-prone
  • Headaches
  • Muscular tension
  • Reduced concentration and decision-making skills
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Dizziness and fainting
  • Increased blood pressure

Stress can also lead to self-destructive behaviors and unhealthy choices that could lead to addiction and other chronic issues.

What should I expect during stress management?

At Quandary Peak Counseling, Dr. Cole and Maddy Bollinger, MA, LPC, use a variety of psychotherapy techniques to help you learn to manage stress. For example, one of the critical skills you learn is to identify your stress triggers. Depending on your needs, the team might use exposure therapy to help you increase your tolerance to your triggers. 

The team might also recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy to help you review your attitudes, values, and thinking and develop techniques to manage your distress and enhance your assertiveness. 

In most cases, you meet with the team for approximately an hour every week. You might practice relaxation techniques and stress-management methods, as well as identifying and exploring your stressors. 

If you’re overwhelmed by stress and feel like it negatively impacts your life, call Quandary Peak Counseling or schedule an appointment online today to learn and practice stress management.