"Sometimes the most important thing in a
whole day is the rest we take between
two breaths."--Etty Hillesum
Resources
I strongly encourage all of my clients to learn about and practice skills to manage stress and anxiety on their own. I have listed some of my favorite resources below.
• Benson, Herbert (1975).
The Relaxation Response.
New York: Harper Touch (Reprinted in 2000).
• Burns, D. (1989).
The Feeling Good Handbook.
New York: Penguin Books.
• Davis, M., McKay, M., & Eschelman, E. (1982).
The Relaxation and Stress Workbook.
Oakland: New Harbinger Publications.
• Swede, S. & Jaffe, S. (2000).
The Panic Attack Recovery Book.
New York: New American Library.
Web Sites:
General Information on Health topics including
Stress, Anxiety, and Depression:
www.WebMD.com
www.PsychologyToday.com
www.ADAA.org
www.APA.org
For information on Special Topics that
may relieve your stress, visit:
www.ClaryLaw.net for Estate Planning, Trusts, and Wills.
www.OneOrganizedLife.com for Professional Organizers.
Maria* was completely overwhelmed when she called me. She had panic attacks everyday, feared leaving her home, and had been depressed for the past two years. She was very worried about her health and had ongoing physical problems. All of her problems started after a painful divorce.
She had tried counseling before, but didn’t get the results she desired. She also tried anti-depressant medication, but her symptoms seemed to get worse.
She didn’t think counseling would help, but decided to try it out for a few sessions. She was most interested in my holistic approach that required her to focus on her mind, emotions, exercise, nutrition, sleep, daily activities, and spirituality.
After working together for seven months, Maria’s transformation was evident. She was optimistic about her future and had the confidence to embark on a new career path. Not only was she spending time outside of her house, but was planning a vacation getaway! Her panic attacks were rare, but when she felt one coming on she used the skills she learned in counseling to stop it right away. To her surprise, her physical problems improved as she became less stressed out and depressed.
Michael* called my office asking for help to end an on-again/off-again affair with one of his co-workers. This was the first time he had participated in an affair and felt a tremendous amount of guilt over jeopardizing his family and compromising his religious values. He choose counseling because he was ashamed to tell his brother that he started up the affair again and understood that he could speak honestly and privately in our sessions.
Over the course of 6 sessions, he learned to think, communicate, and behave in ways that helped him successfully break off the affair and create a plan to repair his marriage.
John* reluctantly came to my office at the urging of his fiancee, who was upset about the friendship he had with his ex-girlfriend. John was caught in the middle. He didn’t want to upset his fiancee, but he also didn’t want to abandon his ex-girlfriend who was in crisis. He was firm about meeting for only one session.
During the session, John heatedly expressed how frustrated and confused he was about receiving an ultimatum from his fiancee. At the same time, he was upset with his ex-girlfriend because he suspected that she might be exploiting their friendship. After 10-minutes of relaxation training, he was calm and able to think clearly. He could see things from his fiancee’s perspective, as well as his ex-girlfriend’s. He generated some good ideas about how to fix the problem, but still didn’t know the right thing to do. We discussed the potential advantages and disadvantages of each of his ideas. By the end of the 2-hour session, he had a plan of action with the steps clearly outlined. He was calmer and felt confident about his decision. He was ready and able to restore some harmony to his life. Although he was not looking to make a commitment to counseling, he was very thankful to have an objective opinion about the situation and support in creating a plan of action that considered everyone’s feelings.
* (The names and identifying information in these case studies have been changed to protect the clients’ privacy)
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