Stress has become one of the most common reasons people seek therapy. When pressure builds without adequate relief, it takes a toll on your health, relationships and quality of life. Counselling can help you to understand your stress patterns and develop effective strategies for managing them.
How Stress Affects You
Your body’s stress response exists to protect you. When you perceive a threat, your nervous system triggers hormones that sharpen your focus and prepare you for action. This reaction can genuinely save your life in emergencies, and it helps you perform under pressure when you need to.
Difficulty can arise when this response is triggered more often than it was designed to. Constant deadlines, financial pressures, relationship tensions and the relentless pace of daily demands can leave your stress system permanently activated. Research from the ESRI found that job stress among Irish employees doubled over a five-year period, with those facing high emotional demands at work being 21 times more likely to experience stress than those with lower demands.
When stress becomes chronic rather than occasional, the damage accumulates. Prolonged stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can weaken your immune response, upset your digestion, disturb your sleep, and increase your risk of heart problems. It can also rewire the brain over time, leaving you more susceptible to anxiety and depression. Conditions commonly linked to chronic stress include persistent pain, skin problems like eczema, weight changes and autoimmune disorders.
How Therapy Helps
Your capacity to handle pressure might depend on several things, such as, the strength of your relationships, your general outlook, your emotional awareness or your ability to relax. These aren’t fixed traits. They can all be developed with the right support.
Aware’s 2024 national survey found that three in four Irish adults have experienced anxiety, much of it connected to ongoing life pressures. Therapy offers space to examine what’s driving your stress and to find realistic ways of addressing it. A therapist can help you recognise your personal triggers and warning signs, challenge thinking patterns that amplify pressure, develop practical coping techniques, and set boundaries that protect your wellbeing.
The aim isn’t to eliminate stress entirely. Some pressure is necessary and even beneficial. The goal is to stop stress from controlling your life.
How to Arrange an Appointment
You can browse therapist profiles on our website and contact someone directly, or get in touch with our team at enquiries@mindandbodyworks.com or 01 677 1021 for a recommendation based on your needs.
One’s ability to tolerate stress and to stay calm and collected under pressure depends on many factors, including the quality of relationships, general outlook on life, emotional intelligence and ability to relax. Counselling can help people examine their lives for stress and look for ways to minimise it and adopt healthier lifestyle habits.
FAQ
If stress is affecting your sleep, health, work or relationships, or if you’re relying on alcohol or other substances to cope, speaking with a therapist can help. You don’t need to wait until things feel unmanageable.
Your therapist will help you identify sources of stress and explore how you currently respond to pressure. Together you’ll develop strategies that work for your specific situation, which might include relaxation techniques, boundary-setting, or examining thought patterns.
If clients are under financial pressure, we also offer one of the best low cost counselling services in Dublin, preovided
This depends on your circumstances. Some people find a few sessions enough to develop effective coping strategies, while others benefit from longer-term support.
Yes. Many people seek therapy specifically for workplace pressures. A therapist can help you manage demands more effectively and consider whether changes to your work situation might be needed.
