It’s easy to become stressed as an adult. In addition to work and family responsibilities, you are constantly fighting to remain sober. International Stress Awareness Week was established in 2018 to call attention to the importance of stress management. The annual event is held during the first week of November to outline ways that people can avoid being triggered by their stress. If your stress levels make you feel out of control, it might be time to seek mental health treatment. Crestview Recovery Center provides mental health counseling at locations in the Portland area.
Stress Identifiers
There are many signs that someone is living a stressful life. These symptoms can include:
Psychological Signs of Stress
Psychological indicators of stress include being unable to make decisions or concentrate, being easily distracted, and constantly worrying.
Emotional Signs of Stress
Examples of emotional signs of stress include difficulty regulating irritability, crying, mood swings, frustration, anger, and other emotions.
Physical Signs of Stress
Weight loss or weight gain, tension, and teeth grinding are a few physical signs of stress.
Behavioral Signs of Stress
Behavioral signs of stress include repetitive movements, difficulty following instructions, and reacting inappropriately.
How Can a Stress Treatment Program Help?
It’s no secret that stress has an impact on substance use disorder and other mental health concerns. Therefore, it is important to help people learn to achieve a sober life with the tools necessary to manage stress. A stress treatment program will include:
Peer Support
One way to relieve stress is to attend 12-step group meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. As a peer support group, remaining accountable for your actions, committed, and motivated are all considered ways to keep stress levels low. These actions all help people to avoid relapsing.
Exercise
Consistently working out will help you to lower your levels of anxiety. Exercise helps the body to produce endorphins which will enhance your mood and help you sleep. Plus, you will not crave drugs or alcohol as readily, which will keep you from experiencing a relapse.
Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is provided in conjunction with addiction treatment. CBT helps people with post-traumatic stress disorder. This type of therapy helps people learn their behavioral patterns and how to respond to triggers effectively. By understanding behavioral triggers, it will become easier to manage stressors and avoid substance use.
Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation
Did you know that meditation is a great way to reduce stress? Meditation helps to lower anxiety, depression, stress, and pain. Mindfulness and meditation practices can actively help someone remain calm when faced with choices that could potentially lead them to relapse.
Mental Health Counseling in Oregon
If you are seeking ways to relieve your stress, it can be helpful to seek mental health counseling. Throughout Oregon, there are mental health counseling services that are offered as residential treatment or outpatient services. The purpose of these services is to help people manage their sobriety from drug or alcohol use while also learning to identify their triggers. In addition, mental health counseling will help people to manage their stress levels. International Stress Awareness Week highlights the importance of mental health counseling and how it can help you grow in your life.
Crestview Recovery Center: Mental Health Treatment in Oregon
Stress management skills help people stay in recovery and avoid relapsing. At Crestview Recovery Center, we treat primary mental health concerns whether they occur on their own or as a part of a dual diagnosis. Examples of these concerns include the following:
- Anxiety treatment
- Depression treatment
- Panic disorder treatment
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Psychiatric disorder treatment
These treatments–used in collaboration with addiction treatment services—will help you learn how to identify your emotional triggers and reactions. This will help support you in your sobriety while also keeping your stress levels down.
Talk to a Portland Therapist
Our diverse team of experienced doctors, case managers, therapists, and rehabilitation specialists, along with our support staff, are all dedicated to the recovery of treatment participants. Dedicated to your wellness journey, our team will help you remain on the positive journey to recover. Contact 866.262.0531 to begin working with one of the best mental health counseling services in Oregon.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
