Therapy for Chronic Stress
When you've been running on empty for so long, you can't remember what not being stressed actually feels like.
When Stress Becomes Your Baseline
Chronic stress isn't about one bad week or a difficult project. It's when your nervous system has been in overdrive for months or years—juggling work demands, relationship issues, financial pressure, health concerns, family responsibilities, or all of the above. Your body hasn't had a real break, and it's showing.
You're functioning, but it takes everything you have. Sleep is poor, irritability is high, focus is shot. You're exhausted but wired, always bracing for the next thing. And everyone's advice about self-care feels insulting when you're barely keeping your head above water.
This might sound familiar:
You're tired all the time, but your mind won't shut off at night.
You're irritable, snapping at people over small things you'd normally let go.
Physical symptoms are piling up—headaches, muscle tension, digestive issues, and getting sick more often.
You can't remember the last time you felt genuinely relaxed.
Everything feels urgent and overwhelming, even things that shouldn't be.
You're having trouble concentrating or making decisions because your brain is maxed out.
You know you need to change something, but you don't know where to start or how to make room for it.
What Therapy Actually Looks Like
I work with chronic stress by addressing both the practical factors keeping you overwhelmed and the nervous system dysregulation that has resulted from prolonged stress. This isn't about adding more to your plate—it's about understanding what's actually happening and finding sustainable ways to shift it.
Understanding your stress response—how your nervous system has adapted to constant pressure, why you can't seem to relax even when you have time, and what your body is actually trying to tell you.
Identifying what's actually sustainable—you can't keep going like this, but "just stress less" isn't helpful. We look at what's actually within your control and what needs to change.
Working with boundaries and overcommitment—chronic stress often involves taking on too much, difficulty saying no, or trying to meet everyone else's needs while neglecting your own.
Building nervous system regulation skills—practical, accessible tools that work with your body's stress response. Not just "breathe deeply," but understanding how to actually shift your physiological state.
Addressing underlying patterns—perfectionism, people-pleasing, difficulty delegating, fear of letting others down. Chronic stress usually has roots in how you learned to cope with demands.
My Approach
I use an integrative, trauma-informed approach combining ACT, DBT, somatic work, and psychodynamic therapy. What this means: we work with both the practical stressors and your body's stress response. We look at patterns that contribute to overwhelm. And we develop strategies that actually fit into your life, not theoretical self-care routines that require time you don't have.
We also pay attention to whether the stress is situational (job, relationship, life phase) or more chronic and pattern-based. Sometimes you need to change circumstances. Sometimes you need to change how you're approaching circumstances. Usually, it's both.
