THERAPY FOR ANGER, STRESS AND PERFORMANCE

When you are angry and upset you can’t concentrate on tasks. Your mind wanders to the upsetting event and you keep rehashing it – having lots of “do-overs” to try and feel stronger, and less vulnerable. That’s normal. But it’s stressful to have to live through the constant rehearsals in your head until it passes and you feel grounded again.

Stress, brought on by unprocessed emotions like anger impairs your cognitive functioning and social skills. Stress hormones cause rigidity in the communication between neurons in the brain, affecting your performance, Nature Communications, 2014.

 

FOCUSING PROBLEMS – Stress interferes with your ability to focus on the job at hand, whether it’s driving a car, listening and following instructions, or answering customer questions.

• Your attention shifts and you take in bits of information that make no sense
• You hear and read things incorrectly
• You say things that don’t sound coherent or cogent
• You get angry with yourself for not functioning adequately
• Your anger heightens your stress and the cycle repeats itself

I can help you

1. Identify the sources of your stress both hidden and obvious

2. To shift out of the helpless state and move to a more centered place

3. Practice staying stable when negative emotions take charge

LEARNING:    Stress changes the way you learn. It interferes with conscious purposeful learning, Neuroscience, 2012.

Chronic exposure to stress leads to a loss of neurons in the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, Neuroscience, 2012.

I can help you

1. Recognize the unique triggers that propel your stress into overdrive.

2. Take preventive action so that your ability to learn and process information remains in tact.

3.  Reduce the effect of the stress on your learning potential by practicing staying in the here-and-now

 

JUDGEMENT –  When the emotional part of your brain (amygdala) is activated and operating in full force, such as in anger and stress, there is a disruption in the connection with your logical and reasoning brain (pre-frontal cortex).

• Stress affects your memory, especially ‘executive functions’ vital to thinking flexibly, Neuron, 2012
• You lose your ability to think rationally
• You make impulsive decisions
• You act rashly
• You make haphazard choices
• You get irritated with your regressed behaviors
• The irritation makes your stress levels spiral upwards
• The entire cycle repeats

I can help you

1. Identify the fears that lead you to impulsive rash thoughts and actions

2. Relax your over-active brain so that you can access your rational self

3. Work out how to calm the deep fears that grip you as if you are in a life-or-death situation

 

 

ERRORS – A combination of poor focusing and bad judgment leads to a high error rate.

• You have to spend more time fixing them at a cost to your schedule
• Your energy is diverted to “re-doing” things rather than on new jobs
• You feel more stressed and might make even more mistakes
• You feel like a failure
• Your motivation level plummets.
• You feel annoyed and frustrated with yourself.
• Annoyance and self-criticism elevates stress and the cycle goes into another repetitive cycle.

Research shows that those who blame themselves and are self-critical, have higher blood pressure when doing important tasks and maintain that level even when they switch to leisure activities (Health Psychology, 1992). High BP indicates abnormal stress, with all the consequences pointed out in Anger, Stress and Health.

I can help you

1. Lower your anxiety about being a failure so that you will have more brain power to succeed,

2. Understand and control your fear of not being perfect.

3. Talk to yourself in ways that are not self-critical and self-blaming.

 

 

 

PRODUCTIVITY –  Feeling bad about your performance not only demotivates you, but makes you feel less in control. Stress in the workplace is often associated with feeling out of the loop and not having a say in how things are decided. Am J Health Promotion 24(3), 2010. Errors in judgment and poor focus contribute to the workplace stress that lowers productivity.

QUALITY OF WORK – bad judgments, increased errors and unfocused attention affect the quality of your work. That can mean losing business, being a negligent parent, or injuring someone in a vehicle. It’s very serious.

I can help you

1. Trust in your ability to perform adequately and in a steady manner

2. Develop a more realistic appraisal strategy for planning and judging your performance and quality of work

3. Identify the voice that demands optimal performance at all times, leaving you drained.

 

SO MAKE THAT CALL AND LET ME HELP YOU CONQUER YOUR ANGER ISSUES, REDUCE STRESS AND HAVE A HEALTHIER AND MORE SATISFYING LIFE.

PSYCHOTHERAPY CAN HELP YOU PERFORM AT WORK AND IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE IN A PRODUCTIVE AND EFFECTIVE MANNER.

I offer coaching and therapy services. Call to get more details.

CALL 310- 985-2491