As a woman, undoubtedly you experience moments of self-doubt, anxiety, and even negative thinking patterns. Similarly, you may find you struggle with regulating your emotions and experience greater levels of stress. Stress is a natural part of living in this world. However, when stress goes unchecked, it can lead to greater mental health struggles. If you find your current ways of managing stress and self-care aren’t working as they once did, you’re not alone. Through women’s issues therapy in NYC, you can learn new strategies to cope with stress and to approach life’s challenges with great kindness, self-compassion, and a deeper understanding of your experiences.

Resiliency for Stress Management

Resilience is the ability to recover from difficult experiences, setbacks, or adversity. As well as be able to adapt, move forward, and sometimes even experience personal growth and emerge stronger. Developing greater emotional resilience provides you with the necessary mindset and tools to cope with whatever stress life throws your way. Resilience is influenced by a combination of factors including genetics, personal history- early childhood attachment, life circumstances, access to supports/privilege, environment situation, and context.

How to improve Emotional Resilience

• Dedication to a worthy cause/belief greater than oneself
• Strengthening your social connection, having deep and meaningful relationships
• Emotional Flexibility: The ability to be flexible in your thinking. Not dwelling on the negative and instead looking for opportunities and places to grow during the darkest of times.

Emotional Flexibility for Stress Management

Emotional flexibility is rooted in the concept that a person can change the way she thinks to change the way she feels. The good news is, that emotional flexibility can be taught. To begin, you want to identify and challenge any faulty beliefs you have to promote resilience. Faulty beliefs are automatic and inaccurate thoughts we tell ourselves that reinforce negative thinking and emotions. Most everyone experiences faulty beliefs/cognitive distortions. However, left unexamined and in extreme forms, these thoughts can be harmful to one’s emotional health. For example, perhaps you’re stressed about something happening at work and you say to yourself “This shouldn’t be happening, and this is unfair”.

You can use emotional flexibility by challenging your thoughts. Begin by “not should-ing all over yourself”. When faced with a faulty belief, rather than just accepting it as fact, instead challenge this thought and respond with compassion. Ask yourself, “Is thinking this way helpful, is it useful, and is this making me feel better or worse?” Ask yourself, “What evidence there is that this thought is completely factual, or is there an alternative way of interpreting this situation?”

Respond to Stress with Self-Compassion

Numerous studies show that individuals who are more compassionate toward themselves experience fewer mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and stress. The three main components of self-compassion are self-love, mindfulness, and common humanity. To practice self-compassion, you’ll be challenged to treat yourself like someone you love. In addition to mindfully acknowledging, and sitting with feelings that arise! Finally, recalling the notion of common humanity, that everyone in the world struggles and faces challenges at times and it’s completely normal. Cultivating greater self-compassion is a beneficial approach to reducing stress and improving one’s overall outlook.

For some individuals, the above techniques and strategies along with one’s own inner resources and support may be enough to develop greater resilience to cope with stress. However, at times, you might feel stuck or overwhelmed. Women’s Issues Therapy at Liz Yarock Psychotherapy is a great way to develop an individualized plan and the support necessary to meet you exactly where you are. Feel free to contact me to learn more.

Ready to Begin Therapy for Women in NYC?

Liz Yarock Psychotherapy is dedicated to helping women find relief from stress and empowering them to live more authentic and peaceful lives. If you’re ready to begin the journey of women’s therapy, I am here for you. Follow the few steps below to get started!

1. Schedule a free consultation with me here.
2. Learn more about me!
3. Begin therapy for women and find relief from stress.

Other Services I Offer as a NYC Women’s Therapist

Liz Yarock Psychotherapy offers a range of services to support holistic well-being. From anxiety counseling and life transition therapy to women’s issues therapy, I provide tailored support using evidence-based approaches. I also offer depression counseling and highly sensitive person therapy. Whatever your needs, I’m here to support you on your journey toward living your most fulfilling and empowered life.