5 Ways to Find Relief from Stress and Depression in New York

What is Stress?

Ways to Find Relief from Stress and Depression Stress is the body’s response to any type of change that causes emotional, psychological, or physical strain. Stress is not the same thing as anxiety and depression, as it is often caused by an external source. Some common stress triggers include divorce, losing a family member, fighting with your significant other, moving to a new house, financial troubles, chronic illness or injury, threat of physical violence, and emotional problems. When an unhealthy amount of stress begins to build up in the body, it can lead to a fight, flight, or freeze response. The body produces cortisol and other stress hormones, causing you to feel like you are in danger, even if you are not.

A small amount of stress is normal, but when it feels overwhelming or begins to interfere with your life, it is important to find relief from stress and depression. Some lifestyle choices that can increase cortisol and stress levels in your life are drinking, using drugs, not getting enough exercise, smoking, and working at a high-pressure job.

Not everybody reacts the same to stressful situations, and not everybody has access to the same coping skills, so the impact caused by worrying circumstances or pain differs from person to person. The ability to cope with stress can be impacted by factors like genetics, the level of social support you have, and your personality type.

Some of the ways people cope with feelings of stress include:

Sticking with an exercise routine that gets your heart rate up.
Getting a good night’s sleep.
Try deep breathing exercises to activate the body’s sympathetic nervous system.
Eating healthy food with minimal processed food and added sugar.
Minimize screen time, opting to get out in nature or read instead of staring at your phone, watching TV or playing video games.
Avoid procrastination, because the more you put tasks off, the more they will begin to weigh on you.
Create boundaries and ensure you are not taking too much on, asking for help when you need it.
Make sure to practice self-care, doing things that make you feel good and reduce stress levels.
Try to reduce your caffeine intake, as it can stimulate the nervous system and increase feelings of anxiety.
Spend time with friends and family, or enjoy time with a pet.

What is Depression?

Depression is a serious mental health disorder with symptoms that include irritability, anxiety, sleep issues, feelings of emptiness or hopelessness, changes in appetite, slowed thinking and speaking, and even unexplained aches and pains. Some people experience suicidal thoughts. It is a complex issue that often involves environmental, physical, social, and psychological triggers.

Some contributing factors to developing depression may include:

Genetic factors and biology
Substance abuse
Changes in brain chemistry due to medication, drug intake, or medical conditions
Periods of severe stress, trauma, or abuse in early life
Experiencing grief after a loss
Postpartum depression from the hormonal change after giving birth
Experiencing medical problems or chronic pain
Seasonal changes can cause seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Isolation, especially at an older age

10 Reasons Why Stress and Depression Can Affect Job Performance and Satisfaction

If you are experiencing stress or have symptoms of depression, your job performance and satisfaction may be affected. Just because you have to get up and go to work does not mean you can turn off the symptoms of your mental illness. Even if you are trying your hardest, if you have depression, it can:

Affect whether you can get up and get into the office which may result in absenteeism.
Impact daily routines, throwing you off schedule.
Affect motivation, causing you to miss deadlines and become detached.
Cause you to procrastinate on completing tasks and make you look lazy or unorganized.
Increase the mistakes you make in your daily work, as the mind may not be able to focus.
Result in safety issues, especially if your work requires clear, quick thinking or working with dangerous equipment or hazardous materials.
Reduce your ability to focus and manage time properly.
Affect your confidence level, which can impair social interactions and communication, which may potentially cause problems with your co-workers.
Cause physical health issues like headaches, gastrointestinal distress, and sleep disorders that result in more missed workdays and reduced job performance.
Change your appearance, which can be an issue in jobs in which you need to look professional.

Taking the time to get relief from stress and depression and to learn better coping skills can improve your overall work performance. Getting help from professional mental health providers can increase your quality of life and continue working at the job you love, but only if you take the time and do the work to get better.

5 Ways to Get Help in New York with Stress and Depression

Depression is a treatable condition that often requires medication and/or behavioral therapy in NYC. If you are looking for relief from stress and depression, you can try:

Practicing self-care, ensuring you take care of your mind, your body, and your overall wellness by getting exercise, eating well, and doing things that make you feel good like meditation, taking a hot bath, or going for a walk. Even if you are not in the mood to do anything, try your best as they can give you a sense of accomplishment and keep you healthy.
Staying away from drugs and alcohol, which can cause brain chemistry changes, health issues, possible addiction, and they can mask underlying issues that require treatment.
Going to counseling or get therapy to gain new coping tools and skills to improve your quality of life. Getting help from a professional will ease your mind and help you shift your mindset and learn new, positive ways to deal with stressors.
Trying antidepressant medication. There are many different types of antidepressant medications on the market, and they can be an excellent treatment option.
Getting to know your own triggers and prepare ahead of time. For some people, the holiday season, the anniversary of a loved one’s death, birthdays, and other occasions can trigger episodes of depression. If you know what to expect, you can prepare in advance. You may even wish to create a “wellness toolbox” with a set of tools and actions you can take, and then select an activity to try when you are not feeling well.

Depression can make it difficult to handle everyday life, but you can take steps to feel better and to work toward better overall wellness.

Click here for job protection & behavioral health, call Union First today at (855) 215-2023.

Union First Can Help You Find Relief from Stress and Depression Today

Union First is an advocacy organization, using employee assistance programs EAPs to connect you to an appropriate treatment facility to help provide you relief from stress and depression. Most union member addiction treatment centers offer a variety of treatments within multiple levels of care, along with family therapy. Some depression may require a stay in inpatient treatment. Our focus is on helping individuals manage stress and help our members to get the behavioral health counseling they need.

Union First employment assistance programs provide evaluations to help union members understand their options, connect with treatment centers that are in-network with your insurance, and we will help you to stay protected at your job while you receive the treatment you need to overcome your depression and take control back over your mental health. Call Union First today to get started on your road to recovery.