Stress comes from many directions. Employment pressures take a heavy toll, including long hours, unrealistic deadlines, job insecurity, and the feeling of being constantly on call. School adds its own weight, with academic demands, competitive grades, financial strain, and the pressure to figure out your future before you’re ready. Money worries, relationship issues, health concerns, caregiving roles, and the endless noise of news and social media all pile on too. So many people live with a steady background hum of stress that slowly drains their energy and sense of purpose.
Research over decades shows that cognitive therapies, such as CBT, help people recognize the thought patterns that amplify stress, such as perfectionism, over-responsibility, and the belief that you must always be “on,” and replace them with more balanced, realistic ways of thinking. You also learn practical skills for pacing your day, setting boundaries, and responding to demands without collapsing into exhaustion.
When work starts wearing you down, something has to change. Burnout often happens when you’ve been giving too much for too long without enough return, rest, or meaning. Together, we’ll look at what’s contributing to the pressure, set better boundaries, and find practical ways to rebuild energy without pushing yourself past your limits. We’ll focus on strategies that fit your life, strengths, and goals, helping you move forward with greater clarity and control.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked in a wide variety of settings, including clinical, academic, corporate, and even the service industry as a diesel mechanic. The understanding I’ve gained of both the rewards and challenges of each of these environments helps inform my work, particularly when it comes to employment and school-related stress. Additionally, the major focus of my academic research has been how mindfulness and meditation can improve our ability to regulate attention and emotions, which then can help decrease stress. Such improvements can even be seen with relatively brief practice.
