{"id":153028,"date":"2025-11-26T01:22:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T01:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/153028\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T01:22:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T01:22:22","slug":"even-therapists-feel-stress-here-are-8-habits-they-avoid-to-protect-their-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/153028\/","title":{"rendered":"Even Therapists Feel Stress\u2014Here Are 8 Habits They Avoid to Protect Their Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Therapists make a living helping people understand how stress builds<\/a> and why certain behavioral patterns make it harder to feel calm. Yet they\u2019re only human, so they still need to be deliberate about how they manage stress in their own lives.<\/p>\n

We spoke with several mental health professionals about the habits that inadvertently wear them down. By paying attention to how certain routines affect their mood, these therapists are able to steer clear of things that ultimately drain their energy<\/a>. Here\u2019s what they do instead to reduce stress and feel more grounded every day.<\/p>\n

Liz Ross<\/a>, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder of the Coping Resource Center<\/p>\n

Chlo\u00eb Bean<\/a>, LMFT, somatic trauma therapist based in Los Angeles, California<\/p>\n

Madhuri Jha<\/a>, MPH, LCSW, psychotherapist and clinical advisor at Psych Hub<\/p>\n

Kristen Plake<\/a>, LCSW, social worker and founder of Frontline Wellness Group<\/p>\n

01 of 08<\/p>\n

Forcing Calming Rituals<\/p>\n

Calming down<\/a> is not always as simple as we hope, and some attempts to relax can unintentionally keep the stress cycle going. \u201cWhen it comes to stress, many of the things we do to feel better actually keep our bodies stuck in a cycle of stress,\u201d says Liz Ross, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder of the Coping Resource Center. \u201cTelling yourself to relax often spikes tension. It turns calmness into a performance goal, which activates more stress.<\/p>\n

Ross tells her clients to try not to stress about how stressed they feel. \u201cOften, the implication that you are stressed, and that this stress is causing more problems, does not help the situation,” she says. “It merely makes you feel powerless and more worried.\u201d Instead of forcing calming rituals that make you feel frustrated if they don\u2019t work, focus on acceptance over control. \u201cNotice sensations (\u201cmy chest feels tight\u201d) without judgment, and ground through gentle breathing or observing your surroundings,” Ross says.<\/p>\n

02 of 08<\/p>\n

Criticizing Yourself<\/p>\n

No matter how you try to regulate your emotions<\/a> throughout the day, the one habit that can work against you the most is criticizing yourself. \u201cTrying to think your way out of stress and finding fault often amplifies it,\u201d says Chlo\u00eb Bean, LMFT, somatic trauma therapist based in Los Angeles, who encourages her clients to focus on something concrete instead, like a shallow breath or clenching hands.<\/p>\n

When critical thoughts pop back up about your mood (or even the thoughts themselves), Bean says to gently notice areas of the body that feel less tense or even pleasant to bring back some regulation. Remember, no judgment\u2014a theme many therapists echoed. \u201cBonus points for noticing items or objects or sounds that feel grounding outside of yourself to bring you to the present,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

03 of 08<\/p>\n

Binging Comfort Foods<\/p>\n

No one is saying you need to give up all your favorite snacks<\/a>, but a little moderation goes a long way. \u201cOften when we feel stressed, we will reach for comfort foods to help us cope,\u201d says Madhuri Jha, MPH, LCSW, psychotherapist and clinical advisor at Psych Hub. \u201cThese foods can have things that are bad for us, like sugar, high fat content, or caffeine, and these things, in excess, can actually have the opposite impact on your cortisol than stress reduction.\u201d<\/p>\n

When we aren\u2019t eating a mostly healthy diet, Jha says your body works harder to digest everything and your cortisol levels can increase, which stresses your system. \u201cI tell patients to consider a treat day regularly scheduled a couple times a month, so it normalizes that these foods and drinks don\u2019t have to be things we only reach for in an emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n

04 of 08<\/p>\n

Numbing Your Body<\/p>\n

Numbing can bust stress in the moment, but it can become a habit where people simply disregard what\u2019s actually happening in their body. \u201cI never rely on numbing strategies like drinking to \u2018unwind,\u2019\u201d says Kristen Plake, LCSW, social worker and founder of Frontline Wellness Group. \u201cThese offer short-term relief but disconnect us from our emotions and prevent real decompression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plake thinks a healthier alternative to body numbing is mindful engagement. Some examples: \u201cDoing one thing at a time that genuinely soothes or restores you, whether it\u2019s a walk, journaling, or simply sitting in silence,\u201d she says, adding that the goal isn\u2019t distraction; it\u2019s reconnection.<\/p>\n

She also urges her clients to never ignore their body when it signals overwhelm. \u201cOur culture teaches us to push past physical symptoms (tight shoulders, fatigue, irritability) as if they\u2019re inconveniences. But the body is our earliest stress detector. Paying attention to those cues allows for early intervention, like stretching, stepping outside, or grounding exercises<\/a> before burnout escalates.\u201d<\/p>\n

05 of 08<\/p>\n

Nonstop Scrolling<\/p>\n

Who doesn\u2019t love a brain-rotting session<\/a> of scrolling when you wake up or before you go to bed? Well, this habit isn\u2019t doing your long-term stress any favors. \u201cThe blue light, constant novelty, and emotional content on your phone keep your nervous system alert, even when you\u2019re trying to relax,\u201d says Ross. \u201cInstead of winding down, you\u2019re reactivating stress pathways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re doom scrolling, engaging in comparison culture, or getting sucked into a fear algorithm, your fight-or-flight survival response is likely getting activated. Instead, Ross suggests creating a tech buffer of 30 minutes before bed or between tasks. \u201cReplace scrolling with something sensory, such as stretching, music, or journaling. These activities signal safety, not stimulation.\u201d If that doesn\u2019t work, ask yourself: \u201cWhat am I looking for when I reach for my phone? Is it connection, distraction, emotional release, or something else?\u201d Once you understand why you do it, Ross says the “what to do instead” becomes clearer.<\/p>\n

06 of 08<\/p>\n

Multitasking<\/p>\n

Multitasking<\/a> can give you a sense of accomplishment, but it\u2019s a habit that usually isn\u2019t sustainable for the long haul. \u201cJumping between tasks overstimulates your brain, making it harder to focus and rest,\u201d says Ross. \u201cYou feel frazzled and overwhelmed, like you have 20 open tabs on your internet browser. Instead of getting through your to-do list, everything feels started but unfinished. It also reinforces the belief that slowing down and taking your time is unsafe or lazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breaking this habit takes practice, but it starts with choosing to focus on one task at a time. Work in short, sustainable blocks, then take short, mindful breaks. \u201cEfficiency improves when your brain can fully engage and then reset,\u201d says Ross.<\/p>\n

07 of 08<\/p>\n

Staying Busy<\/p>\n

This next habit isn\u2019t so much about how many tasks you do at once but how many tasks you cram into every 24-hour period. \u201cI never try to push through or \u2018outrun\u2019 stress by staying busy,\u201d says Plake. \u201cMany clients of mine fall into the trap of believing that by merely completing their checklists, they can keep anxiety at bay. In reality, the body never gets the signal that it\u2019s safe to rest, keeping the stress response activated.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, make sure you\u2019re building in revitalizing pauses. Plake says this could look like literally taking 30 seconds to slow your breath<\/a>, unclench your jaw, and feel your feet on the ground. \u201cThese micro-moments of regulation are small but powerful cues to the nervous system that it\u2019s OK to exhale.\u201d<\/p>\n

08 of 08<\/p>\n

Skipping Breaks<\/p>\n

Multiasking and staying busy are two work-related habits that can add to our stress, but even if you go slow and take it one task at a time, you still need breaks (even if they\u2019re short). \u201cWhen we fill each gap in our time with doing, we miss the body’s natural cues for recalibration and rebalance. We ignore the body’s signals that we are at capacity,\u201d says Bean. \u201cForcing yourself to power through tells your body it is not safe to rest. Instead, if time doesn’t allow a break, practice short, intentional pauses or resets.\u201d Productivity techniques like the Pomodoro Method<\/a> have built-in breaks that balance doing and resting in a more sustainable way.<\/p>\n

Read the original article on Real Simple<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Therapists make a living helping people understand how stress builds and why certain behavioral patterns make it harder…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153029,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[92986,163,85,46,92988,92987,92985,522,523],"class_list":{"0":"post-153028","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-coping-resource-center","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-kristen-plake","13":"tag-lcsw","14":"tag-liz-ross","15":"tag-mental-health","16":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}