Not all stress is bad; we need a certain amount of stress in our lives to motivate us to be successful.  

There is a term for positive stress called “eustress”. The problem is when “eustress” crosses the boundary into “distress”. At that point what was motivating us morphs into something that saps our energy and resources. This will vary from individual to individual. One person may find practicing the piano for two hours exhilarating and another may find it torturous.

In general, we experience stress when our resources to manage a situation are outweighed by the demands.

The goal of stress management is to be aware pf what sets off our feelings of distress and the ways to reduce our negative responses to it. This is highly idiosyncratic.

It requires are understanding our past, current pressures, and how stress affects us.

Once we get clarity, we still have the hard work of changing patterns of thinking and behavior. This typically involves committing to small, doable changes.   

In addition to supporting clients to clarify an action plan, I also offer tools to help them relax through visualization and breathing exercises.

stress management

Above photo is compliments of Ambro@FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Susan Cohn, MFT & LCSW

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Licensed Clinical Social Worker


21710 Stevens Creek Boulevard - Suite 101

Cupertino, CA 95014-1179


(408) 257-5772

Click here go to My Specialities


Stress Management

Basic Stress Management is not rocket science. It is taking time out to breathe, eat well, exercise and sleep.

So if it is all that simple, what gets in our way from practicing it?

Exploring the answer to that gives us choices as to what we have to give up and what we have to embrace for us to be able to manage our stress level.