Stress is a universal human experience. As Gudjon Bergemann described*, stress can be managed, relieved and lessened—but never fully eliminated. In counselling, stress can influence how and why we show up, how we relate, and how we experience the therapeutic process.

April 2026 is ‘Stress Awareness Month’, and the theme this year is #BeTheChange, which the Stress Management Society describes as: “a powerful call to personal agency, action and transformation….”

www.nhs.uk describes stress as:

“…the body’s reactions to feeling threatened or under pressure...too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially if it feels out of our control... Experiencing long-term stress or severe stress can lead to feeling physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often called ‘burnout’.”

Using a stress bucket analogy, we all have different sized buckets, or tolerance for handling life’s stresses.   Water, or stress, such as work, relationships and finances are poured into our bucket and this can lead to overflowing.  To avoid this, we must seek to manage the amount of water coming into our bucket and also ensure we have healthy coping strategies in place (a tap to release water).

Stress often becomes part of the story we carry into both individual and relationship counselling. In relational work, taking time to understand each partner’s stress load can help each person see not only what is happening between them, but the deeper reasons behind those patterns. In individual counselling, gently exploring how stress manifests and learning ways to soothe and manage it can bring relief and support healing across many areas of life.

FREE ONLINE RESOURCES

Stress.org.uk — Free tools including an online stress test

Verywell Mind — Guidance on keeping a stress‑relief journal

Mind.org.uk — Self‑care strategies and resilience‑building resources

REFERENCE

Yes! You can manage stress, by Gudjon Bergmann