Stress treatment in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

What is stress?

We usually get stressed when we experience difficult and challenging circumstances, which cause us to feel intense emotional strain. While stress can be fairly normal and something we can all experience from time-to-time, it’s important to recognise when your stress levels have increased to the point that it’s disrupting your life and making you feel exhausted.

Without professional psychiatric help, stress can get worse over time and have a negative impact on lots of different areas of your life. It can affect your physical and emotional wellbeing and even lead to other mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Stress is treatable and it’s possible for you to make a full recovery

However, it’s important to realise that stress is entirely treatable and you can make a full and lasting recovery, if professional treatment is sought from an experienced psychiatrist, psychologist or therapist.    

At our wellbeing centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi we recognise that getting psychiatric help for your stress is crucial to prevent your symptoms from becoming worse. Our expert team can help you develop techniques for managing your stress, and support you to get back on track. All of the treatment we provide is personalised to you, meaning that your individual concerns are addressed and you can achieve the best possible outcomes.

Outpatient stress treatment in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

At both our Dubai and Abu Dhabi clinics, we deliver specialist stress therapy on an outpatient basis. We can help you every step of the way towards overcoming your stress and taking steps towards the happy and healthy life you deserve.

Outpatient treatment at Priory ensures:

• Flexible and convenient consulting hours, which fit in with your work and other commitments
• Fast access to high quality therapy
• Complete confidentiality and discretion
• Treatment from qualified experts
• Online therapy from home if preferred

We can deliver lots of different types of therapies at our Dubai and Abu Dhabi Wellbeing centres, each of which has been found to be successful in treating stress. Some of our therapeutic techniques include:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – this is a form of therapy that encourages you to challenge unhealthy thought processes and develop new and healthier ways of viewing your life
• Mindfulness – a form of therapy for stress that helps you to accept and process negative emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them, and focus on how you feel in the present moment
• 1:1 stress counselling – therapy that takes place between you and the most appropriate psychiatrist or psychologist for your needs. This type of stress therapy allows for an in-depth look at your problems and unique symptoms
• Group therapy for stress – group therapy takes place in a group with other patients who may be going through similar issues to you. This type of therapy enables you to share your experiences and feelings with other people and receive support
• Family therapy for stress – this therapy takes place with you and your immediate loved ones. It helps you to have an honest conversation about your stress, how it is impacting on those around you, and discover ways in which you can support each other in the future

What are the signs and symptoms of stress?

Stress can have lots of different symptoms. The most common signs and symptoms of stress to look out for are listed below.

Psychological symptoms of stress include:

• Panic attacks
• Irritability
• Anger
• Feeling hopeless and worthless
• Memory problems
• Not wanting to spend time with friends and family which can lead to you becoming isolated
• Relationship problems
• Losing interest in activities or hobbies you once enjoyed
• Struggling to complete daily tasks
• Struggling to concentrate
• Problems at work or school

Physical symptoms of stress include:

• Nausea
• Rapid heart rate
• Chest pains
• Headaches
• Feeling tired all the time
• Indigestion
• Not looking after your appearance or personal hygiene
• Getting colds more frequently than usual
• Sleep problems
• Changes in appetite which can lead to weight loss or gain

What are the long-term effects of stress?

Left untreated and without help, stress can have a number of long-term, negative consequences. These may include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Self-harm
• Making symptoms of other mental health conditions worse
• Relationship breakdowns
• Job loss and unemployment
• Financial problems
• Poor physical health

What causes stress?

Usually, we get stressed as a result of significant life events. These may include:

• Trauma
• Bereavement
• Moving home
• The birth of a child
• Getting married
• Career changes

Work is another very common cause of stress, especially if you’re under a lot of pressure in your job. ‘Executive stress’, or work-related stress, is now recognised as being a serious psychiatric problem. If you don’t get effective help for your executive stress, it can lead to you having a breakdown or experiencing burnout at work, which can have far-reaching consequences for your career, family life and general wellbeing.

Self-help tips for dealing with stress

If you think you’re struggling with stress, it’s really important that you get expert help. However, there are a few things you can do yourself, such as finding ways to relax, reducing commitments if you can, and doing more exercise, to help you cope.

Here are some tips to help you manage and respond to your stress in a healthy way:

• Don’t ignore your stress – if you’ve spotted the signs and symptoms of stress, you may think that if you just carry on and ignore the warning signs, it will go away on its own. However, this isn’t the case; in fact, your stress is likely to get worse if you ignore it and can lead to burnout. By addressing the first signs of stress, you can start to plan strategies to tackle this, get the help you need and simply take some time out to recuperate
• ‘Check in’ with your body – your body acts as your first warning sign that you’re stressed. Make sure you take the time to ‘check in’ with your body, and notice how you’re physically feeling and acting at particular times during the day. You may find you’ve been sat at your desk for hours, not noticing that your shoulders are hunched over, you’re tapping your foot constantly and you’ve developed a bad headache. If you notice your body is stressed, try going outside to get some fresh air. If you can’t go outside for whatever reason, try just tensing and un-tensing parts of your body as this can help ease your tension
• Take a break – taking a break is really important to relieve stress. Simple things like going for a walk, having a hot bath or making a cup of tea can help massively. When you’re at work, it might be harder to take a break whenever you find yourself in a stressful situation; instead, try taking ‘micro breaks’. If your desk phone is ringing, don’t jump to answer it straightaway, let it ring a few times, take a breath and then pick it up. When making a drink or a snack, make this a real event – enjoy the process of making it and then when you come to drink or eat, really savour it. Small steps like this can make you feel as though you’ve at least had a bit of time out from your stress and can really help your wellbeing
• Talk to someone about how you’re feeling – all too often, we’ll tell people we’re stressed but then don’t really go into any more detail about how we’re really feeling and the impact our stress is having on us physically and mentally. Opening up to someone about your stress can really help, whereas bottling things up can make your stress even worse in the long run. Think about who you could talk to about your stress and even have a think about the type of support you’d like; do you just want to ‘vent’ to them to get things off your chest? Do you want to know if they’ve ever felt the same so you don’t feel like you’re struggling on your own and so you can ask them how they coped? Do you want some advice on how to deal with your stress? Whatever you need, don’t be afraid to ask for it. It’s likely you’ll feel better after opening up to someone you trust
• Stop focusing all your energy on others – it’s good to help other people; it can make us feel useful and as though we’re playing an important part in the lives of those we care about or spend time with. However, it’s important to recognise that spending all of your energy on other people may be compromising your own health and wellbeing. Sometimes we need to take a step back and where possible, push back on other demands which may be making our stress even worse. We can’t be relaxed all the time and sometimes life is stressful, but by being conscious of when you’re spreading yourself too thinly, you can make sure you give yourself time to rest and replenish your own internal resources, to reduce your stress
• Take steps to achieve a work-life balance – trying to reach a healthy work-life balance is really important when it comes to dealing with stress. If you don’t feel as though you have a work-life balance, it’s a good idea to have an open and honest conversation with your boss or employer about what’s realistic in your day-to-day job. You could discuss the volume of work you have, the time that you have to complete it in, and what’s expected of you on a daily basis, and see if any adjustments could be made to help you reduce your stress levels. After all, when we’re stressed, we’re not productive, efficient or performing at our best

Stress treatment in UAE

Priory have been treating stress in the UAE since 2017, at our specialist clinic in Dubai, We have recently opened a second Wellbeing Centre in Abu Dhabi. We now offer expert help for stress in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, at the following locations:

Stress therapy Dubai

Priory Wellbeing Centre Dubai
Dubai Healthcare City
Al Razi Building 64
Block F, Ground Floor
Out Metha Road
Dubai

Stress treatment Abu Dhabi

Priory Wellbeing Centre Abu Dhabi (opening soon)
King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street
Al Bateen
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates

Many people will suffer from stress during the course of their lives, it's important to know that stress can be effectively treated and our team of psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists will work with you to devise the best treatment programmed to get you living live to the full again.  Contact the Priory team today. 

For further information call today on: (+971) 4 245 3800 (Dubai) / (+971) 2 651 8111 (Abu Dhabi) or submit an enquiry form in confidence. We will provide you with details on all our treatments and offer help on how to manage your mental health at a time that suits you.