When people experience more stress than they can handle, they usually struggle in many areas of their lives.
Sleep is disturbed. Relations are strained. Eating habits decline.
More alcohol and sweets tend to come into play. Exercise becomes a thing of the past.
The ladder often goes up.
It’s not uncommon for stressed people to complain, “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I do anything? What happened to my will? Why am I so lazy?”
The thing is, they’re not lazy. They’re just suffering from toxic stress.
This is where stress management coaching, i.e. stress management training, can make a big difference.
Certified stress management coaches help people set priorities, learn relaxation techniques, and reduce their overall stress load. End result: Clients feel better and are finally able to experience the energy and bandwidth needed to successfully achieve other wellness goals.
You may be thinking: I want to help people do this! If so, this article will walk you through everything you need to know about stress management coaching.
What is stress management training? What does a stress management coach do? How do you become a stress management coach?
Everything is here. Keep reading to find out.
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What is stress management?
Stress, from small daily irritations to big life changes, can build up over time. When stress overwhelms your ability to recover, it can…
▶ suppress your body’s immune responses
▶ mess up your gastrointestinal tract
▶ increase the risk of heart disease
▶ increase your risk of depression and anxiety
(Learn more: The effects of stress on the body.)
It also makes it harder to do other things that are good for you, like getting enough sleep and eating enough vegetables.
Stress management training gives you a comprehensive toolkit that can help you and your clients break free from the suffocation of stress. By better managing stress, you can not only improve your health, but also become more productive and happier.
What is stress management coaching? What does a stress management coach do?
Stress management coaches help people understand, deal with, and overcome stress with greater ease. Their training in stress management allows them to help clients use a variety of “health levers” needed to feel better and perform better.
Stress management coaches draw on their deep understanding of physiology and psychology to help clients…
▶ build resilience
▶ manage stress more positively
▶ learn strategies and practices that help them gain more control over their lives
Stress management coaches assess each client as an individual, collecting vital data to understand clients’ needs, track their progress, and identify and clarify their goals. They then work closely with clients to develop an action plan to achieve those goals and help them reassess and readjust as needed.
(For a deeper dive into some of the techniques coaches use, read: How to build resilience.)
Who do stress management coaches help?
Many people decide to become certified stress management trainers in order to have a greater impact as nurses, dietitians, chiropractors, personal trainers, health trainers, group exercise instructors or sports trainers, among others. helping professions.
Others get certified because they see a growing need, including the…
▶ Almost half of parents who say their stress levels have increased in the past two years
▶ Three out of five employees who, in an American Psychological Association survey, reported a lack of interest, motivation and energy due to work-related stress
▶ Countless people looking to break old patterns and habits resulting from chronic stress
Stress management coaches can help people identify what causes stressas well as developing a personalized roadmap to deal with these stressors.
What is the difference between a stress management coach and a licensed behavioral therapist?
Stress management coaches complement the help offered by licensed behavioral therapists, but they do not replace it.
Licensed mental health professionals undergo more training and education than stress management coaches. For example, psychiatrists must complete medical school and then undergo residency and specialized training. Psychologists and licensed social workers typically have a master’s degree and specialized clinical training.
This specialized clinical training enables psychiatrists and some psychologists to diagnose mental health problems. It enables mental health counselors to use a range of therapeutic tools – such as dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoanalysis – that are out of reach for people without this specialized training.
Although stress management coaches spend a lot of time talking to clients about the stressors they face, they cannot diagnose people with depression, anxiety, or any other mental health condition. They also cannot prescribe medication. They can, however, help people practice what their mental health team suggests.
This way, stress management coaches can work with someone’s mental health practitioner, much like an orthopedic surgeon might work with a physical therapist.
Why do people need stress management coaches?
When it comes to improving their physical health, many people focus on fitness and nutrition. Yet, in today’s high-stress world, fitness and nutrition aren’t always enough. To support fitness and nutrition habits, especially during life’s big upheavals, most people need strong stress management skills, as well as sleep and recovery tools.
Think of sleep, stress management, and recovery as the foundation that supports all other health habits.
The good news is that small changes can make a big difference.
(FREE guide: Learn to relieve stress.)
Why do people become stress management coaches?
Most people who pursue certification in stress management techniques are already working in or adjacent to the health and fitness industry. As a result, they realized the importance of sleep, stress management, and recovery for anyone striving to live a healthier life. They want to go beyond the basics and gain a professional-level understanding of these topics so they can better direct their efforts to help their clients achieve their health and wellness goals.
By learning more about the art and science of stress management, certified stress management coaches can help their clients develop greater resilience.
How to become a stress management coach? What credentials are required?
You can become a stress management coach by becoming certified in a program that includes both the science of stress as well as the advanced coaching methods needed to help clients better manage it.
We’ll just come out and say it: we offer a full stress management coaching certification of which we are very proud. (It’s called the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Sleep, Stress Management and Recovery Coaching Certification. go here to join the waiting list).
That said, our certification is just one of many. Whether you ultimately enroll with us or a different program, you want a certification that…
✅is rigorous
✅earned respect from others in the industry
✅puts clients at the center of everything they teach
You want a program that doesn’t just give you a certification. You want one that can help you confidently deliver results to your clients.
If you are a health and fitness professional…
Learning how to help clients manage stress and optimize their sleep can dramatically change your clients’ results.
They will “unstuck” and eventually move on, whether they want to eat better, move more, lose weight, or get healthy.
Plus, it will give you the confidence and credibility as a specialist coach capable of solving the biggest issues that block any client’s progress.
The brand new PN Level 1 Sleep Coaching, Stress Management and Recovery Certification will show you how.