Stress is something everyone experiences. A demanding job, family responsibilities, financial concerns, relationship problems, or unexpected changes can all create stress. In small amounts, stress can even be helpful. It can motivate us to meet a deadline, solve a problem, or respond quickly to a challenge. The problem is when regular stress becomes chronic stress.
When the mind and body remain under stress for an extended period, it can begin to affect sleep, concentration, energy, mood, and overall quality of life. For some people, chronic stress can also contribute to or worsen anxiety and depression.
When depression or anxiety becomes part of the picture, treating the underlying mental health condition may be an important step toward feeling better. For patients who have not found adequate relief from traditional treatments, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) may be another option.
At Goolsby & Associates in Gainesville, Georgia, TMS is used as a noninvasive treatment for depression and certain anxiety symptoms. Understanding how TMS works and how it may help patients better manage the emotional effects of chronic stress can help you determine whether it is worth discussing with a mental health professional.
When Stress Becomes Chronic
Our bodies are designed to respond to short periods of stress. When a stressful situation occurs, the body releases hormones that increase alertness and prepare us to respond. Once the stressful situation is over, the body should have an opportunity to return to a calmer state.
Chronic stress is different. Instead of the stress response turning off, a person may feel as though they are constantly dealing with another problem or another demand. Over time, this can become exhausting.
Someone experiencing chronic stress may notice difficulty sleeping, irritability, fatigue, trouble concentrating, muscle tension, changes in appetite, or feeling overwhelmed by situations that once seemed manageable.
Chronic stress can also take an emotional toll. Some people begin experiencing persistent worry or anxiety. Others may lose interest in activities they once enjoyed, feel emotionally drained, or struggle with motivation. When these symptoms become persistent, depression or an anxiety disorder may be involved.
The Connection Between Chronic Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
Stress does not automatically cause depression or anxiety, but prolonged stress can make existing mental health symptoms harder to manage. Additionally, a 2020 study on cortisol levels in those with MDD showed a significant correlation, from which we can deduce that those with MDD have higher than average stress levels.
Consider someone who is already struggling with depression. Every day responsibilities may require considerably more effort. Getting out of bed, going to work, maintaining relationships, or completing household responsibilities can feel overwhelming. While we cannot presume causation, there is a link between depression and stress.
Now add ongoing stress.
The additional pressure can make depressive symptoms more difficult to manage. Anxiety can create a similar cycle. Constant worry can interfere with sleep and concentration, making a person feel even less capable of handling daily challenges.
This can create a cycle of stress, anxiety, poor sleep, low energy, and depression.
Breaking that cycle may require treating more than the stress itself. For appropriate patients, treating depression or anxiety may help improve their ability to respond to life’s challenges.
How TMS May Help
TMS does not eliminate stressful situations, and it is not a treatment designed simply to make everyday stress disappear.
Instead, TMS targets brain regions involved in mood regulation. It uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific brain regions, offering an alternative to traditional medication-based treatments.
TMS is a non-surgical, noninvasive treatment that uses repetitive magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain with low activity. TMS sessions are performed in the practice while patients remain awake and alert.
For patients with depression or anxiety symptoms, improving those symptoms may make it easier to manage stress.
For example, a person who is depressed may have difficulty finding the motivation to exercise, socialize, sleep consistently, or maintain healthy routines. As depression improves, those healthy behaviors may become more achievable.
Likewise, someone experiencing significant anxiety may spend much of the day worrying about what could go wrong. Reducing anxiety symptoms may allow that person to approach stressful situations with greater clarity rather than feeling constantly overwhelmed.
The goal is not to create a life without stress. The goal is to help patients develop a healthier emotional foundation for dealing with the stress that life inevitably brings.
Why TMS May Be an Option When Other Treatments Haven’t Helped
Medication and psychotherapy can be highly effective treatments for depression and anxiety, but they do not work for everyone.
Some patients do not experience enough improvement from antidepressant medications. Others experience side effects or simply prefer to explore a non-drug treatment option.
This is one area where TMS may be worth considering.
Goolsby & Associates offers TMS for patients who continue to struggle with depression and anxiety despite traditional treatment approaches. Our practice begins with an evaluation to determine whether TMS is appropriate for the individual patient.
TMS is also different from medication because it does not involve putting a drug into the bloodstream. It is a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic stimulation to target specific areas of the brain.
What Can Patients Expect From TMS?
One of the concerns people often have when considering a new mental health treatment is what the treatment process will actually be like.
At Goolsby & Associates, TMS sessions are performed in the office. Patients remain awake and alert during treatment, and sessions typically last 5 to 30 minutes over 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the treatment plan. There is no anesthesia or sedation, so patients can generally return to normal activities after treatment.
Goolsby & Associates also offers Accelerated TMS, which provides multiple treatment sessions over a shorter period. This may be an option for some patients whose schedules make a traditional treatment course difficult. The practice notes that its accelerated protocol is currently a self-pay service rather than an insurance-covered service.
TMS and a Healthier Response to Stress
Reducing chronic stress usually requires a comprehensive approach.
TMS should not be viewed as a replacement for healthy lifestyle habits, psychotherapy, stress-management strategies, or other treatments recommended by a mental health professional. Instead, it may become one part of a larger treatment plan.
For someone struggling with depression or anxiety, however, these strategies can be difficult to put into practice when symptoms are severe. That is why addressing the underlying mental health condition matters.
When depression and anxiety symptoms improve, patients may find it easier to participate in healthy routines and cope with stressful situations. In that sense, TMS may indirectly help patients manage the effects of chronic stress by addressing the mental health symptoms that can make stress feel unmanageable.
Is TMS Right for You?
TMS is not appropriate for every person experiencing stress. If you are dealing with occasional stress related to work, family, or everyday responsibilities, traditional stress-management strategies may be more appropriate.
However, if stress has become persistent and is accompanied by symptoms such as ongoing sadness, loss of interest, low motivation, excessive worry, sleep problems, or difficulty functioning normally, it may be time to speak with a mental health professional.
An evaluation can help determine whether depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition may be contributing to what you are experiencing.
If TMS is appropriate, your provider can explain the treatment process, potential benefits and risks, and what you can realistically expect from treatment.
Find a Different Approach to Mental Health Care at Goolsby & Associates
Living with chronic stress can leave you feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. When depression or anxiety becomes part of the picture, finding relief can feel even more difficult.
The good news is that you have options.
TMS offers a noninvasive treatment approach for appropriate patients struggling with depression and related symptoms, particularly when traditional treatments have not provided the relief they need. At Goolsby & Associates in Gainesville, Georgia, the team provides TMS and other mental health services, including medication management and psychotherapy.
If chronic stress is affecting your mood, relationships, sleep, work, or ability to enjoy life, don’t assume you simply have to learn to live with it. There may be an underlying condition that can be treated.
The first step is talking with a qualified mental health professional. At Goolsby & Associates, an evaluation can help determine what may be contributing to your symptoms and whether TMS or another treatment approach may be appropriate.
If you are ready to explore your options, contact Goolsby & Associates to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward feeling more like yourself again.