Is It Just Stress or Something More? Signs You Might Need Therapy in San Francisco

When you’re living in a fast-paced city like the San Francisco Bay Area, you expect the exciting lifestyle that it comes with. Innovative and creative developments are happening every minute on the work and business end, and social lives can thrive with the variety of fun things there are to do from bar crawls, to running clubs, parades and festivals, and meetup events for every interest. There’s so much to love about living in San Francisco! I consider myself lucky to be a part of this exhilarating city.

But the flip side of living in our stimulating San Francisco Bay Area is that it can also be exhausting. Between work deadlines, social obligations, and personal responsibilities, high stress has become a normal part of our lives. We all have long workdays, family responsibilities, and financial pressures. Most everyone I talk to has stress in some area of their lives, and that’s not always a bad thing. But sometimes, stress becomes more than just a temporary rough patch. It lingers, builds, and starts to feel overwhelming. But when does everyday stress turn into something more serious, like anxiety or depression? You might be wondering: Is what I’m feeling just stress, or do I need therapy?

In this blog, we’re talking about the signs that what you’re feeling is more than just stress and whether therapy might help.

Here are 7 key signs that what you’re experiencing might be more than just stress.

Your Stress Feels Constant and Unmanageable-Stress is normal in small doses, but if you constantly feel on edge—like you can’t catch a break—it may be a sign that stress has become unmanageable. Do you wake up already feeling overwhelmed? Do minor setbacks send you into a spiral? Chronic stress can take a serious toll on your mental and physical health, and if stress is your constant companion, making it hard to relax or enjoy life, it could be a sign of chronic anxiety. Therapy can help you learn coping strategies to break the cycle of anxiety and overwhelm.
You’re Not Sleeping Well- Are you tossing and turning at night, unable to shut off racing thoughts? Or do you feel constantly exhausted no matter how much you sleep? Sleep and mental health are deeply connected and sleep disruptions can also be a symptom of anxiety or depression. Both insomnia and excessive fatigue can signal underlying mental health concerns. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently, or feeling exhausted no matter how much rest you get, your stress levels might be interfering with your body’s ability to recharge. In therapy, it’s really important to address the root causes of sleep disruption and improve your rest. I teach my client’s sleep hygiene techniques and create a personalize plan for them to reset their sleep cycles so they can get wake up refreshed and re-energized everyday.
You Feel Disconnected from Yourself or Others-Do you feel like you’re just going through the motions? Maybe you’ve lost interest in things you used to enjoy, you feel like no one understands you, or you’re withdrawing from friends and family. If you feel emotionally numb, isolated, or detached, or if stress is turning into feelings of hopelessness or disinterest, this could be a sign of depression. Unlike temporary sadness, depression lingers and affects your ability to function. When stress turns into isolation, it can deepen feelings of loneliness and make it harder to reach out for support. Therapy provides a wonderful safe space where I help you navigate these emotions so you can feel like yourself and rebuild connections with the people in your life again.
You’re Using Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms-Turning to food, alcohol, excessive screen time, or work to cope with stress is common—but it’s not always healthy and can be a sign that your emotional load is too heave to carry alone. If you’re relying on these behaviors to numb your emotions or escape reality, it might be time to explore healthier ways to cope with stress. Therapy is great for helping you develop healthier coping tools that support your long-term well-being so you can enjoy life again without having to distract yourself. (If alcohol is way you cope, please read my blog on What You Need to Know About Alcohol and Anxiety-Part 1 and What You Need to Know About Alcohol and Anxiety-Part 2).
Your Thoughts Feel Heavy or Overwhelming-Are you constantly overthinking? Do negative thoughts keep cycling in your mind? When your inner dialogue feels harsh, hopeless, or obsessive, therapy can help you untangle these thoughts and develop a more balanced perspective. I teach Cognitive-Behavioral therapy to better understand how your thoughts are affecting the way you feel and the way you behave. It often turns into a vicious cycle, but things can change. Learn more about Cognitive-Behavioral therapy here: San Francisco CBT Series: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Part 1 and San Francisco CBT Series: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Part 2
You’re Experiencing Unexplained Physical Symptoms-Mental health struggles often show up in the body. Frequent headaches, stomach issues, muscle tension, or fatigue can be signs of underlying emotional distress. If you’ve ruled out medical causes, stress and anxiety could be playing a bigger role than you realize. In fact, more than half of physical complaints that people report to their primary care doctors, are caused by mental and emotional distress. Therapy is a typical next step to get to the underlying issues.
You Feel Stuck and Don’t Know What to Do-Are everyday tasks—like answering emails, running errands, or making simple decisions—starting to feel paralyzing? If you’re struggling with decision-making, feeling lost, or unable to move forward in your personal or professional life, it’s a sign that stress is turning into somethign deeper. As a therapist, I know the value of helping people regain a sense of control and reduce the emotional overload they feel. I offer guidance, tools, and support to help you break free from patterns that are keeping you stuck.

How Therapy Can Help

Therapy isn’t just for people in crisis—it’s for anyone who wants to feel better, grow, and improve their quality of life. A therapist can help you:

Understand and manage stress more effectively
Identify and change negative thought patterns
Develop healthier coping strategies
Strengthen relationships and communication skills
Reconnect with yourself and your goals
Create a new routine that aligns with your values

The best part of all these ways that therapy can help, is that once you learn these and can practice them regularly, they will continue to help you throughout your life. In other words, therapy that is helpful to you has a value that lasts a lifetime, if you continue to use what you learn :)

FREE consultation for anxiety therapy in San Francisco, California

Stress is a normal part of life, but it can sometimes turn into depression, overwhelm, anxiety, and difficulty managing life. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’m a San Francisco psychologist and I’ve helped many overly stressed out individuals regain balance by overcoming the mental health issues that keep them from enjoying their lives, and I can help you too. If you’re resonating with this article on anything else on this website, take the first step and contact me for a free 15-minute phone consultation. We can talk about how you’re feeling and how I might be able to help.

Specialties include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Therapy for depression, anxiety, work stress, relationships, and life changes.

In Case You Missed It! Additional Blog Posts in this series:

San Francisco CBT Series: Successful Goal Setting, Part 1

San Francisco CBT Series: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Part 2

San Francisco CBT Series: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Part 1

Is It Just Stress or Something More? Signs You Might Need Therapy in San Francisco