Stress therapy demand rises at Klagenfurt rehabilitation clinic

About 70 percent of people in Austria say they often feel stressed, and a rehabilitation clinic for mental health in Klagenfurt is seeing growing demand for treatment, ORF reports. Chronic stress can affect mental health and, through the continual release of stress hormones, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Daniela Lengauer, 59, has been a patient at the clinic for six weeks after developing anxiety disorders. Her symptoms began with intense restlessness and a growing inability to switch off. She said she felt an unexplained fear, followed by stomach pain, difficulty breathing and a constant sense of being driven.

Talking through the causes of her stress has helped most, Lengauer said. Therapy helped her recognise the pressure she put on herself, including the belief that everything around her would stop working if she did not. Her days had become so tightly scheduled that she could no longer bear hearing the word “must”.

Alongside individual and group therapy, patients take part in exercise and sports. Helmut Wolf, a sports scientist and psychotherapist at the clinic, said activities include outdoor walks and indoor exercises focused on cardiovascular fitness, muscle and connective tissue, stability, relaxation, coordination and balance. Creative therapies are also offered.

Wolf said prevention is important. He recommended making time for movement, taking the stairs or cycling to work where possible, and taking short breaks during work to stand up, walk, drink water and roll the shoulders.

Stress can have a range of effects, said Christoph Wassermann, the clinic’s medical director. These can include depression, anxiety and, after acute high stress, trauma-related disorders. Symptoms may include low motivation, anxiety, difficulty getting up in the morning and poor sleep. Lengauer said treatment has helped her regain her balance after seeking help in time.