Ever notice how a certain stressful situation hits one person like a minor hiccup, while another feels completely overwhelmed? Science shows there is a reason for that. Sommerfeldt and colleagues (2019) found that people’s heart rates react differently to stress, and these differences are closely tied to both mental and physical well-being. In other words, stress is not one-size-fits-all: what calms one person might not work for someone else, because each of our bodies and minds responds in their own unique way.
This idea of personalization is not only fascinating; it is actually changing how mental health care works. Recent research has looked at how therapists and clients can tweak “homework” activities between sessions (Oewel et al., 2024). It was found that people stick with activities more when they match their skills, motivation, social situation, and comfort level. For instance, someone practicing mindfulness might struggle if they try it in a crowded café, but feel right at home doing the same exercise in their living room.
The takeaway? Stress management and therapy can be more effective when they are tailored to the individual. Whether it is understanding your own stress patterns or picking therapy activities that actually feel doable, personalization makes a real difference. Mental health care is moving away from one-size-fits-all solutions toward approaches that respect your pace, context, and emotions. So next time stress hits, remember: it is not a failure. It is your unique system signalling what it needs, and with the right support, you can respond in a way that actually works for you.
If you would like to learn more about psychotherapy in Etobicoke at Balanced Mind and Wellness, please visit our FAQ section or contact us directly. You can book online, fill out our contact page, email us at info@balancedmindandwellness.com, or call us at 416-232-2780. Our admin team is happy to speak to you. We are here to help and answer any questions you may have!
References
Oewel, B., Areán, P. A., & Agapie, E. (2024). Approaches to tailoring between-session mental health therapy activities. Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference, 2024, 696. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642856
Sommerfeldt, S. L., Schaefer, S. M., Brauer, M., Ryff, C. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2019). Individual differences in the association between subjective stress and heart rate are related to psychological and physical well-being. Psychological Science, 30(7), 1016–1029. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619849555
