Management of stress

Introduction

Stress is unavoidable in our lives because life is unimaginable without changes, daily worries and problems to solve. Thus, we experience stress almost every day more or less stress. But our brains perceive any situation that deviates from our predictable, usual, well-known and calm daily routine as a potential threat. This is why we can easily begin to feel more or less excitement or irritation when things don’t go the way we thought they would. Moreover, we tend to get excited not only when something actually happens, but also when we reckon some emotional situation in our past experience or imagine something terrifying in the future. The brain responds to what we imagine as if it were real and sets off the physical processes in our bodies that get us ready to run away or fight. One of the most fundamental life skills that must be intentionally refined is the ability to manage stress reactions.

The exercises/practices provided can be used both in specific situations where you need to calm down quickly, such as  during a lesson (diaphragmatic breathing) or before some disturbing conversation with parents (shifting attention from internal feelings to external objects or straining and relaxing your entire body), and when you need to help yourself relax and calm down after an exhausting and stressful day at work (muscle relaxation, kindness to yourself, visualisation – safe harbour).