‘‘ We have
to recognize
emotional
overload in order
to control stress.
Probably nothing
contributes
more to chronic
stress and
anxiety than the
overload created
by emotional
disconnection
to ourselves and
others. Moment-
to-moment
awareness of the
influence your
emotions have
on your thoughts
and actions
is key to both
managing stress
and understanding
yourself and
others.’’
overwhelmed by stress, family, work
and relationship problems, health
challenges, and painful emotions.
They’ve tried many approaches to
help themselves feel better, but they
just can’t seem to follow through, or
what they’ve done hasn’t helped them
enough. If this sounds familiar, you
84 MAL 17/17 ISSUE
know that it’s all too easy to become
discouraged when you’re stuck.
The problem is not willpower - all
the willpower in the world won’t
matter if you can’t manage stress
or keep your emotions in balance.
The good news: you can learn these
important emotional skills, no matter
your age or the obstacles you face.
As you work through the life, you’ll
begin replacing old emotional habits
with healthier ways of thinking,
feeling, behaving, and relating to
others.
Skill building, like any learning, takes
time and effort. Self-defeating habits
get grooved in the brain and it takes
practice to create new grooves. Going
through a therapeutic program
guides one in every step of the way
and helps keep you motivated as you
change your brain and bring your life
back into balance.
It is important to identify chronic
or overwhelming stress in yourself
and others. Being able to manage
and relieve stress quickly is the key
to staying balanced, focused, and in
control, no matter what challenges
you face in life. As well as helping
you cope with day-to-day stressors,
employing quick stress relief
techniques will also help you bring
your nervous system into balance
when practicing the meditation.
So what’s the best way to quickly
relieve stress? That depends on your
stress response - how you react
externally when you’re stressed.
Internally, we all respond to stress
the same: blood pressure rises, the
heart pumps faster, and muscles
constrict. When stressed, our bodies
work hard and drain our immune
system. Externally, however, people
tend to respond to stress in three
different ways: some become angry
and agitated, others space out or
withdraw, and still others fr eeze up.
There are countless techniques for
dealing with stress. Exercise, yoga,
and meditation, for example, can all
work wonders for relieving stress.
But it may not be practical (or even
possible) to go for a run or meditate
when you’re frazzled by your morning
commute, stuck in a stressful
meeting at work, or fried from
another argument with your spouse.
For situations like these, you need
something more accessible. That’s
where quick stress relief comes in.
The best way to reduce stress quickly
and reliably is by taking a deep breath
and using your senses - what you
see, hear, smell, taste, and touch - or
soothing movement. By viewing a
favorite photo, smelling a specific
scent, listening to a favorite piece
of music, tasting a piece of gum, or
hugging a pet, for example, you can
quickly relax and focus yourself.
When you’re stressed, you can use
your senses to soothe, comfort, and
invigorate yourself quickly - in just
a few minutes - and feel in control
again. Of course, not everyone
responds to each sensory experience
in the same way. The key to quick
stress relief is to discover the unique
sensory experiences that work best
for you.
Everyone responds to sensory
experiences a little differently. What
some people find soothing and
relaxing may be unpleasant or even
stressful to others. For example,
certain kinds of music may relax and
calm one person but do nothing but
irritate someone else.
So, in order to master quick stress
relief techniques, you need to first
become a “stress-busting detective,”
and track down the sensory
experiences that quickly make you