Strategies for Reduced Stress and Positive Mental Health

Name: Strategies for Reduced Stress and Positive Mental Health
Author: Marie-Claude Bouchet

Discover methods for improving your mental health

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Course: On-Demand

Let's go over some strategies you can use to manage your stress for both the short and longterm, such as goal setting, reframing, regulating your emotions, and setting up a morning routine. It's time to get practical with stress management. You'll need a workbook for some of these exercises. You can make one yourself using paper, or use the workbook included in the resources for this course. The easiest strategy to start with comes from a therapeutic technique called thinking, feeling, doing. It is based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy. We'll start with the doing part, because it's about taking immediate action in the moment. When your brain prepares you for survival, your heart rate increases, you breathe more rapidly, your muscles, neck, and shoulders tense, and you feel unpleasant emotions. One of the easiest things to do in the moment to reduce these kinds of stress responses is for your body to tell your brain that there's no real danger. The simplest way to do this is by practicing abdominal breathing. Deep breathing that follows the natural movements of your rib cage and lungs. Just put a hand on your upper chest and one on your stomach. Then consciously breathe in slowly through your nose and into your chest, then pushing the air all the way down to your stomach. It can take some time to get used to abdominal breathing. You might want to try doing it while lying down, as you'll feel the natural breathing rhythm more. Here are some other breathing techniques that come from yogic practices, and involve counting and pausing your breath. These simple techniques work for stress management, because they are designed to be practical. They keep you focused, and help you disengage from your limbic system, otherwise known as your emotional brain. The first exercise is called square breathing. Start by breathing in while slowly counting to four. Pause while counting to four, then breathe out slowly to the count of four. Finish with another pause while counting to four, before starting the process over again. Let's practice. Breathing in. Pausing. Breathing out. Pausing. And again, one more time. The second exercise is called the four, seven, eight, and it works much like the previous one. You'll breathe into the count of four, take a pause while counting to seven, then breathe out to the count of eight. Let's try it. Breathing in. Pausing. Breathing out. And just one more time. The final exercise is called coherent breathing. All you need to do is to slow down your breathing so that you inhale to a count of six and exhale to a count of six. Let's try it. Breathing in. Breathing out. And again. Breathing in. Breathing out. This last breathing exercise helps you align your heart rate with your breathing, decreasing it during periods of stress. Practice these breathing techniques a few times. Aim for five breaths for each, and see how relaxed you feel afterwards. There are additional useful techniques you can use in the moment to release the surplus of energy. When you feel the stress response kicking in, go up and down some stairs a few times, run or jump on the spot somewhere private, or do some shadowboxing or air guitar playing. Find a way to let out this accumulated energy. A minute, or even 30 seconds, will help you clear your head. Then, then take a few breaths. You can use these doing techniques to give yourself some in the moment of relief.

Beginner Provider : Marie-Claude Bouchet 6 Lessons · 17m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

This module explores how you can reduce your own stress and put yourself on the path to improved mental health. It discusses “doing,” “thinking,” and “feeling” strategies and identifies their benefits. Finally, it discusses how to create a healthy morning routine.

What You'll Learn

Apply "doing" strategies and recognize the benefits of longer-term "doing" approaches for stress reduction
Use "thinking" strategies such as goal setting and reframing to support positive mental health
Practice "feeling" strategies to manage stress and improve mental well-being
Set up a beneficial morning routine that contributes to a healthy day
Identify the benefits of doing, thinking, and feeling mental health techniques

Key Takeaways

This module explores how learners can reduce their own stress and move toward improved mental health.
It covers "doing," "thinking," and "feeling" strategies and identifies their benefits.
Thinking strategies addressed in the module include goal setting and reframing.
The module explains how to create a healthy morning routine.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this module cover?

It explores how to reduce your own stress and improve your mental health through "doing," "thinking," and "feeling" strategies, identifies their benefits, and discusses how to create a healthy morning routine.

What strategies will I learn?

You will learn "doing" strategies (including longer-term "doing" strategies), "thinking" strategies such as goal setting and reframing, and "feeling" strategies, plus how to set up a beneficial morning routine.

What skills does this course help develop?

It supports skills including stress management, health and wellness management, mental health interventions, mindfulness-based stress reduction, self care, and psychological health.

Does the course address daily habits?

Yes. It discusses how to create a healthy morning routine as part of putting yourself on the path to improved mental health.