Strategies for Reduced Stress and Positive Mental Health

Transcript of the free preview lesson. Remaining lessons unlock with the full course.

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.