Stress and ways out of a stressful situation. Ways to get out of stress
One of the most common types of affects today is stress.
AT modern life stress plays a significant role. They affect a person's behavior, his performance, health, relationships with others and in the family.
What is stress, how does it arise, how does it affect the human body and how to deal with it?
Stress is a tense state of the human body, both physical and mental. Any event, fact or message can cause stress: germs and viruses, poisons, fever, trauma, misfortune, a rude word, an undeserved insult, a sudden obstacle to our actions or aspirations - all these factors can become stressors. But he who is forewarned is forearmed.
Increased attention to them will help prevent many stressful situations with minimal psychological and physiological losses. After all, stress is the cause of many diseases, both physical: ulcers, migraine, hypertension, back pain, arthritis, asthma, heart pain, and psychological: irritability, loss of appetite, depression, decreased interest in interpersonal and sexual relations.
Each person is able to analyze his own condition and identify the causes of stress that are characteristic only for his body. But here are the most common ones:
1.
Much more often we have to do not what we would like, but what is necessary, which is part of our duties.
2.
There is not enough time - we do not have time to do anything.
3.
Something or someone pushes us, we are constantly in a hurry somewhere.
4.
It begins to seem that everyone around is caught in the grip of some kind of internal tension.
5.
We constantly want to sleep - we can not get enough sleep.
6.
We see too many dreams, especially when we are very tired during the day.
7.
We smoke a lot.
8.
We drink more alcohol than usual.
9.
We don't like almost anything.
10.
At home, in the family - constant conflicts.
11.
There is constant dissatisfaction with life.
12.
We make debts without even knowing how to pay them off.
13.
An inferiority complex appears.
14.
No one to talk to about your problems, yes and no special desire.
15.
We do not feel respect for ourselves - neither at home nor at work.
What can be opposed to stress? The best way to get rid of protracted stress is to completely resolve the conflict, resolve differences, and make peace.
One of the best ways to calm down is communication with a loved one, when you can, firstly, "pour out your soul", i.e. defuse the focus of excitation; second, switch to interesting topic; thirdly, to jointly find a way to a successful resolution of the conflict or to reduce its significance.
An important way to relieve mental stress is to activate a sense of humor. The essence of humor is not to see and feel the comic where it is. And in perceiving as comic what pretends to be serious, i.e. to be able to treat something exciting as unimportant and unworthy of serious attention, to be able to smile or laugh in difficult situation. In its functional significance, laughter is so powerful that it is called "stationary jogging." What are the ways to deal with stress? First, relaxation. This is a method by which you can partially or completely get rid of physical or mental stress. It is desirable to perform relaxation exercises in a separate room, without prying eyes. The purpose of the exercises is to completely relax the muscles. Complete muscle relaxation positive influence on the psyche and stabilizes peace of mind.
To start the exercises, you need to take the starting position: lying on your back, legs apart, feet turned toes outward, hands lie freely along the body (palms up). The head is slightly thrown back. The whole body is relaxed, the eyes are closed, breathing through the nose.
1. Lie still for about 2 minutes, eyes closed. Try to imagine the room you are in. First, try to mentally go around the whole room (along the walls), and then make your way around the entire perimeter of the body - from head to heels and back.
2. Pay close attention to your breathing, passively aware that you are breathing through your nose. Mentally note that the inhaled air is somewhat colder than the exhaled. Focus on your breathing for 1-2 minutes. Try not to think of anything else
3. Take a shallow breath and hold your breath for a moment. At the same time, sharply tighten all the muscles for a few seconds, trying to feel the tension in the whole body. Relax as you exhale. Repeat 3 times. Then lie still for a few minutes, relaxing and focusing on the feeling of heaviness in your body. Enjoy this pleasant feeling. Now do exercises for individual parts of the body - with alternating tension and relaxation.
4. Exercise for leg muscles. Tighten all the muscles of the legs at once - from the heels to the hips. For a few seconds, fix the tense state, trying to feel the tension, and then relax the muscles. Repeat 3 times. Then lie still for a few minutes, completely relaxed and feeling the heaviness of your relaxed legs. All sounds of the environment register in consciousness, but do not perceive. The same applies to thoughts, however, do not try to overcome them, they only need to be registered. In conclusion, mentally "run" through all the muscles of the body - is there even the slightest tension left somewhere. If so, try to take it off, as relaxation should be complete. Due to the inability to concentrate, concentration is an important method of dealing with stress. Concentration exercises can be done anywhere and anytime throughout the day.
To begin with, it is advisable to study at home: early in the morning, before leaving for work (study), or in the evening, before going to bed, or, even better, immediately after returning home.
1. Try to ensure that there are no spectators in the room where you intend to practice.
2. Sit on a stool or regular chair - only sideways to the back so as not to lean on it. In no case should the chair be with a soft seat, otherwise the effectiveness of the exercise will decrease. Sit as comfortably as possible so that you can remain still for a certain amount of time.
3. Place your hands freely on your knees, close your eyes (they must be closed until the end of the exercise so that attention is not distracted by foreign objects - no visual information).
4. Breathe through your nose calmly, not tensely. Try to focus only on the fact that the air you breathe in is colder than the air you breathe out.
5. And now two options for concentration exercises: a) concentration on the score. Mentally count slowly from 1 to 10 and focus on this slow count. If, at some point, your thoughts begin to dissipate and you become unable to concentrate on the count, start counting from the beginning. Repeat the count for several minutes. b) concentration on the word. Choose a short (two-syllable is best) word that evokes positive emotions in you or with which pleasant memories are associated. Let it be the name of a loved one, or affectionate nickname, which your parents called you as a child, or the name of your favorite dish. If the word is two-syllable, then mentally pronounce the first syllable on the inhale, the second on the exhale. Focus on "your" word, which from now on will become your personal slogan with concentration. It is this concentration that leads to the desired side effect - the relaxation of all brain activity.
6. Perform relaxation-concentration exercises for several minutes. Practice for as long as it pleases you.
7. Having finished the exercise, run your palms over your eyelids, slowly open your eyes and stretch. Sit quietly in your chair for a few more moments. Note that you have succeeded in conquering absent-mindedness. AT normal conditions no one thinks or remembers about breathing. But when for some reason there are deviations from the norm, it suddenly becomes difficult to breathe. Breathing becomes labored and heavy with physical exertion or stressful situation. And, on the contrary, with a strong fright, tense expectation of something, people involuntarily hold their breath (hold their breath). A person has the opportunity, by consciously controlling breathing, to use it to calm down, to relieve tension - both muscular and mental, thus, autoregulation of breathing can become an effective means of dealing with stress, along with relaxation and concentration. Antistress breathing exercises can be performed in any position. Only one condition is obligatory: the spine must be in a strictly vertical or horizontal position. This makes it possible to breathe naturally, freely, without tension, to fully stretch the muscles of the chest and abdomen. The correct position of the head is also very important: it should sit straight and loose on the neck. A relaxed, upright sitting head stretches the chest and other parts of the body upwards to a certain extent.
With the help of deep and calm self-regulated breathing, mood swings can be prevented. Increasing the duration of exhalation promotes calm and complete relaxation. The breathing of a calm and balanced person differs significantly from the breathing of a person under stress. Thus, the rhythm of breathing can determine the mental state of a person. Rhythmic breathing calms the nerves and psyche; the duration of the individual phases of breathing does not matter - the rhythm is important. From correct breathing human health, and hence life expectancy, largely depends. And if breathing is innate unconditioned reflex, therefore, it can be consciously controlled. The slower and deeper, calmer and more rhythmic we breathe, the sooner we get used to this way of breathing, the sooner it will become integral part our life. But, the struggle is a struggle, but it is better that stress does not appear in our life at all. What are the ways to prevent stress? There are four main ones: relaxation, anti-stress "remake" of the day, first aid for acute stress and auto-analysis of personal stress. Very often, when returning home, people transfer their work activity, excitement to the family. What is needed to get rid of your daily impressions and, having crossed the threshold of the house, not to take out your bad mood on your family? After all, in this way we bring home stress, and the reason for everything is our inability to get rid of the impressions accumulated during the day. First of all, you need to establish a good tradition: after returning home from work or school, immediately relax. Here are some recommended ways to relax in 10 minutes.
1. Sit in a chair, relax and rest calmly. Or, sit comfortably on a chair and take a relaxing "coachman's pose".
2. Brew yourself strong tea or coffee. Stretch them for 10 minutes, try not to think about anything serious during this period of time.
3. Turn on the tape recorder and listen to your favorite music. Enjoy these wonderful moments. Try to completely immerse yourself in the music, disconnecting from your thoughts.
4. If your loved ones are at home, have tea or coffee with them and talk quietly about something. Do not solve your problems immediately upon returning home: in a state of fatigue, weakness, this is very difficult, and sometimes impossible. You can find a way out of the impasse after a little time passes and the stress of the working day subsides. It is very important that the initiative of such "remake" of the day should come from ourselves. You need to warn your loved ones that this short period time we forget about our household chores, and try to spend those 10 minutes with them. With a fresh mind, solving all household problems will require much less nervous and physical energy. If we suddenly find ourselves in a stressful situation (someone made us angry, our boss scolded us, or someone at home made us nervous), we begin to experience acute stress. First you need to gather all your will into a fist and command yourself "STOP!" To drastically slow down the development of acute stress. To be able to get out of a state of acute stress, to calm down, you need to find an effective way of self-help, your own method. And then in critical situation, which can arise every minute, we can quickly orient ourselves by resorting to this method of helping with acute stress. Now let's look at how you can discover and explain your body's reactions to stressful situations. That is how you can define your personal stress.
Understanding your own stressful situation is extremely important: firstly, the manifestation of stress in each person individually; secondly, stress, as a rule, cannot have a single cause - there are always many such causes; thirdly, you will be able to find the most acceptable way out of the situation. The most proven method of self-analysis of personal stress is the stress diary. This method is simple, but requires patience. For several weeks, if possible daily, it is necessary to make simple notes in the diary: when and under what circumstances signs of stress were found. It is better to write down your observations and feelings in the evening after work or before going to bed, when it is easier to remember the smallest details and details. If you don’t make notes at the end of the day, then the next day, in everyday worries and fuss, you will forget when and what happened. Analyzing diary entries helps you quickly and easily determine which events or life situations contribute to stress. It is the regularly recurring situations described in the diary that can cause stress. Is it possible to live without stress? No, it is impossible and even harmful to live without stress. Therefore, it is important to solve the problem: "How to live under stress?". In this situation, a person needs good adaptive abilities that will help him survive the most difficult life trials. We can cultivate and improve these abilities with the help of various exercises.
How to calm your nerves in 60 seconds
Life can be compared to stormy river hiding whirlpools, pitfalls, rocks. Unexpected obstacles disrupt the usual way of life, make us irritated, nervous, cause stress. But now there are as many as three ways that will help restore peace of mind in just 60 seconds.
The first way to calm the nerves
The virtual image created in the mind will help to quickly calm down. Vision brings a person most information about the world around him. Scientists believe that the best way to calm the nerves is an image that combines White color and water. To quickly calm down, you need to sit comfortably, relax your body, restore even breathing, close your eyes and see cool white water (white, not transparent). Imagine how this water touches your crown, feel its coolness. Water flows down on the face, shoulders, chest, completely washes your body - from the top of your head to your toes. Enjoy the coolness for 30 seconds, then imagine that the water slowly flows into the funnel. Now all the causes of your stress and all your problems go into this funnel.
Take a deep breath and open your eyes.
The second way to calm the nerves
Retire in the bathroom. Take off your tie, unfasten the top buttons of your shirt or blouse. Open the faucet with cold water, wet your hands and slowly touch both palms to your neck. Rub the neck, then the shoulders, gradually increasing the pressing force, then, on the contrary, reduce it and finish the massage with light gentle touches. Rinse your neck with cold water again.
The third way to calm the nerves
Take a deep breath, exhale. Take a piece of cloth in your hands (you can use a rough towel), squeeze it and twist it, as if squeezing it out. The fabric must be dry. Twist with all your might, tensing all the muscles as much as possible. Then sharply relax and unclench your hands, drop the towel on the floor, feel the complete relaxation of the whole body, especially the arms and neck.
These simple exercises will help you quickly calm down before a date, important meeting or performance. The main thing is not to forget that there are not so many things in this world for the sake of which it would be worth shortening the life of your nerve cells.
8 easy ways to deal with stress
good and have a good day to everyone who reads my blog! Today we will conduct a real master class on stressful situations. A variety of ways to get out of stress, presented in this article, will help solve nerve problems without psychotherapists. Simple, fast, independent. Want to know the details? We invite you to the world of fascinating psychology!
Method 1: let's go and eat
Here we combine 2 main methods of dealing with stress: food and change of scenery.
Every second person knows the feeling when sadness-sadness-longing wants to eat something tasty. Do not refuse the body, but do everything wisely so that in the future you do not fall into a state of depression due to the figure.
What foods are successful in dealing with stress? First of all, fruits and berries. This storehouse of vitamins will be useful for the nervous system and for the body as a whole. Especially advised to lean on strawberries and bananas. Chocolate also helps relieve stress. If you are a follower healthy eating, choose bitter.
With a change of scenery, too, everything is quite simple. You can buy tickets and go to another country. But if time, circumstances or finances do not allow doing so global changes, just get out of the house and take a walk to new places.
Try to add variety to your life: visit exhibitions, movies, go to new restaurants, go to the parks for the weekend.
Monotony and monotony, by the way, can cause stress. But versatile people have no time to grieve.
Method 2: get drunk and forget
Do you think we will offer alcohol as a comfort? Of course not. Doctors have long proven that stress provokes dehydration. Therefore, in order to combat this ailment, it is recommended to consume more liquid - ordinary water or freshly squeezed juices. But it is better to exclude coffee and teas from the usual diet for a while. Not only do they quench thirst poorly, they also contribute to the excitability of an already irritated nervous system.
Method 3: good night
Healthy sleep is the best way to get rid of stress. Unfortunately, in modern world The problem of healthy sleep is acute: not everyone can afford to sleep according to the schedule and the 7-9 hours necessary for a good rest. At the same time, it is better for an adult to go to bed before 22-23 hours, and get up no later than 7-8 hours in the morning, otherwise sleep loses all its usefulness.
The dream can be called the best remedy to prevent stress.
Believe me, a sleepy person will respond more adequately to problems than someone who sits at a computer at night. The benefits of daytime sleep are also invaluable, but it also has its own rules for using it. You can not sleep in the late afternoon (the optimal time is from 12-13 to 14-15 hours), longer than 2 hours, in an uncomfortable position.
If you can’t fulfill these points, it’s better to simply exclude lunch breaks and continue working. Otherwise, you risk spending the rest of the day in an even more depressed mood.
Method 4: set fire and break
Internal aggression must not be allowed to accumulate inside, otherwise sooner or later you will become like a volcano. The lava of negativity must leave the body as soon as it begins to boil. Psychologists advise throwing steam out by setting fire to unnecessary junk, torn to shreds of paper or broken dishes.
Let's imagine a few situations in which this method can be of great help. For example, your stress is associated with impotence. Something is wrong and you can't fix it. Anger at circumstances smoothly flows into scandals with loved ones, which only strengthens the stressful state.
Give vent to emotions. Find a place far from people and kindle a fire. Smash a cheap service to smithereens, tear up a stack of paper, shout, roar and return home in a calm state. Just remember safety. If your fire escalates into a fire or your phone is taken away from the marginals in an abandoned wasteland, this is unlikely to make you less nervous.
Method 5: smile and breathe
Coping with stress is actually pretty mundane stuff. But for some reason it is more difficult for us to fulfill them. It is easier to buy medicines, do yoga, perform rituals and tie red strings on your wrists than just smile at a new day and breathe deeply.
10 deep breaths and exhalations will save you from irritability. Imagine yourself as a kind of apparatus in which universal evil has accumulated. Inhale - we take goodness from the world and hold it in ourselves. Exhale - let your steam out. Inhale-exhale. We understand that smiling through force is an effort of will over oneself. But a few smiles or reasons to laugh will help brighten up your mood noticeably.
Watch a comedy Funny Pics on Instagram, read good stories. Build your inner world!
Method 6: Stress Freeze
Surprisingly, going out into a cold room (or outdoors in winter) can be a stress reliever. Our body, getting into the cold, begins to actively produce hormones of joy. Maybe that's why the expression "clear your mind" is so popular? Remember how many emotions a skiing (yes, even on foot) in the frost causes, when the sun shines brightly and the snow is cemented under your feet?
Most importantly, do not forget that we freeze stress, not our own body. It is unlikely that hypothermia of the body will give you pleasure.
Method 8: I am an actor, screenwriter and director in this film
Well, the last way for today is abstraction from the situation, a certain psychological protection which you can arrange for yourself. Play the situation in your mind like a movie. You're playing leading role and you write the script (this, by the way, is true, you are the scriptwriter of your reality).
Think about everything from several angles. You and stress now. You and stress in a month. You and stress in a few years. Will you be worried about this situation in 3-4 years? Are there options to get out of it? Is it possible to survive it if you convince yourself that this is followed by boundless happiness?
Feel free to paint in your head the future that will follow a stressful situation. May it be a bright, full of joy and happiness life. And what is happening now will be much easier to survive if you assure yourself that only good things lie ahead.
Everything ingenious is simple! Subscribe to our articles in which there are no complicated recipes for happiness. Recommend us to those you love. We will meet very soon and bring with us new secrets of the ideal reality. See you soon!
Ways to get out of stress:
a) First aid in an acute stressful situation
It is based on understanding the nature of the dominant (dominant or dominant focus of excitation in the blood). Dominant- the dominant focus of excitation, which occurs in the cerebral cortex in response to an intense stimulus, creates a powerful focus of excitation there, while inhibiting other cells and taking their power upon itself.
In this regard, a person in a state of dominance (affect) is uncontrollable, unable to help volitional effort manage your behavior. Therefore, the first aid is the removal of the dominant - a decrease in the intensity of the main focus of excitation by:
Creation of another dominant (of a different intensity, another source of excitation: cold water, a slap in the face, a message of shocking information);
Through dispersal exercises (eg, "Buck").
In a stressful situation, it is important to keep yourself (the other person) from making important decisions. They are emotional, and therefore not rational.
When telling another person negative news, be guided by the rules to prevent loss of consciousness (sit the person down if she turns pale, quickly tilt her head down to prevent loss of consciousness).
b) Regulation of emotional states
I. External manifestation emotions. It is based on an understanding of the relationship between the physical and mental states of a person - directly proportional. Emotional arousal causes physical activity, mobility, the pace of breathing, speech, and movements is accelerated. Consciously slowing down the pace of breathing, movements, speech, we reflexively reduce psycho-emotional stress. In a situation of stress, the body releases an increased amount of adrenaline into the blood. Adrenaline is needed in order to increase activity.
Advice: let the body naturally show activity, mobility as a response to psycho-emotional stress, and then, concentrating on the pace of breathing and movements, deliberately slow them down - this will lead to a decrease in internal stress.
II. Skeletal muscle tone. It is based on a directly proportional relationship between mental and physical condition. Internal tension causes muscle tension.
Advice: relaxing various groups muscles, relieve internal tension. During anger, a person's facial muscles tighten, changing facial expressions. If we are in a state of anger and try to hide the anger with a smile without relaxing the muscles of the face, we get a grimace. Therefore, in a state of anger, you must first relax the muscles of the face. (exercises "Ice cream", "Sunbeam").
III. Mental release: shifting and distraction exercises. Mental discharge includes switching (consciously transferring attention to another conversation, activity); abstraction- very similar to switching, but we switch not to real actions, but to imaginary ones (we dream, we remember something pleasant); shutdown - a technique aimed at removing the focus of excitation by sliding on objects that are in different circles of attention.
c) Methodology autogenic training(AT).
The term "autogenic training" (AO) comes from the Greek "auto" - itself, "gene" - that generates. AO developed by the German psychotherapist Johann Schulz. Its goal was the mental and physical recovery of a person with the help of self-hypnosis in a state of relaxation. At first, it was used mainly for medical purposes to treat disorders of the nervous system. Subsequently
AO was adopted in sports medicine to optimize the emotional state of athletes, mental preparation for competitions.
AO is a method of self-regulation of psychophysical well-being, which involves entering a state of relaxation and influencing various functions and conditions of the body with the help of specially selected verbal formulas and figurative representations. The relaxation technique is the basis of the self-regulation technique.
Relaxation -it is physical and mental relaxation. The purpose of relaxation is to prepare the body and psyche for activity, focus on one's inner world, and free oneself from excessive physical and emotional stress.
Relaxation is needed:
To prepare the mind and body for self-hypnosis, auto-training;
In tense moments, conflict situations that require the manifestation of emotional stability;
To relieve fatigue after a hard day, nervous and emotional overload.
The state of relaxation is based on the mechanism of mutual influence. There is a relationship between the state of the body and the state of the nervous system: the body relaxes as the brain calms down, and the brain calms down depending on how the body relaxes. Internal tension is not felt by our consciousness, but creates a predominant sense of well-being, which manifests itself in muscle tension. It prevents us from living freely, feeling, moving, thinking.
Under the influence of muscle relaxation, the flow of impulses from the receptors of muscles, ligaments and joints to the central nervous system decreases, the activity of the focus of excitation of the brain is removed, and the tone of the smooth muscles of the internal organs decreases. This state helps to relieve stress, create positive emotions, states of peace and contentment.
Relaxation is usually combined with self-hypnosis techniques. The word is an extremely strong stimulus that can affect the dynamics and nature of processes in the brain, and through them - on the processes of internal organs and emotional states. IP Pavlov claims that any object, phenomenon of a person's past life experience is connected by strong neural connections with specific verbal designations. The repeated use of a word denoting a given object, phenomenon, causes a person to have a corresponding idea, state. It is on these conditioned reflex connections that the mechanism of suggestion and self-hypnosis is based.
Self-hypnosis -this is the creation of attitudes that affect the subconscious mechanisms of the psyche, the statement that success is possible, expressed in the first person in the present tense.
The power of self-hypnosis lies in the ability to create your own positive image and constantly reinforce this image with the help of words addressed to yourself.
The degree of effectiveness of the word and its influence on emotional processes increases when the cerebral cortex is in a state of the least excitation. The inhibitory state of the cerebral cortex can be caused by maximum muscle relaxation, focusing on relaxation, regulation of breathing, rest and rest. The mechanism of autogenic training (AT) is based on this. The generally recognized sources of AO are the teachings of yogis, the doctrine of hypnosis, methods of purposeful influence on the neuropsychic sphere of a person.
Autogenic training involves three steps:
I. Assuming an appropriate relaxation posture- relaxation. In a state of relaxation, the body's ability to self-heal and self-heal is greatly increased. In the active state, the human brain works at a frequency of 20-14 Hz / sec. Potential Forces of the body increase if the brain works at a frequency of 7-14 Hz / sec (on the alpha rhythm). To do this, a person must enter a state of relaxation - relaxation. To this end, it is necessary to relax all muscle groups (take the appropriate posture).
Relaxation postures:
2) reclining posture (when there is an easy chair);
3) lying position (on the bed).
II. Creating a feeling of heaviness and warmth in the muscles. This can be done with the help of figurative representations and verbal formulas. Figurative representations are the reproduction of familiar sensations, heaviness and warmth. In order for figurative representations to be clear, it is recommended to close your eyes.
III. Influence on various states and functions of the body with the help of pre-selected verbal formulas through autosuggestion and with the help of figurative representations(positive visualization). For example: I'm rested, I'm calm, I'm in a good mood...
AO has also become widely used in various professional activities as one of the means of psychopromotion, for solving psychoprophylactic problems.
Currently, there are many modifications of AO: psycho-language training, psycho-physical training, psycho-regulatory training, etc. But regardless of methodological design The result of all these methods is the same. They eliminate unfavorable emotional states, relieve emotional tension, irritability, fatigue, increase efficiency.
d) Anti-stress nutrition.
According to the research of V. Rozov, the method of anti-stress nutrition is similar to the method of autophytoregulation of the state, since both in the first and in the second methods the regulatory mechanisms energy balance included due to the intake of biologically active substances. This method has a prolonged effect and is used if there is no need for a quick, urgent change of state.
The state of the body, as you know, is mainly determined by the previous and actual nutrition (the amount of food consumed, its correspondence to the body's needs for energy and substances).
Common nutrition mistakes under stress are usually:
Quick snacks with swallowing large pieces of food;
Irregular food intake;
Spontaneous fasting;
Late dinner;
Use a large number coffee;
Drinking large amounts of alcohol;
Monotonous diet.
It is well known that undernutrition, as well as overnutrition, reduces the reserve capacity of the bioenergetic component of adaptability, leads to a decrease in the body's immune functions, contributes to fatigue, decreased performance, and can cause stress reactions.
Current research indicates that 20% of people use nutrition as a means of regulating stress. At the same time, their nutrition is excessive due to the lack of self-control.
Stress stimulates the production of the hormone cortisone and adrenaline in the body. This consumes a significant amount of vitamins and minerals (vitamins A, C, B, E, calcium, zinc, magnesium, glucose). Anti-stress nutrition is aimed at restoring substances destroyed by stress in the body. V. Rozov recommends a list of products that replenish the supply of vitamins and minerals needed by the body in a stressful state. They are presented in table 2.
table 2
In times of stress, fasting diets are also useful.
In addition, it should be noted that many products contain substances that increase mood, tone and help relieve stress. These are opiates and endorphins. The list of products containing these substances is given in Table 3.
Table 3
In case of stress, it is especially important in nutrition to maintain a balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the daily norm of which is:
12-15% proteins
25-30% fat
55-60% carbohydrates.
Table 4
When using anti-stress nutrition, you should adhere to such principles:
1. Take into account the individual characteristics of the body.
2. Consume foods rich in essential vitamins and minerals (see Table 2).
3. Do not allow common mistakes in nutrition.
4. Use a balanced diet (acid-base balance, balance of proteins - fats - carbohydrates).
5. Maintain a balance between the energy supplied with substances and its consumption.
6. Include in the daily diet products containing substances that enhance performance or have a calming effect on the body.
7. Normalize the diet.
8. Use understandable nutrition techniques. Adapted nutritional awareness exercises can help overcome eating errors that increase stress.
Nutrition Mindfulness Exercises
Exercise "Nutrition Today" You should remember and make a list of everything that you ate, what you snacked on, what you tasted. How much during this period they ate sugar, salt, spices used for cooking. Drinks must also be included in this list. It is advisable to perform this exercise every day after dinner. However, if this is not possible, then the following exercise can be used.
Weekly food diary exercise. The exercise is performed on Sunday evening. Accordingly, you should conclude a list of everything that you ate and drank during the week, in particular, sauces, gravies, oil, spices, alcohol, etc.
Exercise "Completely satisfied nutrition." During dinner, try to be aware of all the sensations that appear when eating food: smell, taste, sensations from the internal organs at the moment food enters the stomach. The number of chewing movements.
d) Antistress autophytoregulation.
Anti-stress phytoregulation is associated with the use of anti-stress medicinal plants. Now medicinal herbs used not only for the treatment various diseases but also as a method of normalizing the physiological functions and psycho-physiological state of healthy people.
Medicinal herbs can be used to regulate the bioenergetic and physiological component of the state in a situation of acute stress or prolonged exposure to stressors, during periods of maximum stress, traumatic stress, to restore strength in extreme conditions, increase efficiency, and for prevention. They can be useful for the prevention and correction of conditions of stress exhaustion and stress tension.
For the prevention and correction of conditions of the "stress exhaustion" group, which include fatigue, asthenia, decreased performance, can be used adaptogens.
Adaptogens- substances predominantly plant origin that increase the body's nonspecific resistance to adverse stress effects. They increase the intensity of metabolism, protect the centers of nervous and endocrine regulation from stress exhaustion in extreme conditions, and perform a stimulating function. As a result of their intake, fatigue is reduced, physical and mental performance is increased, and recovery processes are accelerated. The maximum effect is achieved in the case of the complex use of these herbs.
V. Rozov, investigating the effect of all adaptogens, emphasizes their ability to non-specific increase in the functional capabilities of the body under stressful conditions. They do not change the normal functions of the body. Adaptogens act on the centers of hormonal regulation and provide a tonic and stimulating effect on the functions of the nervous system and the body as a whole. They have an anti-stress effect at an early stage and at the stage of stress exhaustion, activating metabolic processes. Adaptogens are also characterized by antioxidant action and provide protection against damage to cellular structures. All adaptogens of plant origin have an immunotropic effect, increase physical and mental performance, resistance to various physiological and psychological stress factors, and reduce the time for adaptation to them.
It is assumed that the main mechanism of action of adaptogens is their tonic effect on the central nervous system and through it - on all other systems, organs and tissues of the body.
Adaptogens include: Chinese lemongrass, Leuzea safflower, Rhodiola rosea (golden root), zamaniha, Manchurian aralia, Eleutherococcus.
To correct the states of the "stress tension" group, which include stress, anxiety, mental stress, sedative herbs are used. They may be of independent importance for the correction of these conditions and as an additional support tool.
They are non-addictive, non-toxic, have a mild effect and therefore can be used for a long time, until the bioenergetic and physiological functions of the body are fully restored. An important role of these herbal remedies in the prevention of conditions under conditions of intense stress.
Herbal preparations with a calming effect include: motherwort, cyanosis, valerian, cornflower, Baikal skullcap, knotweed (highlander), St. , dandelion, hawthorn, lingonberry, dill, barberry, strawberry, chicory, turnip, lettuce, sorrel, melon, radish, asparagus.
The basic principle of using herbal remedies is to take into account the individual characteristics of the organism.
e) Physical activity.
One of the stressors in modern conditions are hypodynamia (decrease motor activity). Physical activity helps maintain optimal energy state, respond to stress, develop physical qualities increase the body's resistance to disease.
To this end, all cyclic exercises become useful: jogging, skiing, swimming. Muscle stretching exercises, exercises for developing the flexibility of the musculoskeletal system are also useful.
All exercises are recommended to be performed, being aware of each movement and the feeling that they cause. Physical exercise they also contribute to the study, self-knowledge of the bioenergetic and physical components of the state. To increase awareness of one's own somatic state and physical activity you can do these exercises.
An exercise"Awareness of physical activity". It is necessary to evaluate how many times a week did you do morning exercises, running, swimming, walking, cycling, dancing, playing tennis, doing aerobics or some other sport. Perhaps you were busy in the country, in the garden, in the garage, etc. You should pay attention to the sensations and thoughts that arise in you when doing this exercise. If they are negative, think "why?"
e) Relaxation with exhalation.
The triple exhalation relaxation technique can last 10-15 seconds, so it can be performed an unlimited number of times and at any convenient time.
To do this, you need to close your eyes as much as possible and:
1. Take a deep breath so that the air penetrates deep into the lungs. During exhalation, you should completely relax the body, feel the relaxation of all muscles.
2. Inhale deeply a second time, select at random any muscle (or pair of muscles) from the head, neck and shoulders. While exhaling, concentrate all your observations on them. Imagine that you feel the dissolution and disappearance of tension - even more complete than during the first exhalation.
3. Inhale deeply for the third time so that there is no discomfort. During exhalation, you need to concentrate on the internal muscles of the forearms and hands. Imagine that they have become warmer and heavier.
4. Open your eyes and keep doing your thing. No conclusions, no analysis. The exercise is done effortlessly.
) Optimization of sleep skills.
Good sleep is the foundation of good health and stress resistance. According to V. Rozov, the process of optimizing sleep skills is as follows:
1. Don't force yourself to sleep. Sleep comes only when the body and brain are ready for it.
2. Have dinner no later than 3 hours before bedtime.
3. Use sleeping pills only as a last resort.
4. Before going to bed, you need to completely relax. For this purpose, a model of muscle awareness is used, slowly turning into sleep.
g) Development of immunity to stressor.
Sources of stress can be people, places, activities, and circumstances. This technique is associated with the application of relaxation skills in specific situations. Make a list of people, places, activities, and circumstances, such as:
1. Relationships with: family, parents, husband (wife), children (child), certain acquaintances, employees, management.
2. Making an important decision.
3. Speaking in front of an audience.
4. Passing the exam.
5. Implementation of the sale.
6. Participation in competitions.
7. Driving in heavy traffic.
8. Traveling a long distance.
9. Trains park areas, bridge, in a long tunnel.
10. Being in an elevator, a crowded room, too small or too large a room, looking from a great height.
11. Examination of insects, snakes, rodents.
12. Periodic incomprehensible feeling of anxiety.
13. Going to bed.
14. Awakenings (morning).
15. Beginning of sexual intercourse.
16. Feeling unpleasant symptoms - nausea, dizziness, weakness, etc.
17. Occurrence and persistence of pain symptoms.
18. Visiting a doctor.
19. Visit to the dentist.
20. Swallowing pills.
21. Swallowing food.
22. Participation in a sports competition.
23. Cooking, cleaning, other type of economic activity.
24. Work on the computer, other work at the table.
25. Balancing or budgeting.
Some factors affect you more strongly, some - weaker. But the list should include everything.
1-2 weeks after listing, when fatigue occurs, it is recommended to check if the cause is listed. Then it is advisable to start developing immunity. The process does not require extra effort.
Next, you need to learn physical relaxation in circumstances that were previously stressful for you. It is necessary to find a moderate stress factor in the list, the occurrence of which can be foreseen:
1. During the performance of muscle awareness techniques, it is necessary to imagine a situation of expecting a stressful event and imagine your calm and confident actions in it. This is done before the occurrence of the stressful impact of the situation.
2. During the action of the situation, you should retire and work out the technique of three times relaxing breathing.
After mastering relaxation techniques in any particular stressful situation, you need to move on to developing immunity in the next situation, and so on until you learn how to be calm and relaxed in a real environment.
Experts advise provide yourself with biofeedback:
Measure the pulse rate before and after any classes, in a calm and altered state;
Every day in the morning and in the evening stand on the scales;
Buy a blood pressure monitor and do it as often as possible;
Choose the type of activity that normalizes physiological functions;
Use special exercises to train and normalize the physiological manifestations of stressful conditions.
) Systematic desensitization.
The method of systematic desensitization was developed by Joseph Wolpe, first to treat fears and was based on the principles of "substitution", "braking" and "counterboom".
The word "desensitization" comes from the Latin - "sensually perceived". The prefix "where" means separation, removal, cancellation, reduction, reduction.
at present, this method is successfully used to solve a number of problems, in particular, for the regulation of stress. The method is based on the fact that fears, anxiety, stress are closely related to tension. If there is no tension, there will be no stress. If a person learns to relax in a stressful situation, the stress will disappear. To master this technique, it is necessary to implement several successive stages:
1. Learn to relax.
2. Make a hierarchy of stimulus situations, causing stress and anxiety.
3. Form a relaxation state instead of a stressful one.
The first stage is "Relaxation". It consists in deep relaxation of the muscles of the body. This can be achieved with the progressive muscle relaxation method, which allows you to achieve relaxation much faster than with tranquilizers, and this will not cause side effects.
The second stage is "Writing a hierarchy of stressful situations." At this stage, a list of situations that cause stress is compiled. First, the list indicates the situation (or object) that causes minimal stress, at the end - the maximum. Between them are 8-15 situations.
The third stage "Training of sensitization". Therefore, those who are taught in a state of complete relaxation are encouraged to imagine a situation that causes minimal stress and try to get used to it. The whole list of stressful situations is also being worked out. Then desensitization can be carried out directly, in real life and not in the imagination. There are known facts of desensitization under conditions of exam stress, social anxiety, etc. The least stressful or anxiety-producing situation is done first, and then down the list, ending with situations that cause the most anxiety and stress.
Thus, the essence of the systematic desensitization procedure lies in learning to combine relaxation with an imaginary image of the situation, which causes anxiety and stress, and then with the real situation. Desensitization ends when the most intense stimulus no longer causes anxiety and stress.
s) Personal self-regulation of time.
Managing your time is one of the effective ways to self-regulate stress. First you need to determine your own style of time management using the F. Zimbardo test and choose a zone that matches your own style and rhythm of life.
After identifying and understanding your style of time management, you can begin to master the techniques of personal self-regulation of time.
Basic time management procedures related to planning and prioritizing goals.
You should always define:
1. Urgent matters (cases for today).
2. Priority, important.
3. Things that can wait.
4. Things that can be done last.
5. Things that you can not do.
you need to Plan those things that can be done, and carry out those that are planned.
To master the methods of time management, it is necessary to be able to determine the loss of time for things that are not included in the plans. Research on the problem of time management allows us to highlight reasons why a person wastes his time in vain. These include:
o Phone calls.
o People who visit us.
o Poor communication between departments.
o Computer hardware problems.
o Changing the order of work, which is imposed by colleagues.
o Lack of organizational planning.
o Failure to listen to other people.
o Poor organizational structure.
o Mail mess.
o Correction of errors that could have been avoided.
o Indecisiveness in business matters.
o Poorly organized and coordinated meetings.
o Distractions in the workplace.
o Excessive office bureaucracy.
o Useless discussions about your work and the work of others.
For these cases, if they happen quite often, it is recommended to leave a reserve time (up to 1 hour a day).
Assimilation of time management techniques is carried out by performing special exercises: "Defining life goals", "Setting priorities", "My productive time" and others.
1. Try to do repetitive things at the same time.
2. Combine similar cases into blocks.
3. Start with the most difficult cases.
4. Bring variety to work, switch from one type of activity to another.
5. Change the place and ways of working.
6. Schedule rest breaks.
7. Leave reserve time for rest, unforeseen affairs and self-regulation.
8. 3 Make the most of your waiting time.
9. Control the time spent on transport.
10. Creatively use lunch time (have lunch with a colleague and discuss an important professional issue).
11. Say "no" to those who take up your time.
12. Set aside time for communication.
13. Determine priorities in cases.
14. Focus on the "A" cases.
15. Maintain order in the workplace.
16. Use the rule "One document - once in hand."
17. When reading literature, pay attention to those sections that are related to your own primary goals.
18. Remember the 20/80 rule, according to which only 20% of your own efforts lead to 80% of the results.
19. Trying to enjoy every minute. own life and enjoy what you do.
20. Do not waste time on useless experiences and guilt.
21. Dine lightly to boost productivity in the afternoon.
22. Master the ways of fast reading.
23. Give yourself the opportunity to relax.
24. Relax on weekends and not think about work.
25. Constantly ask yourself the question: "How can you spend time with most useful?" .
Hello, dear readers! Probably, every person has ever diagnosed himself with “Stress”. Usually this word comes up in my head along with phrases such as “I'm tired”, “I can't take it anymore”, and “I've had enough of this”.
Today we will try to figure out what stress really is, what types of it we encounter most often, what stages we go through and what methods of getting out of stress exist. I won't bore you with preludes for a long time. Let's quickly move on to the main topic of the article.
What is stress
In general, stress in psychology is a physiological reaction of the body to the demands of the outside world. It manifests itself after hard work or at moments when we experience physical discomfort for a long time, we are at the peak of activity, the limit of our own capabilities.
The person is completely exhausted, but tries: to protect himself from stress, mobilizing everything and his own emotions.
The prerequisites for stress are professional activity, family problems, extreme situation or - retirement, marriage or divorce, job change.
Stress rarely comes alone. He brings with him, fatigue, constant and detachment.
Stress can cause diseases such as hypertension, cancer, migraine, back pain, arthritis, stroke, ischemic disease and many others. Being subjected to frequent stress, people often find negative ways to solve a problem, for example,.
Types of stress
Psychologists have deduced 4 types of stress. If a person is faced with an unfavorable external environment, such as being hungry for a long time, being in extreme heat, or not being able to sleep for several days, then this is physiological stress.
If he is overcome at work or in his personal life, he experiences loneliness, is faced with excessive demands or any other negative emotions- the stress will be emotional.
During the delivery of an important report, a person is forced to absorb a lot new information, use your thinking, memory and other resources to the maximum. In this case, he may face informational stress.
Well, the last type is post-traumatic. It occurs when a person is subjected to violence, attack, is involved in hostilities, and so on.
There is also another classification. Division. Short-term stresses and chronic (long-term). The latter cause more damage to the health and psyche of a person. However, before moving on to recommendations for eliminating the consequences, I would like to tell you about the stages through which a person subject to stress goes.
stages
In a stressful situation, behavior changes. First, a person begins to use his usual skills. The only difference from the usual state is a sense of anxiety and awareness of the importance of the moment.
Next comes more active resistance. Anxiety slowly fades away, and all the possibilities of the body are mobilized. During the session, information is remembered faster, at the right moment we forget about laziness and just try to cope with a difficult situation as soon as possible, get out of it, and survive difficulties.
Further, when the body has used all its resources, it comes. We no longer work, efficiency drops to zero, we even forget what we always knew very well and the only thing that seems important is to find a quality way to relax.
In fact, it doesn't end there. Stress affects the human psyche and body. This condition should be avoided, because it leads to the diseases that I spoke about earlier. It hits the body. Unfortunately, the damage to health has already been done, but this cannot be fixed.
Recovery doesn't take long. The technique is simple and accessible to everyone: healthy sleep and rest for 1-2 weeks. After that, you will be able to feel great again.
How to deal with stress
Psychologists say that in order to prevent and deal with stress, you need to learn internal state. A report, an exam, work, and the other 70% of situations that drive us into a state of stress are not really extreme. It is our own brain and attitude that makes them so.
by the most effective exercises to combat stress will be those that are aimed at. Meditations based on work with breathing and muscle relaxation proved to be most effective in this regard. If you think this is nonsense, I highly recommend the book. Daniel Siegel "A Scientific View of Meditation".
Treatment is beneficial only when the patient believes in the possibility of recovery and does not question the effectiveness of drugs. In this regard, you will not find a better book than this. It contains not only exercises, but also scientific evidence that the techniques work.
Daniel Siegel is a practicing psychiatrist who, in his work, talks about spiritual practices from a scientific point of view: physiology and psychology.
Meditation is great for dealing with stress, but another great way is to work with your thoughts. An experienced psychologist can help you create special installations(coping thoughts) that you can resort to at a critical moment.
They help manage conflicts and change your outlook on life. That's all for me. See you soon and don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter.
The modern world is a world of speed and great tension, mechanisms have greatly facilitated our lives, but at the same time created new opportunities for stress for us.Stress - this is an extremely tense state of the whole organism and, first of all, the psyche in response to some requirements presented to it.
Absolutely everyone can be subjected to stress, regardless of age, gender, state of the nervous system, etc.
Causes of stress
One of the most important components of our life is our work. But is she always pleasant and loved? Very often we have to do something unpleasant and not at all what we would like to do. We force ourselves and thus form the beginning of stressful tension.
We very often do not have enough time for everything, and especially for something pleasant and personal, we are late, in a hurry and late again.
We don’t get enough sleep, we don’t have the opportunity to just lie down and take a nap, and then we have insomnia, and we can no longer fall asleep and get enough sleep. Before going to bed, we think through all our problems and this does not allow us to fall asleep. And if we still fall asleep, then in a dream we are looking for ways to solve our problems.
We get nervous and start smoking a lot, accumulating nicotine and other toxic substances in our already environmentally poisoned organism. We try to relieve tension with alcohol and reach for a drink too often, and this creates new problems and means new reasons for stress.
Problems in the family due to money, lack of time, lack of repairs, lack of attention, etc. The family home turns from a world of comfort and prosperity into a world of discord and scandal.
You constantly feel that time is running out and nothing has been done. You are dissatisfied with your job, career, family, children and, most importantly, yourself.
You have an inferiority complex. You already know in advance that you won’t be able to do anything good, you won’t succeed, and life will go away like gray and dull sand through your fingers.
You do not have anyone who would listen to your sorrows, you do not feel respect for yourself from others, you begin to hate your life and no longer hope for anything better.
Signs of stress
It is quite easy to see that a person is formingsustained stress. Just carefully observe your loved ones or the people around you, and you can make sure of this.
A person, no matter how hard he tries, cannot concentrate on anything for a long time.
He often makes miscalculations, mistakes, and even just slips of the tongue in conversation.
Stress greatly impairs memory and attention.
A feeling of constant fatigue is formed, even in the morning you wake up tired.
The man began to speak quickly and at the same time gesticulate, and the speech became jerky and illogical.
Often experience headaches, pain in the stomach, abdomen and back.
The slightest drop is enough for a nervous outburst, scandal, tears and tantrums.
A person begins to smoke a lot and drink more than usual.
Strongly increases or completely disappears appetite. At the same time, a person can dramatically lose or, on the contrary, gain weight, which then leads to new outbreaks of depression and aggression.
A person cannot and does not want to work well, finish what he started on time, work does not give any pleasure, but rather irritates and tires.
Ways to get out of stress
stress is dangerous the fact that accumulating in the body, it can lead to persistentdepression, and that, in turn, to the spiritual mental illness. And although in everyday life we will not be able to avoid stressful situations, we should keep everything under control and regulate the release of our nervous energy.
The best way to get rid of stress is to eliminate the conflict that gives rise to it. Remove completely disagreements, build relationships (whether at work or at home). In the event that this cannot be achieved, then you need to rethink your attitude to what is happening. You need to look at the situation from the outside and soberly assess all the pros and cons, find the pros in this situation. Remember the wise proverb: “There would be no happiness, but misfortune helped”, “Everything that is done, everything is for the better.”
The main thing is to calm down and evaluate everything that is happening from the outside, while putting yourself in the place of your opponents.
A very good way to get out of a stressful situation.- communication with loved ones and relatives with whom you can fully talk out, discuss the whole situation and then try to forget about it or calm down. For many people, “crying into a vest” or “pouring out their souls” helps to put everything in its place, reassess what is happening and calm down.
When a person is very excited, it is useless to stop him or calm him down, let himspeak out completely, cry out, cry out , but then will be able to adequately assess the situation.
Many psychologists and psychotherapists advise to look at the situation with humor. If a person knows how to laugh at himself and everything that happens to him, then he will never have depression. L.S. Rubinshtein said,that the essence of the sense of humor is not to see and feel the comic where it is, but to perceive as comic what pretends to be serious, i.e. be able to treat something exciting as unimportant and unworthy of serious attention.
Laughter will destroy anxiety and relieve tension, not without reason it is believed that ten minutes of laughter lengthen life by a week.
To avoid nervous tension, you need to learn how to properly regulate your life. Plan your day so that you have enough time not only for work, but also for pleasant things: hobbies, hobbies, walks, chatting with friends, etc.
Even during a busy day at work, you need to find a few minutes to relax, unwind and disconnect from work. To do this, you can retire to the rest room, or you can close your eyes at the workplace, relax in a comfortable position, dream about something pleasant, or listen to quiet music for five minutes.
Excellent results are given by physical education, sports, jogging, fitness, etc. To resist stress, you need to harden and strengthen the body physically, a clear daily routine will also help here.