How to cope with stress - ways to deal with stress. Positive effects of cortisol. Modern sleeping pills

Stress is a well-known concept. There are very few people left on the planet who are not familiar with this condition. Stress is a series of events that we perceive as a threat to our well-being, which puts stress on the nervous system, and this in turn causes problems with physical and psychological health.
When we try to cope with life's problems, the body is also in a state of struggle. If we subject ourselves to stress very often, then the body is in constant "combat readiness" to repulse "enemies" at any time. Such a constant readiness of the body to fight causes biochemical changes in the body, and this depletes the immune system and becomes the cause of various diseases. between mind and physical health there is a close relationship, so emotional problems lead to diseases of the body.

Symptoms

Symptoms of stress are signals that it is time to change something in life. These are the first signs that we need to think about our actions and find options to deal with life's difficulties.
These symptoms include:
  • state of anxiety;
  • and insecurity;
  • fear of losing someone or something;
  • abrupt shifts sentiments;
  • feeling overwhelmed for no particular reason;
  • lack of desire to do anything.

Sources of stress

Stress management begins with identifying its source. It can be either external or internal, more precisely, psychological.
An external source of stress is unpleasant events in the world around us: financial problems, worries before some events, conflicts, changes, constant haste, prolonged loneliness, an unsuccessful attempt to do a lot of things in a short time, violation healthy lifestyle life and much, much more. Surprisingly, even positive changes in life, such as a promotion, a change of residence, can cause a state of stress, as the body needs time to adapt.
Destructive thoughts are among the psychological sources of stress. For example, the inability to achieve a goal due to a lack of faith in oneself or doubts in one's knowledge and skills, all this leads to thoughts: "I would like to, but I can't." Accordingly, the goals are not achieved and the needs are not satisfied. Or a sense of perpetual rush: “There is still so much to do! And how can you do it all?” Or excessive demands on oneself, attempts to meet some ideal.
It is necessary to identify the sources of stress in order to control them. The first step might be to write down everything that causes stress. Recording will help to understand the problem and determine the level of stress. And with a careful analysis of what was written, it may turn out that some sources do not exist at all, they are imaginary, far-fetched, some are easy to eliminate, and some will need to be fought.

How to deal with stress

Many tips for dealing with stress are based on well-known and simple principles. Here is some of them.
Anti-stress exercises. One of the anti-stress exercises is called "refuge". You need to mentally create a quiet corner where you can "leave" to be alone. Such a corner can be a house on the seashore, the top of a mountain, a hut in the forest, or another planet. The main thing for the time while you are there, you must calm down and gain strength. To return to real world you just have to open your eyes.
The “smile” exercise consists in sitting in a relaxed state for 10-15 minutes with a mandatory smile on your face. If it’s not possible to “keep” a smile on your face for so long for the first time, then the time can be increased gradually. The meaning of this exercise is that the brain perceives this movement of the muscles on the face as a signal that you are happy and satisfied, and sends signals to the body for harmony. All practicing yogis know the rule that the corners of the lips lowered down depress all vital functions, while the corners raised up - on the contrary, stimulate them.
Drawing up an action plan. Feelings to control a person, of course, is difficult, but you can control your actions. Changes in behavior change thoughts and feelings. For example, if you failed to do something, then instead of regretting and feeling worse than ever, you need to develop an active plan that will allow you to do it next time. From active actions, emotions change, and you begin to think about this situation in a different way.
Learn to . Many daily stresses are associated with setting a large number of tasks, and due to the inefficient use of time, some tasks remain unfulfilled. 24 hours a day is not enough, but 8760 hours a year is already something. And this time can be used in different ways. Wise use of time is a condition for a balanced life, and therefore well-being.
Meditation. Meditation helps to stop the waves of thoughts in our head and relax the body. Lots of ways. Each person chooses how and where he will do it. And it is not at all necessary to sit in the lotus position in oriental attire, as many people think. You can meditate while sitting in a chair or during a morning jog, or during a leisurely walk in the park alone. It is enough to concentrate on a single thought or feeling, and try to move away from everything extraneous. With the help of meditation, you can remove psychological fatigue, which means you can improve sleep, increase calmness.
Look for humor in everyday life, smile and laugh more often. Anyone who finds the strength to joke in difficult moments copes with a stressful situation more easily than others. Sometimes humor helps to take a different look at the current situation and quickly find a solution to the problem. Humor, smile and laughter have a healing effect on the body, which is in stressful situation. It's no surprise that laugh clubs are gaining popularity these days. high speed.
Proper nutrition. Some foods can help you fight stress. In times of stress, the body's need for vitamins C, vitamin B5, and magnesium increases. Therefore, every day you need to include in your diet foods rich in these vitamins and minerals: kiwi, citrus fruits, cabbage, peppers. Or maybe it will be safer to buy in a pharmacy.
And also you need to remember the hormone of happiness serotonin. To produce serotonin, you need to eat foods containing tryptophan (an amino acid that is part of proteins), namely pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, dates, bananas, walnuts. At night, serotonin is converted into melatonin, a hormone that helps restore vitality.

Ineffective ways to deal with stress

These methods include the abuse of alcohol and drugs. They relieve symptoms quickly, but not for long. Such methods numb the symptoms rather than fight them, and thus we succumb to self-deception. The consequence of ineffective methods of dealing with stress is mental exhaustion as a result of prolonged stress.

The situation in the country, the weather, living conditions, personal experiences and simply unpleasant news about something can cause stress that does not bring anything positive to our body and condition! How can you quickly minimize stress or get rid of it altogether, says psychologist Vlada Berezyanskaya.

Learn to relax

As soon as you feel that your body is about to enter a stressful state or you realize that you have already entered it, switch yourself and try to relax. The simplest and fast way do it - breathe! Take five very deep breaths in and out. As you exhale, think about the fact that with the exhalation, everything bad, everything you do not need, everything that causes you suffering and stress leaves you. You can act in several ways - with each exhalation, let go of one problem from yourself, get rid of it. And if there is only one problem that puts you in a stressful state, then take one breath and exhale with it, and in the other four - replace the problem with something good and imagine how good it is for you to be on the seashore, how good it is when all the family is happy, how good it is when you achieve your goals and so on.

Physical exercises

Sport is one of the best medicines from stress. He removes the clamps and liberates. It doesn't matter what sport you choose - running, dancing, swimming. And yet, while playing sports, you can completely switch off or, at least, switch to another, positive wave. It has been verified that even after a 30-minute run, the state of stress and anxiety goes away, everything falls into place.

beat the pillow

One of my favorite stress relief methods is to beat the pillow. Why? Because this way not only calms, but also completely frees you from negative energy. For example, due to the fault of your subordinate, you had some kind of problem at work. You are very angry, you are on edge, but, of course, in no case can you beat a colleague! How to get rid of stress and anger? With a pillow. We take a pillow, remember the stressful situation and beat it with all our might until your hands hurt, until you feel that you feel better!

Pleasant body treatments and imagination

How long has it been since you had a massage, a spa, or an oil bath? If you're feeling stressed right now, now is the time to do it! Choose what you like best or what you can do right now and go relax and have fun. The main thing here is to drive away all negative thoughts and experiences from yourself. After all, you must admit that a massage with thoughts about what else needs to be done today or how to solve a problem will not be very pleasant and inspiring.

Here is one way to get rid of unpleasant thoughts that I often use. As soon as a negative thought appears in my head, I immediately ask myself some stupid question. For example, what would happen if people could fly? Was it possible to fly Atlantic Ocean on your own or would you still need to use the services of airlines? And if on your own, was it necessary to take special clothes with you? What about food on the go? Would they set up some snack points in the air over the ocean? Thus, negative thoughts go away and your imagination begins to work. Who knows, sometimes talking about such unusual and fantastic topics, people come up with brilliant ideas.

Calling a loved one

We all have close people who will support in any period of life. True, it is important to understand which of your loved ones is capable of doing this. For example, mothers generally, having heard from a child about his problem, begin to worry even more. Someone worries silently, at the same time encouraging you, while someone, on the contrary, winds you up even more. Call someone close who you consider balanced and wise man. Tell us about your problem and just hear that everything will be fine! Sometimes that one offer from someone you trust is enough to calm you down.

It was said above that stress has not only a negative, but also a positive side. Moreover, it is obvious that it is impossible to completely rid a person of it. Therefore, when developing and implementing measures to combat stress, the manager should focus on those aspects of the stressful conditions of workers that directly and directly have a negative impact on production behavior and the effectiveness of their work. The fight against excessive stress is, first of all, the identification and elimination of stressors - the factors that cause it. They can be identified at two main levels: at the individual level - the identification of factors that cause stress in a particular employee and require changes in the organization and working conditions; at the organization level - identification of factors that negatively affect a significant group of employees and require changes in the activities of the entire organization.

There are several methods of work aimed at reducing stress in the organization.

Firstly, these are measures related to changing working conditions and including the placement of workers, their training, planning and distribution of work. They should be carried out already at the selection stage, selecting people who meet the requirements of the work assignments, who are able to cope with the assigned work without internal stress.

Secondly, it is a change in the attitude of employees, their perception and evaluation of certain processes and events. For example, employees may experience stress in connection with the ongoing reorganization, explaining the company's policy, involving a large number of employees in this process will help relieve tension and stress caused by it.

Thirdly, measures directly aimed at combating stress - physical culture breaks, providing a good rest for employees, creating rooms for psychological unloading, and the like.

When developing methods of dealing with stress, one should take into account the individual - psychological characteristics of people. Those measures that will positively affect some employees may be ineffective or even harmful for others. So, for example, often in manuals on organizational behavior and personnel management it is said that it is necessary to diversify and enrich the content of the work of employees. Many consider it a universal remedy for dealing with stress. However, such a recommendation should be used taking into account the individual characteristics of workers. So, for some, the diversity of labor is optimal, while for others, constancy and familiar forms of work are optimal.

You should not spare the funds and efforts spent on the prevention of stress and the fight against its consequences, you can lose much more.

Ways to help protect yourself from the adverse effects of stress or even “prepare” for it:

The ability to relax. According to Hannes Lindemann, a well-known West German stress specialist, MD, a balanced change of tension and relaxation is a decisive factor in determining our well-being.

We are killed by the lack of unloading and the inability to relax. Which ultimately leads to nervous exhaustion, insomnia and cardiovascular disease.

The ability to relax is a natural reflex process, which is beyond the power of many in our time of a “crazy” rhythm and lightning-fast flow of information, when one overload overlaps another, one stress replaces another. However, this valuable skill can be learned by using the SPS - the system of psychophysiological self-regulation by H. Lindemann.

SPS consists of a set of exercises that teach psychophysical relaxation. Let's take a look at some of these exercises.

In the pose of a coachman.

To take it, you need to sit on a chair straight, straighten your back, and then relax all the muscles. Don't lean forward too much. The eyes are half closed. The head is lowered to the chest, the legs are slightly apart and bent at an obtuse angle, the hands are on the knees, not touching each other, the elbows are slightly rounded - in a word, the characteristic posture of a cab driver dozing in anticipation of a rider.

Passive posture.

In a passive position, the back and the back of the head rest on the back of the chair or the head cushion, the hands lie relaxed on the armrests. Otherwise, the passive posture coincides with the active one: the legs are slightly apart, the toes are slightly apart. The arms are slightly bent at the elbows and do not touch the legs.

If the coachman's position can be taken at work, for example, during a work break, then other exercises require not only a special place, but also additional time for their training.

Relaxation exercises for "heaviness and warmth".

This is an exercise in alternating tension or relaxation of one organ, which leads to the transfer of this state to others. Thus, the relaxation of the right hand automatically leads to the relaxation of the left. Relaxation of the legs stimulates the relaxation of the legs, which in turn leads to general muscle relaxation.

Mastering these exercises, in addition to eliminating many functional disorders, also leads to the normalization of the work of the heart. The feeling of warmth in the left hand reflexively passes to the entire left half of the chest and expands the coronary vessels of the heart, which receive additional blood flow, and with it oxygen. This frequent impact of exercises with heaviness and heat is enough to relieve neurological pain in the heart, regulate the rhythm and strength of its pulsation.

“My right/left arm is heavy…”

The formula of "heaviness" allows you to quickly relax the muscles.

It must be imagined with all clarity: the muscles of the hands are relaxing - fingers, hand, the whole arm has become heavy. But this is a pleasant weakness: let it be the state that is experienced after a long and pleasant walk in the fresh air in the forest, after swimming in the river, after playing sports.

“My right/left hand is warm…”

The "heat" formula dilates blood vessels.

In order to fulfill it, it is necessary to mentally imagine a light duvet that envelops the hand, or a stream of warm July air that warms the fingers ...

It should be noted that in the first and second cases, left-handers will start practicing these exercises with the left hand, since it is more susceptible to suggestion.

After each exercise, you must use the formula for exiting the state of immersion:

Hands are tense

Deep breathing

I open my eyes

I relax my hands.

H. Lindemann recommends taking at least a few minutes a day for the “Heavy and Warmth” exercise, constantly increasing it in duration.

Auto-training (method of psychotherapy based on self-hypnosis):

Auto-training classes increase concentration, especially if you enter the goal formula into the exercise system:

Work brings joy.

It's easy for me to work.

I'm doing my job.

Everything works out well.

I am attentive (on), my thoughts are focused.

The train of thought is stable.

These formulas relieve internal tension, increase motivation and are a kind of antidepressant.

Formulas of intention (goal) can also help with insomnia:

The head is free from thoughts.

I am indifferent to the worries and impressions of the day.

I feel peace of mind.

I would like to rest.

Sleep comes.

But we must not forget that each person can have his own goal formulas. According to the recommendation of H. Lindeman, they cannot be numerous, since in each specific stressful situation they will mobilize a person in a certain way.

Psychophysical relaxation and auto-training will be more effective when additional use the so-called "unconscious" methods of dealing with stress, which include color and aroma therapy.

Color therapy.

Psychologists who study the influence of color on human perception have found that color, or rather the physical wave emanating from it, in a certain way affects a person’s well-being and even has a healing effect. So, red color increases internal energy, sexuality, normalizes blood circulation and metabolism. Orange - helps relieve fatigue, blues, depression, insecurity and fear. This color helps to bring a surge of vitality. It is no coincidence that the ancients considered it the color of health and well-being. Yellow - increases concentration, improves mood and memory. Its influence is very beneficial in violations of the liver. Green - contributes to the rhythmic work of the heart, the departure of the eyes, has a moderate anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect, is useful for reduced kidney function, dizziness, nervousness. Blue - soothes, improves immunity, relieves inflammation and burning sensation, for example, with sunburn, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland. Blue - helps with insomnia, causes a feeling of comfort and peace, relieves tension, lowers blood pressure, calms breathing. Violet - develops intuition, normalizes the state of the lymphatic system, helps with migraines. Thus, choosing one or another color, you can not only cheer yourself up, but also correct your physical condition.

Aromatherapy.

Since ancient times, the method of treatment with "aromas" has been one of the main methods of dealing with ailments. Even before the advent of medicines, people learned to use the healing properties of plants in the treatment of various kinds of diseases. They have not lost their relevance even today. On the contrary, after a certain period of oblivion, phyto- and aromatherapy again got their second wind. And they began to be actively and successfully used not only in medicine, but also in psychotherapy. Especially when working with clients who are in the stage of "deep" stress.

It has been established that lavender essential oil reduces the excitability of the central nervous system, contributes to the normalization of the function of the autonomic nervous system, acting as a phytovegetative regulator.

Essential oils of pine, spruce and basil are used for nervous exhaustion, insomnia, nervous overload.

Essential oils that "create mood" - orange, grapefruit, tangerine, lilac.

Jasmine essential oil has an anti-stress and relaxing effect.

Essential oil of sage strengthens the nervous system.

As it has already become clear, there is a whole system of preventive measures - auto-training, color and aroma therapy, which will help prevent the negative effects of stress on the body. There is, however, another effective means of "fighting stress", it consists in the following golden rule: "If you cannot change the situation, try changing your attitude towards it."

Stress Prevention Methods

Lifestyle is our daily life from early morning until late at night, every week, every month, every year. Components active and relaxing lifestyles are the beginning of the working day, diet, physical activity, the quality of rest and sleep, relationships with others, reaction to stress, and much more. It depends on us what our way of life will be - healthy, active or unhealthy, passive.

If we manage to positively influence our basic life principles, to ensure that relaxation and concentration become an integral part of our lifestyle, then we will become more balanced and will respond more calmly to stress factors. It is necessary to know that we are able to consciously influence certain processes occurring in the body, i.e. We have the ability to self-regulate.

It is possible to single out the main methods of stress prevention with the help of autoregulation: relaxation, anti-stress “reworking” of the day, auto-analysis of personal stress and other methods of prevention. The use of these methods, if necessary, is available to everyone.

Anti-stress “remake” of the day

Very often, when people return home, they transfer their work activity and 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.

Sit in a chair, relax and rest calmly;

Make yourself some strong tea or coffee. Stretch them for 10 minutes, try not to think about anything serious during this period of time;

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;

Fill the bath with not very hot water and lie down in it. In the bath, do soothing breathing exercises. Take a deep breath through closed lips, lower your lower face and nose into the water and exhale very slowly. Try to exhale as long as possible (exhale with resistance). Imagine that with each exhalation, the total tension accumulated during the day gradually subsides;

Take a walk in the fresh air;

Put on a tracksuit, running shoes and run these 10 minutes.

It is very important that the initiative for such “reworkings” of the day comes from ourselves. It is necessary to warn our loved ones that in this short period of time we forget about our household duties and try to spend these 10 minutes with them. With a fresh head, solving all household problems will require much less energy.

Auto-analysis of personal stress

Now let's look at how you can discover and explain your body's reactions to stressful situations, i.e. How can you 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, however, requiring 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.

Analyzing diary entries helps you quickly and easily determine which events or life situations are causing stress. It is the regularly recurring situations described in the diary that can cause stress.

It is useful to write down your feelings immediately upon the onset of acute stress, so that you can analyze them later in a calm and balanced state.

If we scroll own records and try to systematize them, we find that some of the main signs of stress are repeated: irritability, inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, muscle tension, a feeling of internal heaviness, dry mouth, restless sleep, fatigue, an inexplicable feeling of fear, Bad mood, frequent headaches (especially in the back of the head), joint pain, lack of appetite, palpitations.

After analyzing the records, you can determine at what time of the day malaise most often occurs, whether it happens at work or when you return home. By keeping a stress diary, you can find out for yourself what is stopping us in life, what causes our personal stress.

Stress is a very dangerous condition. Left "on its own", without attention, it slowly destroys the body, leading to the development of diseases of the heart, nervous and endocrine systems. Obesity, which is present in many people "over 30" is nothing but a manifestation of stress. Therefore, this condition must be dealt with. Next, we describe in detail about various ways how to relieve stress and fight depression. Your task is to choose for yourself one or more methods that are right for you.

Basic principles of stress treatment

Usually a person knows what caused the violation of his psycho-emotional state (for example, stress at work). Then the treatment, if possible, begins with the elimination of stress factors. This may be a cessation of communication with an obsessive colleague or neighbor (a single refusal to help or even a quarrel is better for the psyche than everyday cooperation if it causes negative emotions). There may be more radical measures: changing the environment, switching to work as a remote employee.

If it is impossible to eliminate the stressful factor, you need to change your attitude towards it, as well as change your priorities. This is possible during the practice of meditation, relaxation, animal therapy, travel and play therapy. The rest of the methods below are aimed at returning harmony to the soul, and drug treatment and physiotherapy - to restore the body's strength.

All of these areas of treatment are more effective immediately after exposure to a stressor, but they must also be used in the case of a long "stay in the disease."

Very important in the treatment of stress and factors such as:

  • normalization of the "work: rest" ratio (the duration of sleep cannot be less than 9 hours, if you have not achieved accustoming the body to its other duration with the help of various meditative practices);
  • complete nutrition;
  • sufficient activity (walking for at least 30 minutes a day), exercise;
  • hobby activities.

If the stress turned out to be strong, it is necessary to start treatment with psychotherapeutic treatment. When the stressor was disaster, war, bandit attack or the like, a psychotherapist or psychiatrist must be consulted in the first 48 hours, otherwise the consequences can be very serious.

If we are talking about a child, then for the period of treatment it is very important for him to feel parental support and affection, he can be offered drawing, dancing, sports activities, spend more time together, walk in the fresh air, go on a picnic. Parents can better understand the needs of the baby if they listen to what he talks about with toys. The daily routine of the child, his adequate nutrition and good sleep during treatment are required. You can not insist that the child approached peers: this can additionally stress him. It is better to find out where group art therapy classes (drawing, sand application, singing) are held and start walking with him.

Features of nutrition under stress

The basic rules of stress nutrition are as follows:

  1. there should be no overeating;
  2. daily salt intake should be reduced to 6-8 g per day (about a teaspoon);
  3. food should contain 350-400 g of carbohydrates, 100 g of proteins, 100 g of fats;
  4. include in the diet foods that promote the production of endorphins in the body (“happiness hormone”): bananas, avocados, strawberries, spices - mustard, sweets - chocolate in a small amount;
  5. do not eat very high-calorie foods;
  6. When stressed in the body, the production of free radicals increases, in order to neutralize them, it is necessary that foods rich in antioxidants come with food. These are citrus fruits, black currants (they have a lot of vitamin C), almonds, raw pumpkin seeds, boiled Swiss chard vegetables, spinach, vegetable oils (especially from wheat germ, olive, coconut, camelina, hemp). The last 5 foods are rich in vitamin E;
  7. one of the mechanisms for the development of pathological processes under stress is also an increase in the permeability of cell membranes. In order to strengthen cell membranes so that the contents necessary for their normal functioning do not come out, vitamins PP, B (the whole group), and the trace element selenium are needed. It's tomatoes and tomato juice, peanuts, Walnut, hazelnuts, cedar nuts, bran bread, cereal cereals, Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, avocado, carrots, zucchini, beans, lentils. From fruits and berries useful: apricot, peach, raspberry, mulberry, cloudberry.

Reduce the amount consumed, or better, completely eliminate those foods that stimulate the brain. These are, first of all, caffeine-containing products: coffee, black tea, cola, chocolate. Secondly, these are extractive substances contained in meat, fish and mushroom broths, as well as fried fish and meat. These products will cause increased work of the organs gastrointestinal tract which, because of this, will send a large number of impulses to the brain, thereby exciting it.

Alcohol and drugs will only aggravate the situation, so they should be completely eliminated.

Psychotherapeutic methods

To overcome stress and its consequences, psychotherapists use various methods, which help a person get out of the vicious circle if he cannot (as in the case of an acute reaction to stress) or does not want (considers it insignificant) to do it himself. It:

  1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is based on today's thoughts of a person, on what reactions occur in his body in response to certain events. Based on the thoughts, feelings, and person, the therapist understands how they can be changed.
  2. Gestalt therapy. Here the psychotherapist communicates with the person in such a way that he himself realizes the causes of his stress. Then the patient understands how to solve his own problem and, under the guidance of a doctor, takes the necessary steps.
  3. Hypnosis. In this case, the doctor resorts to suggestion, with the help of which he "forces" to get rid of psycho-emotional stress and bad thoughts.

All psychotherapy aims to develop a person's psychological stability in difficult conditions, to form a stable system of life values, to develop a person's sober approach to the world and the flexibility of his thinking.

Physiotherapy treatments

To treat stress, science has developed several physiotherapy treatments that will affect the nervous system. It:

  1. electrosleep. In this case, electrodes are applied to the eye area, through which a constant pulsed current of low strength and short pulse duration is passed. It rhythmically irritates the cortex and subcortical structures such as the hypothalamus, limbic system, thalamus and reticular formation resulting in sleep. Such sleep in phases differs from natural or medication (anesthesia). It stimulates the restoration of the relationship between the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, has an analgesic effect, improves mood, reduces fatigue, makes natural night sleep deeper. It does not cause intoxication and complications, unlike sleep during anesthesia or after taking sleeping pills.

    Electrosleep is contraindicated in inflammatory diseases of the eyes, inflammation of the skin of the face, glaucoma, a high degree of myopia, cataracts at a late stage, heart failure of 2-3 degrees, hypertension of 2-3 stages.

  2. Magnetotherapy. In this case, the impact on the tissues is carried out using a low-frequency variable or constant magnetic field, which, by acting on molecules in tissues (especially the thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebral cortex), improve their ability to pass through cell membranes. Thus, biological processes change in the tissues:
    • biochemical reactions are accelerated by 10-30%;
    • the excitability of nerve cells decreases;
    • "energy systems" of the body go into economy mode;
    • vasospasm decreases;
    • has a beneficial effect on sleep;
    • improves metabolism between blood and tissue fluid;
    • decreases emotional stress;
    • a pulsed magnetic field has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, a constant field has a calming effect.

    Magnetic therapy is contraindicated in oncological diseases, schizophrenia, epilepsy, stage 3 hypertension (when there are already complications), heart and respiratory failure.

  3. Sinusoidal modulated currents (amplipulse therapy) with the application of electrodes to the skin of the eyes. The currents pass through the skin and affect the hormonal and immune state of the body, normalize blood pressure, and have an analgesic and calming effect.
  4. Applications of paraffin and ozocerite on the back of the head and neck. The use of this warm mass will improve the outflow of blood and lymph from the cranial cavity, reduce headaches by reducing intracranial pressure, improve the metabolism between blood and tissues of the neck and head, and stimulate the immune system.

    Applications are contraindicated in thyrotoxicosis, severe neurosis, tumors, diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels.

  5. Acupuncture has analgesic, calming effect, relaxes muscles.
  6. Acupressure. Its action is similar to acupuncture, but does not require special equipment, but requires a specialist with the necessary experience and knowledge. A massage therapist can teach techniques with which a person can subsequently perform self-massage of biologically active points.
  7. Ultrasonic exposure. Ultrasound is used for micro-massage cellular level, has an analgesic effect, relieves spasm of blood vessels that carry blood to the brain. Contraindications are the same as for paraffin-ozocerite applications.
  8. Galvanization- treatment with electric currents of low strength and low voltage, which change the pH of the environment, osmotic processes, and polarize cell membranes. During galvanization of the collar zone, blood circulation, excitability and nutrition of the brain, organs of hearing and vision, and upper limbs reflexively change.

If a person needs intensive recovery (for example, with neglected stress, in case of an acute reaction to stress, or in case of post-traumatic stress disorder), a program from the combined use of several procedures at once is suitable for him:

  • intake of mineral waters;
  • iodine-bromine baths;
  • oxygen therapy with the supply of oxygen to the brain, organs and tissues;
  • magnetotherapy;
  • ultrasound therapy.

It is best when these procedures are performed in a sanatorium. Then in the intervals between them, tricks wholesome food and rest, such physical activity as dosed walking in landscape areas is recommended, where various plant associations grow naturally or artificially. Such a therapeutic movement allows you to saturate the blood with oxygen-enriched air. Also, aeroionophytotherapy allows you to get additional positive emotions through communion with nature.

So that stress, when it next happens, does not lead to negative consequences for the body, physiotherapy procedures such as:

  • water procedures;
  • balneological procedures (treatment mineral waters in the form of baths and for oral administration);
  • transcerebral electroprocedures: electrosleep, amplipulse therapy and interference therapy with electrodes placed on the skull.

Spa and spa therapy

SPA treatment includes various techniques effects on the body that help it recover naturally. They are very pleasant and affect many senses at once: smell, touch, hearing, sight. They are performed both in resorts and in SPA centers specially created for this purpose, where you can choose one or more procedures.

SPA includes:

  • balneotherapy - treatment with mineral waters, which can be used in the form of baths, for oral administration, as well as for inhalation or microclysters;
  • thalassotherapy (sea therapy), which consists of exposure to sea air (cavitoterapy), algae treatment (algotherapy), sea ​​water(hydrotherapy) and sea mud (fangotherapy);
  • chocolate and coffee spa treatment. In this case, mixtures with green coffee or cocoa extracts are applied to the skin, which have a pleasant smell, nourish the skin, and help eliminate excess subcutaneous fat;
  • pelotherapy or mud therapy is the application of biologically active muds to the skin, which, with the help of their thermal and enzymatic effects, participate in the treatment of the nervous system;
  • aromatherapy (about it - in the appropriate section);
  • stone therapy is a special massage technique performed with natural stones, which are applied either hot or cold (this is necessary to get the desired response from the body - relaxation or, on the contrary, toning), then laid out along the spine, then they perform massage movements;
  • a Turkish bath is a thermal effect on the body when there is no such stress for it, as in a Russian bath or sauna, because the temperature here is only 35-50 degrees. Hamam has a relaxing effect, improves sleep, stimulates digestion. The procedure is contraindicated for people with mental disorders, cancer patients, patients bronchial asthma and skin diseases.
  • therapeutic relaxing massage.

SPA is contraindicated during pregnancy, oncological diseases, blood clotting disorders, blood diseases, epilepsy, serious diseases of any internal organ, intolerance to the components of the procedure, and also - but this is temporary - during infectious diseases.

During spa or spa treatment, heavy physical exercise, competitions, lifting heavy weights, doing crossfit. You can only hang on the horizontal bar, do stretching exercises, swim in the pool. intimate relationship during such treatment are not contraindicated.

Meditation

This is the main way to help yourself get out of psychological stress. There is no harm from it, only benefit: relaxation of the nervous system, finding inner peace. If you relax properly, you can even get an answer from the Universe to your questions.

Meditation is carried out either in a sitting position (in the position of an incomplete or full lotus, or - if it is very difficult - sitting on bent legs), or in the supine position, in a pose called shavasana.

Shavasana involves lying on a mat, on your back, with your arms at a 45-degree angle to your body, palms up. Heels - at a distance of about 5 cm from each other, the head lies so that the eyes (they will have to be closed later) look at the ceiling. The tip of the tongue touches the palate behind the upper teeth.

The pose has been chosen, now - the basic rules, without which you will either fall asleep, or instead of relaxing, you will feel irritation:

  1. Set an alarm (timer) for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Breathing - calm, preferably - with the stomach, which inflates on inspiration, on exhalation - decreases like a ball. It is advisable to practice abdominal breathing even before diving into the depths of your own consciousness.
  3. The tongue is behind the upper teeth: this is how an important channel for the flow of energy closes.
  4. Feel how each toe relaxes and warms up, then shins, thighs, then each finger, forearms, shoulders. Ultimately, you should stop feeling them, but feel that you are floating on the waves.
  5. Relax your eyes - they seem to fall into the sockets.
  6. Relax your nose and ears: feel yourself breathing through the back of your head.
  7. Stop your mental speech, try not to think about anything. It won't work right away, but it will work. Concentrate on your breath. You can also concentrate on the music that you have included for this (those tracks called "binaural" are recommended), or on those pictures that will appear before eyes closed. You can keep your eyes open and look at a blazing fire or flowing water (can be in the form of a video on a computer). You can also imagine the picture that causes the greatest peace: that you are lying on a green glade in the forest, or on the sand near the purest sea, and so on.
  8. Ask your mental question or request, wait for an answer, consciously suppressing any thoughts.
  9. Try to feel how life-giving energy penetrates into the body when you inhale, and when you exhale, stress leaves the body and does not return.

If you find yourself falling asleep all the time, try the half lotus position, where you should be as relaxed as possible. If you are exercising in the cold season, dress well, lay 2 blankets on the floor, and you can hide with the third.

Relaxation

This is a relaxation technique similar to the meditation described above. Only here you are not concentrating on stopping thoughts and not on breathing, but on relaxing the body so as to “swim in weightlessness” and thus get rid of stress.

Performed in the supine position (possible in bed):

  • Spread your legs shoulder-width apart, toes apart, arms slightly apart.
  • Deep breath, long exhalation, try to do it with your stomach.
  • Alternately, first strain and then relax each part of the body: first the neck and head, then the arms, chest, stomach and legs. Tension should last at least 5 seconds, relaxation - at least 30 seconds. This is the Jacobson technique. There is a second technique - according to Jackson. It implies alternate tension-relaxation first of the muscles of the dominant half of the body (right - for right-handers, left - for left-handers), and then the “secondary”.
  • During practice, imagine that you are in nature: near the sea, in the mountains, in a forest or in a meadow. Try to feel both the smell of herbs (salt water, mountain air), and the sounds that happen in this area.

You can perform relaxation practice in the following ways:

  • Lie on your back, put your arms along the body, straighten your legs. Relax. Inhale through the nose, hold your breath for 3-4 seconds. As you exhale, imagine all negativity, fatigue, and anxiety leaving your body.
  • Lie on your back as comfortable as possible. Inhale and exhale deeply and slowly. After a while, begin to strain in turn, and then relax the muscles in this way: right legleft leg, belly, right hand- left arm, chest, shoulders, neck, face, head. Feel your body completely relaxed, breathe deeply and calmly. Repeat tension-relaxation one more time.

Breathing techniques

If you are interested in how to get out of stress on your own, start with the use of breathing techniques. Proper breathing in a traumatic situation, it can even relieve stress or reduce its severity.

Breathing that can calm the mind is diaphragmatic (belly):

  • you take a deep breath, and, putting your hand on your stomach, you feel how it rises (the stomach swells);
  • exhalation - long, approximately equal to inhalation, the stomach at this time tends to "stick" to the spine.

Do not rush, follow the rhythm and frequency of breathing, do not let yourself breathe often, but do not panic when it seems that there is not enough air. Try not to pause between inhalation and exhalation. After a few minutes, occupy yourself with something else that requires concentration.

Imaging method

He means the following. Draw or write on a piece of paper about what is bothering you, then burn the piece of paper, imagining how both the problem and the negativity associated with it leave you with the smoke. While the leaf is burning, force yourself to imagine pleasant images, you can sing a cheerful song.

Scream into space method

Spilling out the accumulated negativity in the form of a scream, you can supplement your vocalization with physical manipulation. So, you can beat a punching bag or a pillow, you can beat dishes, throw things or throw darts (not at living beings). In Japanese offices, there are special, felt-lined rooms for such relaxation, where an employee can engage in such short-term destructive activities. In this way, local psychologists believe, he can relieve stress and continue to work productively, instead of performing his duties more and more casually, and then completely going to the hospital with a heart disease or neurosis.

yoga exercises

The following yogic postures (asanas) help relieve stress:

Hirudotherapy

This is the scientific name for treatment with leeches, which is very reasonable for stress. Firstly, leeches bite through the skin only at bioactive points, influencing those organs that “cooperate” with it (that is, the specialist chooses where to plant, and the leech itself is looking for a specific location with an accuracy of a tenth of a millimeter). Secondly, leeches inject the substance hirudin under the skin, which thins the blood (less viscous blood "walks" more freely through the vessels and does not stagnate in the capillaries, but performs its function - nourishing the tissues). Thirdly, this worm injects other useful substances into the blood, which:

  • reduce blood sugar levels;
  • stimulate the production of "happiness hormones" - endorphins;
  • reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood, which can, deposited on the walls of blood vessels, lead to a decrease in their diameter up to complete overlap;
  • activate immunity.

Fourthly, taking several milliliters of blood (one leech absorbs 5-10 ml of blood) in some way “unloads” the bloodstream, removing “excess” blood. Fifthly, the effect of one session of hirudotherapy lasts 3 months.

color stimulation

It's called relatively the new kind physiotherapy treatment, which consists in exposing the body to light rays of the visible spectrum, which, due to different wavelengths, have different colors. The method is based on the fact that light is an irritant to the eye, which not only fixes it, but sends signals to the brain. Moreover, depending on the wavelength, the signal goes to different parts of the brain and triggers slightly different biochemical reactions.

The program for dealing with stress and depression is selected by a physiotherapist-color therapist individually based on the leading symptom:

  • if you need to calm down (especially if pressure has risen from stress), a blue color is needed;
  • if self-confidence is gone, and the world is seen in black, yellow is needed;
  • if fatigue and unwillingness to work are felt, a green color should be shown to a person;
  • when you need to increase your appetite, orange rays are added;
  • if there is a tendency to spring-autumn depressions, there should not be purple in the color scheme.

Not only the color itself is important, which will be shown to a person after stress: rhythm also matters color signal, and its shades, and the level of illumination of the field in which this or that color appears.

Art therapy

Art therapy is art therapy. This is very good technique removal of any, even traumatic stress and its consequences. This is due to the wide possibilities of non-verbal self-expression, protective capabilities due to metaphorical images, a large number of materials and types of art. A person can transfer the experience of his stress to pictorial materials, because of which they will no longer cause such acute feelings in him, and then he will be able to gain control over them. For this task, a specially trained specialist should give, who will first assess the stage at which the person is, and then, with the help of tasks that will gradually become more complicated, will return him the desired inner harmony.

Art therapy involves:

  1. switching attention from a traumatic situation to creativity. At the beginning of therapy, a person ceases to put his problem at the forefront, gradually ceasing to “go in cycles” on it;
  2. the transfer of one's experiences and sensations to external processes and objects. This helps the negative experience to separate from the personality. The psychic energy of a person becomes more controlled for his own consciousness and will not cause such emotions as before;
  3. gradually, it is possible to “bring out” previously suppressed emotions from the subconscious and from the non-dominant hemisphere of the brain and experience them. So a person will avoid chronic stress.

Art therapy is suitable for people of all ages and religions. It can be used both in the acute and rehabilitation period. It is carried out both in the form of individual and family or group classes.

There are many types of art therapy, consider them in more detail.

isotherapy

This is a fine art treatment:

  • painting;
  • application;
  • modeling;
  • painting;
  • origami;
  • the creation of a clay amulet;
  • antistress coloring pages.

Each of the types has its own subspecies and techniques, which are known to specialists involved in art therapy, and they should also help a person choose the technique necessary for him.

So, painting can be performed in the form:

  • self-portrait;
  • when using lines, strokes, various forms you need to draw your emotional condition(a person runs a pen over paper, creating chaotic lines until he feels better);
  • style “like a child”: you need to draw with your non-working hand what you were most interested in or worried about in childhood;
  • group drawing: when one person draws scribbles, and the other must find some kind of image there, decorate and complement it;
  • collage;
  • meditative drawing. It is performed in the technique of either zentagles (patterns that are drawn in sections of a square), or zendoodles (such patterns that fill anti-stress coloring pages), or doodles (drawing arbitrary patterns).

Any isotherapy technique is performed according to the following plan:

  1. Create silence outside and within yourself by stopping your internal dialogue.
  2. Ask yourself the secret question.
  3. Create with the help of the chosen material: crayons, pencils, paints, gouache.

Creativity performed to calm music or recording the sounds of nature leads to a good effect.

Music therapy

This is what music therapy is called. This can include listening to songs or music (receptive music therapy) or singing or playing musical instruments on your own (active music therapy). There is also integrative music therapy, when they play, or draw, or dance to music.

Music has three effects on the body:

  1. physical: singing along, a person vibrates the vocal cords, which is very useful;
  2. mental: if you like music, it contributes to the production of hormones of happiness in the body;
  3. associative: good memories are associated with certain music.

When stressed, it is recommended to listen (perform) the works of Chopin, if you are nervous - listen to the "Moonlight Sonata" or the 3rd part of Beethoven's 6th symphony, Debussy's "Moonlight". In order for the treatment to definitely help, the composition must be selected by a specialist.

Kinesitherapy

This is dancing physical therapy, as well as massage sessions and outdoor games - all that require movement.

Bibliotherapy

This is the name of treatment with books by reading or writing your own essays or stories. There are even separate view bibliotherapy - fairy tale therapy.

sand therapy

The main "healer" in this case is sand. You can simply sprinkle it, make sand animation, build sand sculptures, compositions or castles. You can use both natural sand and artificial, which has special properties - kinetic.

There are such methods of sand therapy:

  • classic sandbox game blue color(blue has a calming effect);
  • drawing with colored sand;
  • sand painting on backlit tables;
  • dynamic drawing: combining colored sand and a white tray, when pouring sand produces different patterns;
  • classes with kinetic sand - a special material based on starch and quartz sand, from which you can build various castles, figures, sculptures, while it does not stick to your hands and pours like dry sand.

Classes can be held individually, in pairs or with the participation of a group of people. You can draw with sand by pouring it out of a pinch or from a fist. You can make a uniform background, and on it with your fingers, palm or tools.

Imagotherapy

This is the cure theatrical art, which implies either staging theatrical scenes, or visiting theaters.

Phototherapy

This is the holding of patient photo reports, photo shoots, photo collages or slides.

Art synthesis therapy

This is a combination of several types of art therapy: for example, coloring and playing on musical instrument, creating and retouching photos and reading books.

Animal Therapy or Animal Therapy

The fact that animals can help people in the treatment, first learned in the 18th century. Then it turned out that helping to undergo treatment in psychiatric clinic people can dogs: the presence of such a pet reduced the need to fix the patient in a straitjacket, as the number of seizures and general aggressiveness decreased in people.

For the first time the term "pet therapy" (that is, treatment with pets) appeared in 1969. It was introduced by child psychiatrist B. Levinson, who noticed that the presence of a dog in his office had a beneficial effect on young patients, regardless of their diagnosis. After further study, it turned out that dogs have special properties that allow them to "sniff out" the presence in humans cancer cells. These same animals foresee in 20 minutes that a person will develop an epileptic seizure or a sharp decrease in the level of sugar in the blood of a diabetic patient. Later, scientists drew attention to the special "talents" in the treatment of people and other animals: horses, cats, dolphins and even aquarium fish. Then pet therapy became animal therapy - treatment with the help of animals that do not have to be pets.

Benefits of Animal Therapy:

  1. Eliminate feelings of loneliness.
  2. Help in the socialization of the patient.
  3. Strengthening the effect of the treatment of complex conditions, when stress is combined with any acute or chronic disease.

There are several types of animal therapy.

Canistherapy - treatment by dogs

In the treatment of stress, canistherapy is especially needed for people who find it difficult to establish emotional contact with other people, those who tend to experience their grief alone, without telling anyone about it. Dogs are able to improve the psycho-emotional state of a person, form positive social attitudes in him, and relieve emotional stress. Dog walking makes a man cheat on his sedentary image life, believe in yourself (“The dog doesn’t care how much money you have and what you can do”).

For people prone to neuroses, friendly breeds of dogs are well suited: poodles, labradors, spaniels.

Dolphin therapy

Swimming and communication with dolphins are indicated for psychological rehabilitation for those people who have suffered an acute reaction to stress, when wars, extreme conditions, hurricanes, earthquakes acted as a stressor.

And if dogs treat with their spontaneity, kindness and devotion, then in the arsenal of dolphins there are also ultrasonic waves emitted by them, which change the bioelectric activity of the brain. So, they have a relaxing effect on the central nervous system, establish a connection between the brain and internal organs. When studying the electroencephalogram, it turned out that after communication with a dolphin, the brain rhythm slowed down, alpha and theta rhythms arose, and the work of both hemispheres was synchronized.

Dolphin therapy has contraindications. These are oncological diseases, epilepsy, infectious diseases.

Felinotherapy - treatment by cats

With its vibration, emitted during purring, when it caresses a person, the cat helps him calm down and relax. There is also an opinion that every human tissue emits vibration: with its help, the exchange of substances takes place between blood and tissue fluid, this fluid and blood. When its own vibration weakens, the organ becomes ill. The cat, on the other hand, has the ability to feel such places and, sitting on them and starting to purr, makes up for the deficiency of this resource.

Hippotherapy - treatment with horses

During riding, the rider receives about 110 impulses per minute: for a short period of time, he has to make several hundred movements in different planes. He needs to stay on the horse, as a result of which a large number of his muscles work. From these muscles, a large number of impulses enter the brain, which helps the development of connections between neurons.

In addition, the movements of the horse have a massaging effect, which leads to improved blood circulation. The muscular work that is performed during horseback riding contributes to the production of endorphins in the brain, and contact with the skin of an animal (hippotherapy is not carried out in saddles: a person sits on a thin and soft blanket) improves overall well-being, reduces aggressiveness and nervousness.

Hippotherapy is contraindicated in:

  • epilepsy;
  • kidney disease;
  • osteoporosis, when there is increased fragility of bones and joints;
  • increased blood clotting;
  • allergies to horse fur.

Therapy with aquarium fish and birds

Scientists have come to the conclusion that watching fish contributes to concentration, improves mood, and develops an aesthetic sense. In addition, the aquarium in the apartment plays the role of a humidifier, which is useful for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the lungs and bronchi.

It is no less useful to have a songbird at home: a canary or a carduelis. They contribute to the development of observation, patience, ear for music. They represent good remedy for the treatment of insomnia and neuroses.

aromatherapy

It involves calming the nervous system by exposing certain aromas to the olfactory receptors. For this, essential oils are used, which can be used in aroma lamps, can be added to creams or oils for the face and / or body. A few drops of essential oils can be added to massage oils and massaged with them.

Oils used in stress therapy:

  • lavender;
  • lemon balm;
  • sandalwood;
  • rosewood;
  • ylang-ylang;
  • juniper;
  • patchouli;
  • jasmine;
  • marjoram;
  • neroli;
  • vetiver.

You can make mixtures. For example, for depression, you can use a mixture of black pepper and mint. For stress - a combination of mint, lavender, juniper, rose, neroli and basil. To tune in to the working mood, inhale the aromas of mandarin, lemon, fir. And if everything has ceased to please, the smell of clary sage helps a lot.

You can use these recipes:

  1. Antistress bath. Drop in warm water baths with 2 drops of ylang-ylang and dill oil, 3 drops of lemon balm and 5 drops of lavender oil.
  2. If it's hard to sleep. Take a warm bath before going to bed, adding 1 drop of pine and ylang-ylang oils, 2 drops of cedar, 3 drops of lavender oil to the water.

Herbal treatment

Phytotherapeutists advise using the following recipes:

  • Infusion of thyme. 1 tsp herbs, pour 500 ml of boiling water, insist in a hermetically sealed container for half an hour. Take these 500 ml for 3-4 doses. You can re-take the infusion only after 3-4 days.
  • Cucumber herb (borage). Brew 1 tsp. a glass of boiling water, insist 30 minutes, take this volume during the day. Pregnant women and children should not drink this infusion.
  • Take 1 tbsp. hop cones, peppermint leaves, add 2 tbsp. motherwort herbs, 3 tbsp. valerian root. Mix herbs, take 1 tbsp. mixture, pour 200 ml of boiling water, heat in a water bath for 15 minutes. Then you need to insist 30 minutes, cool. Take 100 ml three times a day, 15 minutes before meals.
  • Take 10 tbsp. peppermint leaves, 5 tbsp. hop cones and valerian root, 3 tbsp. oregano herbs. Mix the herbs, take 2 tablespoons, pour boiling water, wait half an hour before straining. Take 50 ml twice a day, 15 minutes before meals. The course is 10-15 days.

Before starting such treatment, consult your doctor. Use with caution if you are prone to allergies.

Api therapy

This is the name of the treatment with bee products. In the treatment of stress and depression, it is advised:

  • royal jelly: helps to eliminate mild depression, apathy (lack of interest in what is happening), effective for some forms of insomnia or persistent mood swings;
  • bee perga helps in eliminating anxiety, irritability;
  • linden honey and honey, in which there is an interspersed orange honey, helps in eliminating the state of melancholy;
  • The combination of mountain honey with essential oils of neroli, bergamot, tangerine is also useful. These enriched bee products create a performance boost, improve overall well-being, and can even induce euphoria.

Travels

If you like to travel and the financial situation allows, very good method stress relief - go on a trip. It can be a round-the-world trip or a visit to a certain country, the main thing is that the trip is comfortable and planned. Otherwise, the lack of ideas about the country you are visiting can subject you to an even greater test.

Medical treatment for stress

The diagnosis of stress is established by a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. These professionals should evaluate:

  • severity of anxiety, anger, depression;
  • the degree of depletion of the subjective resources of the psyche, which play leading role in ensuring the overcoming of difficulties;
  • the nature of the electroencephalogram;
  • the state of the autonomic nervous system, based on the galvanic skin response and skin temperature;
  • the degree of increase in stress hormones in the blood: cortisol, ACTH.

If the doctor assesses that psychophysiological resources are depleted, and / or anxiety, anger or depression are too strong, he prescribes medications(In milder cases, one or a combination of the above methods of dealing with stress can be used).

The following types of drugs are used to treat stress:

Herbal sedatives

Medicines of this group are prescribed for increased excitability, insomnia, nightmares.

  • "Novo-Passit";
  • "Sedafiton";
  • "Persen";
  • tincture or tablets of valerian;
  • motherwort tincture;
  • peony tincture.

These drugs improve the interaction between the autonomic nervous system(mainly, its main organ - the hypothalamus, as well as the limbic system of the brain) and internal organs, normalize activity of cardio-vascular system improve the quality of sleep, eliminate insomnia.

The first results can be seen after 2-3 weeks, but a lasting effect will come only after 6-8 months of use.

The disadvantage of this therapy: drowsiness during the day.

Adaptogen preparations

These are general tonic agents for those people whose daily activities are associated with nervous or mental overload. They improve sleep, mood, can increase efficiency by 1.5-2 times.

Adaptogens can have both animal and vegetable origin. Have a dose-dependent effect:

  1. In minimal doses, they cause relaxation, reduce excitability, slow down catabolism and have an anabolic effect, so they can be used to increase body weight.
  2. In medium doses, they create a feeling of cheerfulness, a surge of strength, and an emotional upsurge. They also increase immune protection, which is why they can be used for the “soft”, natural treatment of long-term, sluggish and chronic inflammatory pathologies.
  3. If the dosage is exceeded, irritability, insomnia, aggressiveness will appear, but they do not have a long-term or toxic effect on the body even in this case.

Adaptogens are especially indicated for older people: by increasing their energy, they help prolong youth. Up to 16 years of age, drugs are used only as directed by a doctor, as they will accelerate puberty.

Adaptogens include:

  • leuzea extract;
  • Eleutherococcus extract;
  • ginseng extract;
  • lemongrass seed extract;
  • preparations based on the root of Manchurian aralia: "Saparal", tincture of aralia;
  • "Pantokrin".

Preparations of this group are taken during daylight hours to avoid overexcitation at night. They are used with caution in hot weather, as they contribute to an increase in body temperature.

Magnesium preparations

Their use under stress is justified: under such conditions, the body experiences an increased need for magnesium, which dilates blood vessels, helps to conduct impulses from the nerve to the desired organ, improves cardiac activity and has a sedative effect.

Magnesium preparations include: "Magne-B6" and its analogues "Magnelis B6 forte", "Magne-express", "Magnevit".

Modern sleeping pills

They can be considered anti-stress, because, by influencing the structure of sleep, they enhance the anti-stress function of the night's rest period. Especially indicated for acute insomnia, for the duration of the stress factor, when they can be used in a course of 2-3 weeks. Not addictive, do not need to increase the dosage. Some of them ("Doxylamine", "Melaxen") help in the treatment of sleep apnea. "Melaxen" also, being an analogue of the hormone melatonin produced in the pineal gland, restores the normal sleep cycle, especially when changing time zones, making it soft, natural.

Modern sleeping pills include:

  • "Ivadal";
  • "Sonnat" and its analogues "Imovan", "Sonovan", "Normoson";
  • "Melaxen" and analogue "Vita-melatonin";
  • "Andante" and analogue "Selofen".

Antidepressants

These are drugs that are used if stress has caused depression, neurosis or a neurosis-like state. They affect the formation and movement of biologically active substances formed in the brain, such as norepinephrine, serotonin or dopamine. Being taken according to indications, they reduce melancholy, anxiety, unwillingness to do anything, increase appetite, normalize the phase and duration of sleep.

For the treatment of stress, "Iprazid", "Nialamid" are used, during which, in order to avoid an increase in blood pressure to high numbers, one should not eat cheese, sour-milk and some other products. Amitriptyline, Inkazan, Prozac, Paxil are also prescribed.

tranquilizers

These are medicines, the main task of which is to eliminate anxiety and fear. They calm, reduce fluctuations in blood pressure, thereby having a positive effect on the heart. Their "competence" also has an anticonvulsant effect, elimination of obsessive thoughts, hallucinatory disorders, but most of them cause drowsiness and can only be used in the evening.

In the treatment of stress, “moderate tranquilizers” are used: Mebicar, Tranquilar.

Biologically active additives

These funds can be bought at pharmacies, they consist mainly of a combination of vitamins and some herbs:

Complivit antistress

Compound: nicotinamide, vitamins B1, E, B12, B6, A, folic acid, C, B2, calcium pantothenate, zinc, magnesium, motherwort and ginkgo biloba extract, selenium, sodium, copper.
Indications: increased physical and mental stress, the need to overcome difficult stressful situations
Contraindications: hypersensitivity, pregnancy, lactation
Application: 1 tablet with meals
Price- about 250 r for 30 pieces

Biorhythm Antistress 24 day/night

Compound: it is stated that this is a set of vitamins

  • tablet "day": extracts of motherwort, lemon balm, St. John's wort, vitamins B1 and B6;
  • tablet "night": extracts of escholcia and passionflower, calcium pantothenate.

Indications: fatigue, irritability, lack of rest during sleep.
Contraindications: pregnancy, lactation, hypersensitivity
Application: tablet "day" in the morning, tablet "night" in the evening. The course is at least 20 days.
Price– about 190 r for 32 pieces

Lady's formula Antistress reinforced

Compound: para-aminobenzoic acid, nicotinamide, vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, B12, E, folic acid, biotin, pantothenic acid, choline, inositol, calcium, magnesium.
Indications: for women - with acute or chronic stress disorders, after artificial termination of pregnancy and childbirth, with hypovitaminosis, insomnia
Contraindications Key words: childhood, pregnancy, lactation, hypersensitivity
Application: 1 tablet 1 time per day with food
Price– about 540 r for 30 pieces

Mens formula Antistress

Compound: para-aminobenzoic acid, vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, C, E folic acid, biotin, nicotinamide, pantothenic acid, choline, inositol, magnesium, zinc, iodine, valerian, Siberian ginseng, St. John's wort, fenugreek, hops
Indications: Acute and chronic stress disorders, mild forms of insomnia, vitamin deficiencies that caused neurasthenic syndrome, neuroses.
Contraindications: hypersensitivity, children under 12 years of age
Application: 1 capsule 2 times a day, with meals. Course - 1 month
Price– about 650 r for 60 pieces

Even having the most beloved and interesting work we still face stress. It's so serious problem that books are being written about her. Resilience by Sharon Melnick compares favorably with other publications on dealing with stress: there are only practical tips and exercises that have already helped thousands of people. Here are those that will help make the work less nervous and more efficient.

You will always have too much work to do, so the question is: how to do it better and faster? We'll show you how to prioritize, manage distractions, and save time.

Focus on one thing instead of multitasking

If your work is accompanied by constant stress, you think that multitasking can be your salvation. It is a myth! In reality, you only lose efficiency and focus by switching between tasks and projects every time. Torn between different areas throughout the day, you risk spending 30% more time on each task and making twice as many mistakes.

Who do you think performed better on the thinking task experiment, the people who squandered between tasks, or those who were under the influence of marijuana? You guessed it: the results of those who practiced multitasking turned out to be worse.

Our working memory can hold no more than seven units of information. By multitasking at the same time, you give up a certain part of your working memory in favor of a new task - in this state, it is simply silly to rely on memory. One of the most important skills for success in today's world is the ability to pay full attention to what you are doing at a given moment, and then switch your attention completely to a new task.

Do it right the first time

How many times after a meeting did you think that you were given clear goals, and then it turned out that you did not do what was expected of you? It's annoying! Try the following method. Get the instructions you need before you walk out the door. First, imagine the steps you will need to take when you return to your workplace. Then ask questions that you think you will encounter as you complete the task.

Sometimes managers do not clearly formulate for themselves the tasks that they set for their subordinates. For example: Does your manager need a brief or detailed analysis of the data? Broken down by year or by month? Who else should I send a copy of the report to? Before diving headlong into your work, analyze everything you have heard and think about how you plan to accomplish the task at hand. Then ask for confirmation. This will help you prepare everything you need and avoid unnecessary work.

Does your manager or clients have seven Fridays a week? Then you can do the following. Help them think about the situation and “lose” several options for its development. That way they don't have to go back and think about it later and change their minds. You can, for example, say: “Last time we tried to do this, and it turned out like this ... Maybe this time it’s worth trying a different way to avoid such unintended consequences?”.

Schedule meetings and prepare for them

How do you schedule meetings? According to the principle, whether free time in your work schedule? Such an approach cannot be called targeted. The following suggestions may be helpful, whether you are planning this meeting yourself or having it planned for you.

If you need to have a meeting, stop for a moment and ask yourself a few questions. For example: what should my contribution be? Who else will participate and who can help prepare it? If the meeting is not directly related to your goals, consider maybe you should decline the invitation or just ask for a summary of the agenda and decisions made.

Check if the meeting is about various topics or only matters within your competence. In the first case, find out if you can only attend the part of the meeting that relates directly to your work. Find out if you can use the conference call or send someone else to the meeting instead of yourself.

When you schedule a meeting in your work schedule, set aside time right away to prepare it and then review the results. When you are leading a meeting, you must have a clear agenda: you must understand the purpose of each participant's presence and end the meeting as soon as the goals have been achieved.

Show your abilities at the very beginning

Your ability to get things done and avoid problems should show up at the very beginning of a process, project, or relationship, not at the end. Indeed, the results of the productivity study show that a minute spent planning saves nine minutes of thoughtless work.

Whether you are a team member or a team leader, it is important to adhere to the principles of project management: agree in advance on the project's initial conditions, its implementation plan, and the conditions for its control.

When you're just getting started with a new business partner, assistant, or manager, too much communication is better than too little. Specify what communication format they prefer and tell how you can build optimal scheme work with you.

If you provide professional services, then the preliminary phase of discussing the conditions with the client forms expectations from the entire cooperation as a whole: then it is always much more difficult to go back and change something than to do everything right at once. At this point, you feel vulnerable because you haven't landed a job yet and proven your worth. So instead of discussing the terms and conditions of the job and the reward system, you're probably thinking, "Let them go now, we'll talk about that later." If this is what you usually do, and if you are nevertheless approved for the project, try to avoid creating a vicious circle of stress - discuss in advance the time for additional communication with the client or the conditions for making changes.

Get rid of things that waste your time

Can you list the five things that take up the most time during the day? Do you know why you are doing these things in the first place? For example, if you "surf the Internet", then think about the reason. Maybe you are trying to cope with excitement or boredom? Do you constantly check email to feel your need?

Perhaps you find it difficult to focus on the work you are doing because it is too difficult? Or is surfing the Internet, in general, pointless? Maybe you are "looking in the wrong place" trying to make meaningful connections in in social networks? If so, try to find a way to meet these basic needs in a more constructive way, or limit the time you spend on them.

Tame Your Email

People often complain that too much e-mail "sucks" their time and mental energy. I turned to Claire Dolan, vice president of Oracle Corporation, for advice. She revolutionized how email is used in her company, which has helped her employees dramatically increase their clarity of thought when performing work tasks.

Dolan explained, “Most people can't perform at their best if they get 100 emails a day. I asked my employees to remember that email is just another method of communication, in other words, it is not “the job itself”! My team responded to my announcement by becoming more selective about their emails. They started chatting with each other and discussing problem solving without cluttering up their inbox. After that, our productivity increased, and the employees themselves now experience less stress.”

If you're not in the customer service department when your duties involve responding to emails in real time, set aside regular time to check incoming messages instead of making email your default screen. Let everyone know when you check your email and when you can expect a response.

We discussed several ways to improve efficiency. You can try one of the strategies presented for about a week until you get your hands on it, or choose the ones that appeal to you the most (do not try to remember and implement everything at once).

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Discussion

Alex M: Stress is a scourge, you can't do without it, you can do what you need with it.
Stress is an objective phenomenon, stress expresses the energy that a person experiences when overcoming stress at work (at home, in society). Why stress? Solving the task of the subject-goal, the work of a person in another expression is stress. What is overcome is an achievement, what is not overcome is already a problem. Stress, as such, is experienced by everyone, however, no one has died from stress yet! If only the question does not concern the medical component, because there is stress with the disease too, but it is necessary to put i. Is it difficult? It's difficult.
:)

The main thing at work is a good boss and not a petty tyrant and a friendly team.

Comment on the article "6 rules for dealing with stress at work"

the best way to avoid stress is i like >. The best way to avoid stress is that I, as an unequivocal representative of the first group, say. anyway, then it affects the situations described. What really helps in the fight against stress, insomnia, loneliness?

Section: ...difficult to choose a section (iherb stress). And what kind of anti-stress to take on iherb? Like vitamins soothing :), I found this against irritability [link-1] Maybe you can advise something, otherwise I’ve been sitting on the shophelp for 2 hours

Discussion

Try Bach - herbal homeopathy, the reviews are excellent, it is on my wish list just in case. This is a whole series of products - sprays, lozenges, drops, etc. Helps fight stress, relax, restore restful sleep
spray [link-1]
lozenges [link-2]
drops [link-3]

This is what is possible. But it's more for lifting the mood and as an antidepressant.
[link-1]
Now still has some kind of Calm. I'll try searching for it now.
You can also buy ordinary valerian in a pharmacy in a glass jar and drink 2 tons 3 times a day. It's not bad too.

How not to eat stress. Need advice. Weight loss and diets. How to get rid of excess weight I started running around buying some cookies from the machine, which hasn’t happened to me at all over the past year. Maybe it’s worth fighting stress, not zhor? Persen Forte helps a lot.

Discussion

and what purpose if not a secret? ;)

I have the same problem, firstly I try to have breakfast at home well, regulate coffee, dine regularly, after dinner is the hardest time, I try to avoid fruits and especially dried fruits, they start to make me really hungry ...

cola bark and chewing gum helps ... they "deep" into work, time flies, a working day is sometimes like 5 minutes ...

But in general, lack of sleep is my very first enemy.

ex, and we were on vacation in madrid for a week, it was sunny and delicious:)
Haven't stepped on the scale yet :)

I had a very stressful week before my vacation, I even took a computer with Sitrix on vacation, but then I decided not to even read mail, I relaxed from the bottom of my heart

Maybe it's worth fighting stress, not zhorom? Persen Forte helps a lot.

Fight stress. Serious question. About his own, about a girl's. How good it was for me once in a hotel, in bad weather, in a city where there is a lot of entertainment, old and new friends, lie down with the described attributes in a clean bed and soooo relax ....

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