Treatment of stress: what methods help get rid of symptoms and consequences? Can stress at work be avoided? Psychological exercise "Shelter".

The desire to lead a healthy full-fledged lifestyle, characteristic of people, sometimes stumbles upon the vicissitudes of the life path. The abundance of stress factors and their increasing pressure, caused by the acceleration of modern realities, brings a person to the need to increase the threshold of stress tolerance.

The higher this threshold, the easier the adaptation in society, the greater the social achievements of a person, and simply the happier his days. The ability to regulate the inner life has been known for a long time, and a huge variety of methods allows you to find a shortcut to peace of mind and balance of feelings.

Basic relaxation (relaxation) techniques that allow you to better endure stress

The desire and thoughtfulness of actions for one's own recovery, purposeful steps in the intended direction will help to find effective means – Learn how to manage stress better which to warn, and subsequently to defeat him.

Deep breathing

Deep breathing is a simple yet powerful relaxation technique. Its strength is in direct connection with emotions - the main stimuli nervous system person. Deep breathing is a way to convince the nervous system to calm down and begin to relax.

A wide variety of breathing techniques allows you to choose the right one for help in each case. Breathing rhythms affect the body, exciting or calming it. The combination of breathing exercises with relaxation techniques, of which there are a large number, will allow you to better endure stress.

Deep breathing allows you to relax, regardless of the thoughts that overcome a person., works like meditation, redirecting attention to the breathing process. The time spent on the practice of exercises will pay off with help at the right moment, and the ease of implementation will make it a universal means of relaxation.

Necessary:

• sit down lie straight or lie on the floor with your eyes closed;
• Arms put on the stomach;
• Inhaling slowly through the nose, feeling how the stomach is filled;
• Having counted up to 5 exhale slowly through the mouth;
• Repeat inhale and exhale for 5 minutes.

Note! When choosing techniques that allow you to better endure stress, remember that breathing exercises, no matter how diverse they are, it is easy to remember and perform. They do not require special equipment, space or clothing.

Visualization of a safe place

Visualization - the art of volitional creation of visual images in the mind involving in the process of imagination, sensation, knowledge and feelings. You can control the visualization by managing the created images and directing them to the desired development of the plot.

To create a safe place in your imagination, sit down, relax, try to use all your senses and all your imagination.

A safe place can be familiar or imaginary, the main thing is to concentrate on comfort and safety.

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Imagining positive images

The human imagination has the ability to deliberately build ideas, concepts and images in the mind. A great opportunity to model goals and guide steps in the intended direction along life path. Building positive images in the imagination not only improves mood, but also helps to endure stressful situations more easily.

Self-hypnosis with soothing words and phrases

Self-hypnosis with soothing words and phrases involves assuring oneself of desired settings , getting rid of far-fetched phobias, achieving your goals.

There is no doubt that there is a relationship between internal state man and the outside world, though not fully understood connection, but no one doubts its existence.

Remember! A calm atmosphere of self-hypnosis involves setting the inner world to a positive perception of the world around. Gives peace and self-confidence.

Self massage

Massage is a targeted effect on the skin, soft tissues, and muscles of the body. Very useful and immediately beneficial effect on the body. Under various stressful conditions, it brings a double benefit, acting both on the body and on the human psyche.

Well relieves nervous excitement and normalizes sleep. The need to go to a massage master may not be necessary if, after trying to learn some movements, you become a good massage therapist for yourself.

Self-massage is a technique that allows you to better endure stress and has a healing effect on the body. Increases sweating, improves blood circulation, speeds up metabolism. With chronic stress, relieves accumulated muscle tension.

Additional techniques to reduce stress

A change of scenery

The desire for a change of scenery when stressed is a natural and effective step towards calming down. A person on a subconscious level is trying to get away from the hated place in which he is.

Most psychologists believe that it is necessary to start dealing with stress by eliminating contact with the cause or place of stress, moving to another room or going outside, sometimes just step aside. It is important to switch attention from the irritant to the contemplation of calm, positive things.

A change of scenery brings fresh emotions, energizes. Fresh air and sunbathing have a beneficial effect, it is difficult to fall into sadness and despondency in nature. Active rest has a beneficial effect on the physical condition, normalizes the nervous system and paints life with new colors.

Cardinal changes in life are not always needed, such as changing jobs, moving to a permanent place of residence in another city. It is quite enough to take a vacation or go on a trip, the main thing is to look with new eyes at the problems leading to stress.

A change of scenery sometimes implies a change of environment. In communication, it is useful to choose good, sparkling positive people. Acquiring a hobby is another great option to decorate the gray everyday life and spend your holidays in an interesting, relaxing atmosphere.

Important to remember! In the fight against stressful conditions, one should not abuse the discharge with alcohol or other simulators. This does not solve problems, but adds new diagnoses - alcoholism, dependence on drugs.

creative pursuits

Wanting to succeed in society, it is important for a person to find out what helps and what hinders in his campaign and what techniques allow him to better endure stress.

Creativity is a gift from nature to a person, releasing emotions, leading to self-confidence and a systematic exit from a stressful state.

Art therapy is a method of treatment, the principle of which is based on visual art classes. In the classroom, negative emotions, coming out, become available for purposeful visualization, it is possible to remove them, express them in a drawing, sculpture, collage.

Attention! Even half an hour of creativity a day helps to learn a lot about yourself and cope with stress.

Laughter therapy

A simple smile helps to forget about the problems that have piled up and helps to relax emotionally. The more often a person smiles, the longer and happier his life is. Laughing is easy to relieve negative emotions and nervous irritation, get rid of resentment and anger.

Laughter is an emotional outburst, a positive energy blocking the entry of stress. and destructive negative programs into a person's life.

aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the use of volatile aromatic substances by affecting the body. Aromatherapy uses essential oils derived primarily from plants. Smells bring inner order, harmony and inspiration into the human world, and have a healing effect on the body.

Fragrant, light and clean smells are attractive and pleasant. More importantly, the positive impact on the body and soul of a person. The aromas emitted by essential oils are perceived by the sense of smell, which reacts faster than the rest of the senses of our body.

Properties rendered by oils in aromatherapy:

• Antibacterial;
• Antioxidant;
• Stimulant;
• Regenerating;
• Anti-stress;
• Anti-inflammatory;
• Antifungal;
• soothing;
• General strengthening;
• Relaxing;
• Exciting.

Great opportunities for aromatherapy, give many pleasant moments and offer a wide scope for experimenting with smells.

Relaxing music

Listening to your favorite music has an overall relaxing effect on the body and mind, reduces the level of the stress hormone. Singing also effectively affects the body during stress, allowing you to forget your fears and turn off nervous tension. People like a variety of music.

The same style of music affects different listeners in completely different ways. A melody that calms some, brings hostility and emotional stress to others. With fatigue, with an increase in the emotional background, you need to boldly put on headphones and go into the musical space.

Important! Listening music is recommended to be soothing and pleasing to the listener.

Physical activity

Stress gets in the way healthy lifestyle human life. Weakens the muscular and immune system, depletes the energy reserve. The first thing experts advise is to take a walk in the fresh air. In nature, blood circulation increases, the body is enriched with oxygen, thereby reducing the chance of falling into depression.

Cycling, jogging in the morning, walking up the stairs, swimming, the gym, any workout at home, if you can’t go out, will help restore normal body work and brighten your thoughts.

Communication with people

The human nervous system is constantly being tested: positive or negative. In everyday life, it is recommended to train your stress tolerance. The most difficult thing is communicating with people who are both good and not so good.

With negative people, once again, you should not communicate, but always be ready for a close conversation. It is most pleasant to communicate with positive people who bring hope, joy and energy. To say goodbye to stress forever, you need to find the strength to direct the flow of your thoughts in a good direction.

Healthy sleep

To normalize internal reserves, people need sleep. For an adult, sleep time should be 8 hours. Stress provokes insomnia, headache, increased nervousness. Healthy sleep must enter into a permanent, necessary regime that must not be disturbed.
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Meditation

Meditation (relaxation) is an inside look at oneself, as an outside observer. The opportunity to think about your actions, looking at yourself, on the other hand, to transfer the mind to positive thinking, to slow down the sequence of events.

When stressed, meditation helps to relax, calm the nervous system, which makes us commit many rash, wrong actions. There are many meditation techniques. You can meditate sitting or lying down with or without music., visualize pictures in different directions, depending on the internal mood.

Yoga

The search for recovery and the answer to the question of what methods allow you to better endure stress will inevitably lead to acquaintance with your inner world. The easiest way to enter it is yoga.

Yoga is not only physical exercises stretching, but also a lifestyle. The totality of the exercises included in the system requires concentration of attention, thereby leading a person away from haunting obsessive thoughts. Yoga relieves muscle tension.

It's important to know! Everyone can do it, regardless of age and health status.

Exercises for Better Stress Transfer

Relaxation according to Jacobson

Stress leads to muscle tension, which increases anxiety, which further tightens the muscles and sets off a perpetual vicious cycle. The Jacobson relaxation technique is a set of exercises that relieve tension.

The system of exercises is built on the alternation of tension and relaxation. used in the exercise of muscle groups. After a strong tension, the muscles tend to relax, which leads to a general emotional calm and relaxation of the body.

Muscle relaxation according to Jackson

Belonging to the group of behavioral techniques, Jacobson exercises (often the surname is translated as Jacobson), with the help of concentrated attention, form the ability to feel muscle tension and develop the skill of voluntary relaxation of tense muscle groups.

There are 16 muscle groups in the human body and it is recommended to start work from the upper muscle groups, gradually going down. Exercises should be started with a short tension of the first muscle group in line, which subsequently completely relax, and all attention is directed to a feeling of complete rest in this part of the body.

Repeat exercises on the first of the muscle groups until you are completely relaxed., and only then proceed to the next group. Having fixed the skill of complete relaxation of a certain muscle group, the intensity of mental influence decreases and attention slowly focuses on the memory of it.

Subsequently, by analyzing muscle tension that occurs with fear, stress or excitement, independent, complete muscle relaxation is easily achieved, and the ability to smooth out an emotional outburst is developed. The course is aimed at teaching this excellent technique, which allows not only to better endure stress, but also to control its onset.

The course lasts from 5 months to 1 year. A person who has mastered the course belongs to self-control.
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Psychological techniques for stress relief

"Screams into Space"

There is a good practice - cry therapy. Each person has experienced an emotional outburst in which a conversation or quarrel occurs in raised tones and even shouting.

After that, inner emptiness, purification from the inside and balance are felt. This is how it should always be when emotions come up. You can scream any words, sounds, until you feel relieved.

Attention! It is better to shout in nature: in the mountains, near water bodies, in the forest, where there will be no bystanders.

Describe or draw the problem on paper and burn

The Problem Burning Technique is another way to banish stress. Many people carry a heavy burden of resentment, disappointment, failure, unfulfilled expectations on their shoulders all their lives. And they do not know how to get rid of them in order to make room for new energy.

However, a problem is a task that needs to be solved. On a piece of paper, you need to state, in any words, all the fear, any negativity and mentally think about how to deal with it. It is convenient to part with your fears and images of phobias by drawing them on paper.

Then this paper must be burned, and the ashes scattered in the wind. Relief may not come immediately., but moving in this direction, a person will definitely come out a winner.

“Questions to yourself about the importance of the problem”

The epidemic of the 21st century is stress and depression, which have global dimensions and occur in people of various social groups. To start it is necessary to deal with the current situation, which depends entirely on the type of psyche break down the problem into components. How and what happened? Then, having considered it from all sides, proceed to the decision.

Attention! When dealing with stress, it is important to find the main cause of the imbalance and systematically begin to correct the situation.

Write an action plan to overcome the problem

Any problem that has arisen cannot be ignored or forgotten about for a long time. Especially when it comes to stress. The question is serious, it requires balanced and right decisions, immediate action.

For a systematic movement towards recovery, experts recommend drawing up an action plan to overcome the problem and strictly observe it.

Algorithm for dealing with the onset of stress:

1. Neutralize excess bad emotions any possible ways using the methods suggested above;
2. form confidence in itself. Choosing which techniques allow you to better endure stress, use them, constantly increasing self-esteem;
3. Determine the structure of stress having fully understood its causes, what is worth reconciling with, what a positive moment can be found in, what needs to be changed in the current situation;

1. Finding resources, the use of existing developments, the acquisition of new management abilities own personality- which ones are already available, which ones need to be obtained and how, to draw up a plan of decisions for the near future;
2. Planned and immediate start executing the plan.

The fight against stress is a vital necessity for almost every person, and victory will give a calm, full of joyful days, a life controlled by one's own desires and actions.

Useful videos on how to relieve stress and nervous tension

At the end of this article, you may find it helpful to check out a selection of videos that describe some other effective stress management techniques:

Healthy mentality and a calm atmosphere for every day!

There are so many things in our life that we don't like at all. Someone does not like their job, someone has problems in the family and all this constantly causes stress. And stress is very bad for our health.

We constantly keep our emotions in ourselves, after which a nervous breakdown begins to appear. And we really want to get rid of this forcing feeling.

And we can handle it. Stress can be turned in a different direction.

How to deal with stress?

The secret is that different people perceive stress differently. For some, this is an impetus to new achievements, and for some it is a powerful throw back. It depends on each person personally. Basically it depends on the character and upbringing.

The best way to solve the problem is fast reaction. When we experience fear, hormones are activated in our body that awaken adrenaline and noradrenaline in us, as a result of which we become aggressive.

And if we do not splash out our emotions, then the result is obvious. Constant anxiety and unstable mood. But this leads to severe mental illness. We also begin to suffer from insomnia and constant headaches, our appetite is disturbed, or vice versa, we begin to overeat.

Stress has its own symptoms:

• Constant feeling of self-doubt;
• Quick change of mood;
• Aggressiveness.

You need to seriously pay attention to your health if you have these signs. There are many ways to deal with stress.

To do this, you need to relax more, eat well and always be saturated with positive emotions from loved ones. You also need to constantly experience positive stress.

These are various attractions that will take your breath away. Another very miraculous remedy is a cry. When stressed, you just need to scream. You also need to breathe properly to calm yourself. Slow and deep.

What should be done to get rid of stress?

You need more sleep. A normal human sleep lasts from 7 to 9 hours, so go to bed at a certain time and get up early to get more things done.

Smile

Humor always helps fight stress. You can watch entertaining movies or videos on the Internet to laugh and cheer yourself up. Relax in nature, go for walks with friends more often or take care of household chores.

Forget about alcohol and cigarettes

First of all, you need to stop drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. All this negatively affects your body, as well as mood. It is also recommended to reduce the amount of coffee consumed, as it causes the body to react in the same way as in a state of stress.

How to deal with stress - video

There are two types of people in the world: some know that they can influence the course of events, while others believe that everything around happens by itself. The participants of the first group understand that life and career are entirely in their own hands, and there are simply no other ways to achieve what they want. Representatives of the second category behave exactly like Forrest Gump: they sit and wait for the bus to take them somewhere.

University of Florida psychologist Tim Judge has proven that people who are confident and feel in control of their lives end up being more successful in almost every endeavor. Such study participants - let's call them "responsible" - not only performed their professional duties better and mastered new tasks faster, but also had an annual income that was 50–150% higher than that of their colleagues.

Tim Judge's study revealed interesting feature responsible people: they do not lose their presence of mind even in the most difficult circumstances. Yes, they also feel uncomfortable, but the question is how they use their excitement.

Responsible people know that the future is entirely up to them, so worry only feeds their ardor. Despair gives way to drive, and trepidation and fear are replaced by perseverance.

Whether the results of their long work have been crushed to smithereens or once again denied employment, they are in no hurry to raise the white flag. Life can throw any surprises, but responsible people only double and triple their efforts.

How it works

Responsible people are superior to everyone else, because the ability to control emotions and remain calm even in conditions of extreme stress is in direct relation to performance. 90% of the most effective professionals have one important skill in common: they know how to manage their emotions.

In general, anxiety is an absolutely necessary feeling. It's hard to get down to business until we start to worry at least a little about it, that's the way the human brain works. The peak of our performance occurs at a moderate level of anxiety.

The trick is how to beat stress and keep it within reason in order to achieve peak performance.

We know full well that constant worrying has serious consequences for our physical and mental health. So why is it so difficult for us to improve our lives in this way? Scientists from Yale University have found the answer.

Severe stress reduces the amount of gray matter in the areas of the brain responsible for self-control. If you lose your composure, you also lose the ability to cope with anxiety.

In this state, you not only cannot save yourself from getting into difficult situations, but also create them yourself (for example, by overreacting to the words or actions of other people). Decreased self-control is especially dangerous when stress gets to physiological functions. It contributes to the development of hypertension and diabetes, leads to depression, obesity, and also reduces cognitive abilities. It turns out a vicious circle, where the growing level of experiences brings a person to complete exhaustion.

What do we have to do

Step 1. Get ready for change

No one can ever have absolutely everything under control. Even the most responsible people in Judge's study are sometimes out of work, and their business is going through hard times. The difference is that they are fully prepared for change and know how to use what is happening to their advantage. You can learn this too.

Periodically make important events which may happen in the near future. The goal here is not to predict all the changes you will face. This exercise improves your ability to face impending change. Even if the events on the list never become a reality, the practice of preventing change and preparing for it in advance helps to believe that the future is really in your hands.

Step 2: Focus on Opportunities

All of us, in our youth, were firmly and firmly hammered into our heads that life is unfair. This phrase is the voice of anxiety, despair and passive inaction. Even though sometimes it is not possible to prevent unpleasant events, we are always free to choose how to respond to them.

In the list from the first paragraph, briefly write down all the possible options for responding to each event. You will be surprised what an arsenal of answers will be typed for seemingly uncontrollable circumstances.

Step 3: Rewrite the script of your life

This is the most difficult thing - you have to give up what you have long been accustomed to. Each of us has a certain scenario of behavior in a given situation. So, if you want to manage your own life, it needs to be rewritten.

Think of any difficulties you have faced. What then prevented you from turning the existing state of affairs to your advantage? Write down everything that happened, it will be a failure scenario. Now imagine how it would cost to behave if such a situation happened again. This time you wouldn't blunder, right? This is a scenario of responsible behavior, which should replace the previous unsuccessful option. In any difficult situation, compare your thoughts at that moment with negative and positive scenarios. This will not only help you choose the right course of action, but also change the way you think, and after it your life.

Step 4. Stop torturing yourself

Timely abandonment of self-digging - important step in dealing with stress and anxiety. The more you dwell on negative thoughts, the more power you give them.

Most of our negative experiences are just thoughts, not facts.

As soon as you realize that you are starting to listen to the pessimistic forecasts of your inner voice, immediately write down what you think. By muting these sad arguments for at least a couple of minutes, you will be able to more rationally and sensibly assess the degree of their truth.

Do you think of the words "never", "worst" and "someday"? Rest assured, these are fantasies that have nothing to do with reality. If the written thoughts look pretty plausible, have someone you trust read them. Let's see if he agrees with you or not.

When it seems to us that a situation will last forever or, conversely, will never happen, these are just pranks of the brain, which likes to make an elephant out of a fly and exaggerate the frequency and significance of this or that event. Defining a clear line between facts and speculation will help break out of the vicious circle of anxiety and start moving towards new heights.

Step 5: Be grateful

Taking the time to realize what you are grateful for in life or people is important not only because it is considered good form. This behavior reduces anxiety and significantly lowers levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Studies at the University of California at Davis have shown that people, on a regular basis, noted a noticeable improvement in mood and a surge of energy.

The main thing to remember is that all-consuming anxiety and self-empowerment are mutually exclusive concepts. Whenever stress kills your performance, simply follow the five steps above to realize your power and regain control of the situation.

Modern man is used to being in a tense state. The rhythm of life has an influence, the flow of information piles up on a person every day. And it seems that stress is inevitable, it was even classified as a disease of the 21st century. To stressful conditions did not flow into depression, they must be fought.

Living conditions change, progress does not stand still, and it is difficult for people to change and adapt to new conditions. With constant tension, a person feels changes, they relate to the psychological and physiological state.

From the physiological side, the following symptoms appear:

• Headaches reaching migraine;
• Increases blood pressure;
• There are problems with the heart and blood vessels;
• A person does not get enough sleep, private insomnia exhausts the body;
• There are problems with the skin, gastrointestinal tract.

Along with an unhealthy lifestyle and unhealthy diet, stress also worsens the psychological state of a person. Psychological symptoms are manifested in the following:

• The person becomes irritable;
• Loss of appetite;
• Reduces interest in communication;
• Memory worsens;
• It becomes difficult to concentrate;
• Optimism disappears, unnecessary thoughts come to mind.

Many find such symptoms in themselves, but do not associate this with the onset of depression. It seems that you just need to rest for a couple of days, sleep, and everything will pass. The seriousness of the situation lies in the fact that stressful conditions are tightening every day. Learn how to deal with stress in this article.

exacerbate severe condition bad habits, a person turns to them to relieve psychological stress. These are cigarettes, alcohol, the Internet, they allow you to get away from unwanted reality for a while. Temporary oblivion aggravates the situation, and the body suffers even more. Therefore, it is worth finding ways to deal with the disease that will not cause addiction. To do this, you need to understand what stress is, causes, stages. Stress and its impact on a person always negatively affects not only morale, but also physical health.

Three stages of stress

People are exposed to a nervous state regardless of their place of work, financial and social status, gender, age. The stages of the course are the same, a person goes through 3 stages of stress:

1. Anxiety;
2. Resistance;
3. Exhaustion.

1 stage

At the initial stage, changes occur in the body: pressure rises, the heart begins to beat more often, appetite disappears or increases, digestive problems appear, and sex drive. Anxiety reduces the body's immunity, and a person becomes defenseless against diseases.

The emotional state negatively affects primarily the stomach. A person refuses to eat, as they say, “a piece does not fit into the throat,” or stress and anxiety begin to seize. In both cases, the gastrointestinal tract suffers, which leads to a malfunction, an increase in load, the production of excess enzymes, they corrode the walls of the stomach and intestines.

From a psychological point of view, a person notes increased aggressiveness and irritability, sleep disappears, and a sleepy state pursues during the day, changes in body weight are possible. If the source of stress disappears, the first stage ends by itself. If the tension continues, there are changes in the psyche. There comes a stage of resistance.

2 stage

Resistance (resistance) is an attempt by the body to adapt to the present conditions. There is an increase in strength, the body throws them to continue a full life. But human possibilities are not unlimited. The body cannot constantly veil psychological stress, although outwardly the person's condition looks like normal.

The duration of the stage depends on the internal reserves of the human body. If nothing is done to eliminate the causes of stress, then gradually the forces will run out and the third stage will come - exhaustion. This is a dangerous moment, it is not worth bringing to it.

3 stage

The signs of exhaustion are similar to the initial stage of stress. The difference lies in the fact that the body's forces are exhausted, there is nothing to mobilize. This leads to the development of diseases:

• Somatic character (up to psychological disorder);
• Decompensation (depressive state);
• Nervous breakdown.

The danger is that this stage is defined by doctors as irreversible. Changes occurring in the body lead to death. A person is not able to get out of this state on his own, medication is required under the supervision of a specialist. Treatment consists in taking medicinal sedatives and regular sessions with a psychologist.

It is important to learn how to deal with stress at an early stage.

Man at work spends most own life. Stressful situations in the process of work have an active influence on a person. These include factors that are directly related to work and external factors:

1. Social component;
2. Economic and financial changes.

An unsatisfactory financial situation leads to constant stress. A person finds a part-time job, time for family and rest is reduced, which aggravates the situation and results in three stages of stress.

Group factors also influence, they include:

• In an unfriendly team, the participant feels uncomfortable. The reasons lie in relation to management or colleagues;
• Inside the collective squabbles, conflicts are associated with the incompatibility of the characters of the group members, personal goals, values.

The factors that bring psychological discomfort include personal reasons related to work and working conditions - heat in the room, the presence of increased noise, especially the design of the workplace.

The psychological mood and factors associated with the direct performance of duties influence:

• Uncertainty about keeping a job as the only source of income, self-doubt;
• The impossibility of self-expression in the workplace, the performance of mechanical or monotonous work;
• Complex or specific nature of work, lack of independence in decision-making;
• Difficulties in communicating with colleagues, role ambiguity, uncertainty in relationships;
• Aggressive organizational management style, dual leadership, high blood pressure by managers and directors;
• Shift or rotating work schedule that disrupts the normal rhythm of life.

These working conditions increase the stress component in a person's life and at work. The degree of influence depends on the person himself, his stress resistance and sensitivity.

Psychological advice for dealing with stress at work

The experience of people and psychologists suggests that stress at work can be dealt with. AT difficult situations when it is impossible to find a way out, it is worth thinking about changing jobs. Sometimes this is the right move. If a person does not believe that drastic measures are possible, the issue must be resolved on the spot. How to relieve stress:

1. Effectively switching to other areas of life. Helps self-development, sports, morning jogging.
2. You can indulge yourself with pleasant little things, watch your favorite show, eat delicious, but you should not get carried away.
3. Learn to relax. There are many practices (auto-training, meditation), they are easy to master on your own.
4. A magic phrase works well, an affirmation that will cheer you up and support you in a difficult period.
5. Refusal of self-flagellation, the words "must", "should". Life doesn't end at work. You should be able not only to responsibly fulfill your duties, but also to relax.
6. How to deal with stress with humor. The mood depends on the person, and no one has canceled a sense of humor. Everyone decides how to relate to a particular moment of his life.

Prevention of stress - how to avoid stressful situations?

It is easier and more effective to avoid the occurrence of stressful situations than to deal with the consequences of their impact. The struggle should begin from the first stage, when the “first bells” appear that indicate a problem.

• Daily schedule planning. This simple but effective method allows you to organize a person's life. Constantly there are many ideas, urgent matters and plans for the day, week, month, which by the end of the day form a mess in my head. A few minutes spent drawing up a plan will pay off handsomely.

Advice! Keeping a diary helps, for starters, a notebook or notebook is suitable.

• Healthy lifestyle and balance of diet, sleep and physical activity. It has been noticed that people who go in for sports endure psychological difficulties more easily.
• The ability to relax. These skills will come in handy in life. People who know how to relax, leave worries and problems outside the house, are easier to adapt to change.
• The ability to conduct introspection, a sober assessment of the causes of nervous tension and the occurrence of stressful situations helps. You shouldn't blame yourself, you should analyze strengths, which will help to avoid stress or minimize the consequences.
• Interests, hobbies, passion. Work should be fun. A person needs a hobby, a “stress pill” that brings moral satisfaction. This will help relieve nervous tension.

A good mood, a sense of humor, relationships with others based on mutual respect, the ability to find pleasure in small things and everyday affairs will bring peace and create a favorable atmosphere for a stress-free life.

The ability to manage your emotions and stay calm in stressful situations directly affects your productivity.

The TalentSmart portal conducted a study and interviewed more than a million people. As a result, it turned out that 90% of successful people are able to manage their emotions in stressful conditions in order to remain calm and in control of the situation.

If you've read our newsletter, you're probably already aware of research findings that confirm that stress can damage a person's mental and physical health (for example, a Yale University study that found that prolonged stress causes atrophy of the brain area responsible for self-control). Stress and its accompanying anxiety is an integral part of our lives. Our brain is not capable of making important decisions without being under pressure. Moreover, being in a state of mild stress, we work with maximum productivity. If this condition does not last long, it is absolutely harmless to the human body.

A UC Berkeley study reveals the benefits of mild stress. Scientists also emphasize the need to control stress levels. Study leader Elizabeth Kirby found that stress affects the proliferation of brain cells responsible for improved memory. However, this effect is only noticeable at low levels of stress. As soon as the pressure reaches a certain level, cell regeneration stops.

"Periodical stress keeps our brains on alert so we can be productive," says Kirby. For animals, stress is a direct consequence of their personal experience, a reaction to a physical threat posed by the world around them. Once upon a time, people experienced something similar. As the human brain has evolved and become more complex, we have acquired the ability to be constantly nervous. Prolonged tension of the nervous system is called severe stress.

In addition to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, depression and obesity, stress reduces a person's cognitive abilities. Luckily, stress is easily manageable (unless you're being chased by predatory beasts, of course). All successful people developed their own stress reduction techniques. Regardless of the events that happen to them, these people can be sure that they are in control of the situation and are not subject to long-term stress.

I present to your attention 10 effective ways stress management. Some of them may seem obvious to you, but under stressful conditions, many of us forget the obvious statements.

1. Appreciate what you have

Take some of your time to identify what you are thankful for. This will cheer you up as your blood levels of the stress hormone (cortisol) will drop by about 23%. A study by the University of California, Davis shows that people who develop the habit of being thankful for what they have are always in high spirits, feel energized and enjoy great well-being. Perhaps not the last role is played here low level cortisol.

2. Avoid Subjunctive Moods

Expressions like "What if....?" only add to our stress levels and make us worry. Any situation can take an unexpected turn. The more time

you will think about how things could be, the less time you will have for real actions that require focus and complete control over the situation. Calm people know that success does not tolerate the subjunctive mood.

3. Stay positive

Positive thoughts help you take your mind off problems and focus on what is absolutely not causing stress. Help your brain by getting rid of gloomy thoughts. Any positive emotions contribute to the rapid shifting of attention. If you are doing well, following this advice will not be difficult. If something goes wrong and you can't get rid of bad thoughts, you have to work a little. At such times, try to think of the pleasant moments that happened during the day, no matter how small they may be. If nothing good happened that day, increase the interval to a week. You can also think about upcoming events that you are looking forward to. In any case, you should learn to switch from negative thinking to positive.

4. Get distracted

Remember that in order to reduce stress levels, it is extremely important to organize the right rest. By forcing yourself to work 24/7, you expose yourself to negative factors. Turning off the computer and mobile phone, you eliminate the main sources of stress and allow your body to rest a bit. Studies show that even a small break can reduce stress levels.

Modern technologies allow us to easily communicate with colleagues and clients who expect us to be available to them 24/7. Sometimes it can be so difficult to distract from an important activity when the phone is ringing nearby, and email notifications invariably return your thoughts to work. If you can't bring yourself to distract yourself on weekdays, use the weekend to do so. Determine the time intervals in which you will turn off all equipment. You will be surprised how effective such a holiday can be, and you will certainly want to include it in your schedule on a weekly basis. If you're afraid of missing an important call or message, start by scheduling a break for a period of time when other people are less likely to text or call you (Sunday morning, for example). Once you get used to the "silence", gradually increase the time and frequency of the time slots that you will spend away from high-tech devices.

5. Limit your caffeine intake

Caffeine consumption stimulates the release of adrenaline, which in turn triggers the fight-or-die survival mechanisms. Faced with danger, the body sacrifices rational thinking in favor of a quick reaction. This is great if a huge bear is chasing you, but it is not applicable in work. Under caffeine, our stressed brain and body are unable to control themselves properly. This condition is not normal and should therefore be avoided.

6. Get more sleep

The importance of sleep for emotional stability and stress management cannot be overstated. When you sleep, your brain is literally energized, processing the information received during the day, forgetting it or storing it (which causes dreams), and you wake up refreshed and with a fresh head. If you don't get enough sleep, your self-control, attention, and memory suffer. In addition, lack of sleep raises or lowers hormone levels in the blood uncontrollably, even when the body is not under stress. Stressful projects often do not leave us enough time to rest, however good dream- this is what will help you to fully control the situation.

7. Never blame yourself

If you want to manage stress, you should stop internal conversations in which you analyze your own mistakes and blame yourself for them. The more you focus on negative thoughts the more they possess you. Most of them are just thoughts, not facts. Thinking about the bad, you set yourself up in a negative way. It's time to stop this. By learning to stop negative emotions and gloomy thoughts, you will be able to more rationally and soberly evaluate their validity.

Any statement that includes the words "never", "always", "worst" is not 100% true. Write them down and then show them to a friend or colleague and ask if they agree with you. Together you can find the truth. If it seems to you that some event never happens and cannot happen, most likely you simply underestimate its frequency. By identifying and writing down your thoughts, you can separate them from the facts and get rid of negative thinking.

Stress and anxiety often distort our perception of certain events. Unrealistic project deadlines, strict managers, and constant traffic jams are just some of the factors that cause stress. You cannot control everything around you, but you can control how you react to what happens. Instead of thinking carefully about this or that thought, try to put the situation in perspective. It is possible that the scale of your expectations and experiences do not correspond to reality. If you tend to exaggerate, claiming that "It's not going according to plan" or "It's definitely not going to work out," it's time to rethink the situation. If you are determined to change a wrong behavior pattern, make a list of processes and ideas that you think are "going wrong" or "won't work." Most likely, you will come to the conclusion that not everything is bad, and the problems are not at all as big as you thought.

9. Breathe deeply!

The easiest way to reduce stress levels is to breathe as deeply as possible. This stimulates brain activity, forcing yourself to focus on getting the job done. When you feel a strong tension, take a short break and focus on your breathing. Close the door, eliminate all possible irritants, sit in a comfortable chair. During this time, try not to think about anything. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. It sounds pretty simple, but after a couple of minutes you will notice that it becomes more and more difficult to focus. It is possible that various thoughts will distract you from the very beginning, but you should chase them away. To make this easier, try counting each breath from 1 to 20 and back. If you mess up, you can always start over.

This method may seem too easy or stupid to you, but after the exercise you will feel much calmer and will be able to get rid of unnecessary thoughts more easily.

10. Get the support you need

The desire to resolve all issues on your own is commendable, but it leads to rapid overwork. To stay calm and productive, you will need to acknowledge your shortcomings and ask for help if you really need it. If things get out of control and you feel like you can't handle it, reach out for support. Surely in your environment there is a person who can facilitate your work. Designate such assistants for yourself in advance and try to win them over to you. In some cases, a simple conversation about experiences will help, in which the interlocutor can offer a new, alternative vision of the situation. Often other people see a way out that is not available to you, simply because they are not so emotionally involved in solving this problem. Asking for help will reduce your stress levels and strengthen your relationships with those you can rely on.

Travis Bradberry, President at TalentSmart
Translation: Airapetova Olga

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