7 ways to get rid of stress that psychologists themselves use

Ways to relieve emotional stress

Prepared by:

Pochinkova Natalia Sergeevna,

educational psychologist of the consultation department

GBU JSC "

Ways to relieve emotional stress

Emotional stress is a set of emotional experiences that reduce the emotional background and motivational sphere of the individual. The state of emotional stress is accompanied by a feeling of a person’s helplessness in the face of life’s circumstances, one’s own uselessness, a feeling of loss of the meaning of life or the purpose of activity. The work is done formally, interest in others is supported by social requirements, apathy gradually begins to fill all areas of life. The feeling of causeless anxiety and restlessness increases. The state of emotional tension in most cases is caused by a person’s inability to express his emotional and sensory experiences. This is due to social norms of behavior, prohibitions on expressing aggressiveness and discontent. Many people are taught from childhood that they should not be angry with certain people or resist certain actions.

Timely relief of emotional stress helps to avoid serious consequences, but it is also worth taking care of preventive methods to prevent the accumulation of tension. Relieving emotional stress requires serious internal and external work, a keen sense of your needs and capabilities, as well as patience, since it is impossible to remove in a couple of minutes what has been accumulating for months. Today, psychologists offer many techniques aimed at relieving tension. They can be classified as follows. 1. Techniques related to images. This group of techniques includes all visualization techniques. Let's look at an example. Tree. You need to imagine your state as a tree. If you are scared, anxious or offended, the tree will most likely be small, weak, with few branches. Imagine in detail the place, the weather, the surroundings. Gradually start growing your tree. This must be done slowly. First you see how the trunk becomes larger, foliage appears, horses grow. The weather is calming down. If it was raining, the clouds clear and the sun comes out. The tree becomes powerful, it can no longer be broken so easily and it does not stagger from the wind. As you perform, you will feel yourself calm down a little. Water. A similar technique, but we imagine not a tree, but water. First, imagine your state at the moment. Most likely the water will be agitated, perhaps it will be a raging sea. Imagine the colors, the weather, the clouds. When visualizing, the more detailed you imagine, the better. Then slowly calm the waters in your imagination. The waves are getting smaller. The wind subsides. The sun is coming out. Imagine until the water surface becomes completely smooth.

2. Bodily techniques. This includes a lot of different things - a hot bath, active exercises, sports, self-massage. Hot tea or, conversely, cool drinks. Breathing is presented separately, although indirectly it certainly relates to bodily techniques.

3. Breathing techniques.

The basic principle is to exhale longer than inhale. You can use this account. Inhale for 4 counts, hold your breath for 2 counts, exhale for 6 counts. Make sure you don't get too dizzy. If your head is very dizzy, you can take a break and breathe again on a count. Another version of the breathing exercise is this: your task is to turn on calm music and breathe to it. Try to combine your breathing with the rhythm of the music. It is important to understand that there is no right or wrong decision here. The task itself helps to switch attention, distract and calm down.

Visualization goes well with breathing techniques.

4. Artistic techniques

This includes all techniques related to self-expression through art - paint, clay, paper, pencils and others. Anxiety can be drawn. You can dance it. You can use plasticine to sculpt (nowadays a very large number of interesting types of plasticine have appeared in stores: they do not stick to your hands and are much more pleasant to work with).

Working with anxiety: CBT exercises

One of the most effective methods of psychotherapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT, sometimes called cognitive behavioral therapy = CBT).

So today I'm going to share some CBT techniques that you can use while you're looking for opportunities to see a psychologist/psychotherapist regularly.

The main idea of ​​CBT is that thoughts cause emotions - including anxiety. For example, I know that I need to call the clinic and make an appointment with the doctor. I think that the person at the register may be in a hurry, answer rudely, that I will forget what I need to say or will not be able to explain it clearly, and that the employee will think that I am stupid. All these thoughts make me anxious.

In order to better understand my anxiety, I was advised to keep a diary in which I note and analyze all the “alarming” events. This diary should have 3-4 columns:

• Situation, event - what happened
• Thoughts that arise at this moment
• Emotions. In this case, it’s anxiety, but in principle you can use this diary for other emotions. Ideally as a percentage (more on that later)
• Alternative thought(s). A column for “advanced” - it is better to add it when you already have some practice in keeping such a diary.

It will look something like this (real example from my own diary):

I would like to clarify some points related to this table.

Firstly, you need to conduct it daily . I usually make 3 – 5 entries, I think less than 3 makes no sense.

Secondly, how to determine that an emotion is anxiety? Some people feel emotions physically (maybe, for example, increased heart rate, tight muscles, etc.), but in my case this only happens when the anxiety is very strong. Therefore, I usually determine anxiety by indirect signs - certain thoughts (“what if”, “what if”, “he/she thinks that I ...”) or simply a very rapid change of thoughts, the inability to concentrate or the desire to avoid the situation, distract oneself (for example, “wandering” through sites).

If you can easily determine your anxiety as a percentage, great. If not, it’s better to make a special scale . Remember the event(s) that provoked the most severe anxiety in your life - it will be 100%. Think of an event that is about half of that maximum and you have 50%. 60% is a little more alarming, etc. Thus, for every ten percent you will have some kind of “template” event with which you can compare what happens to you.

I want to say that even just keeping a diary (for the week that passed before discussing the results) helped me a lot. I began to recognize these situations better and sometimes, while still in them, I noticed my anxiety and looked at it as if from the outside.

The anxious thoughts you have (as well as the general ideas that often underlie those thoughts) can be analyzed using specific 6 questions. I will demonstrate them with an example.

I will, again, analyze a typical thought in a typical situation - I’m standing at the checkout with purchases, but there’s something wrong with my card (I’ll forget my PIN code, it won’t work, etc.)

What evidence is there that this is the case?

Since I know that the card has not expired and there is money on it, I do not have clear evidence. But there is some chance that for some reason the machine will not be able to accept the card, and there is an even smaller chance that I will forget the PIN code.

What evidence is there to the contrary?

I know that this worrying thought often occurs to me, but this has never happened (although once or twice I did not have enough money, but that’s another story). I remember my PIN code well. I made purchases in this store several times, and all the card acceptance machines worked.

What's the worst thing that will happen if this turns out to be true?

I won't be able to make a purchase. Sometimes my imagination “tells” me that the cashier may accuse me of stealing someone else’s card, but in fact this will never happen (especially since the card is mine and I can prove it).

Will I be able to survive this (the worst thing)?

Yes, sure.

What good does this thought do for me?

In fact, this question sounds very strange, but that’s exactly how it is - any disturbing thought brings us some benefit, although very often this does not lie on the surface.

Actually, in this particular case I'm not very sure. Perhaps it “justifies” my vision of a world in which we must constantly be on guard and in which danger surrounds everyone. Maybe this gives me the adrenaline that is missing in my life? But these are just hypotheses.

What does this thought deprive me of?

Calmness, self-confidence.

When I did this exercise for the first time, I asked - should I now, when I see how this thought bothers me, give it up? (Because it seemed impossible to me.) It turned out - no, it won’t work out right away, because there is something useful in it. But this “unfolding” actually really helps to reduce anxiety (and in the future, perhaps also find other ways to receive the positive that this thought gives).

I hope these exercises were helpful! I highly recommend them to anyone who, for some reason, is not yet working with a psychologist or psychotherapist.

Breathing exercises to relieve stress and excessive tension in the body

1. Inhale and exhale - very slowly! Let's start with a slow inhalation, during which we count to 4, then hold our breath for 5-6 counts and slowly exhale. Repeat 5-6 times. This exercise not only helps during times of stress, it is very effective to do it before bed in order to fall asleep faster and more peacefully.

2. "Breathing" with the stomach.

The exercise is done in any comfortable position (you can also lie down). Straighten your back, chin slightly up. Next, we inhale slowly through the nose so that the air first fills the stomach, then the chest. We hold our breath for a short time (you can count to 4). Exhale: relax and lower your chest first, then your stomach, pulling it in a little. You can repeat up to 15 cycles, making sure that the inhalation is as full and deep as possible, as is the exhalation.

3. Breathe through different nostrils. In any comfortable position, close your eyes. The exercise is extremely simple.

• We close the left nostril with our finger and inhale through the right.
• We hold our breath and exhale through the left.
• The finger remains on the right nostril, inhale through the left. Exhale now through the right.

Repeat several times. This exercise is also recommended before bed.

Please note that the information presented on the site is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended for self-diagnosis and self-medication. The selection and prescription of medications, treatment methods, as well as monitoring their use can only be carried out by the attending physician. Be sure to consult a specialist.

Reviews and comments

You can express your opinion about the article, relaxation exercises, as well as share your own knowledge on the topic and experience, using the comment form.

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Key words:1Psychoregulation

Body muscle relaxation exercise

Muscle relaxation is a technique that is aimed at tensing the muscles of the body and their subsequent relaxation. Simply put, to relieve stress, you first need to tense your muscles, and then concentrate as much as possible on the feeling of relief.

Set of exercises: Start breathing slowly, try to focus on breathing. Then, as you inhale, tense your arm muscles, clench your hands into fists, and as you exhale, relax and concentrate on the process. Then make circular movements with your neck, then raise your shoulders to your ears, and tilt your chin to your chest - as you exhale, feel the pleasant sensations. Then, in turn, strain the muscles of your face, chest, abs, back, legs and catch the moment of relief.

Gymnastics for stress

1. We stretch our shoulders.

You need to stand up straight and straight. We put our hands on our shoulders. Inhaling, we raise our elbows up, stretch them towards the ceiling, and tilt our head back a little (not too much, it’s better so that the nose reaches towards the ceiling). Exhale - return to the first position. Repeating this exercise just a few times will relieve tension in your neck, shoulders and back.

2. Reaching for the stars.

We stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. As we inhale, our arms stretch upward as if we are about to reach the stars. When we exhale, our hands drop, we need to shake them a little. We repeat about five times, breathe deeply, for better effect we spread our fingers when we stretch up.

3. We grab our legs.

Need a chair without wheels. We sit down straight, then press our legs tightly towards ourselves so that our toes are located on the edge of the chair. The chin is located between the knees. We remain in the hug position for 10 seconds, then sharply loosen the hug. Repeat 5 times. This exercise will relax your back muscles and shoulders.

4. Child's pose.

You need to sit on your heels, knees slightly apart. Take a deep breath - raise your arms up, stretch slightly. Exhale - place your hands on your knees, then on the floor in front of you as far as possible. You need to stay in this state for 30 seconds, breathing deeply and calmly. Repeats about 5 times.

Meditation

Much has been written about the benefits of meditation; it really helps to get rid of anxiety, feel calm and inner freedom. Practice takes 15-20 minutes a day, but you will immediately feel the effect.

Practice: Find a quiet place, sit comfortably, preferably in the lotus position. Choose a point on which you will concentrate. You can meditate with your eyes open or closed. At the beginning, it will be difficult not to be distracted by extraneous thoughts, so the point will serve as a support for you. It is important that the point be the center of calm - a beach with an ocean if you meditate with your eyes closed, or a candle if you do the practice with your eyes open. Try to fully experience the picture being presented, abstracting from the outside world.

Stress has a detrimental effect on health and, in advanced cases, can lead to emotional burnout and psychological distress. Don’t push yourself to the extreme, take the free Stress Management course in 45 minutes. You will understand the nature of stress and be able to apply stress reduction techniques.

Breathing exercise

Movies often show a sequence in which the main character begins to breathe slowly to calm down. This method really works. When a person is stressed, breathing quickens and the body simply does not have enough oxygen. If you begin to inhale and exhale deeply, the brain will receive the necessary amount of air for normal functioning.

Breathing Practice: Sit or lie down and relax the muscles of your arms, legs, face and upper chest muscles. Begin to slowly inhale and exhale air through your nose while counting to four.

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