Stress management

Because many people have difficulty in managing stress them­selves, psychologists have developed a variety of stress manage­ment programs that can be taught to individuals. Stress man­agement programs are often taught through workshops, which are increasingly offered in the workplace (Taylor, 1991). Aware of the high cost of productivity lost to stress-related disorders, many organizations have become increasingly motivated to help their workers identify and cope with stressful circumstances in their lives. Some stress management programs are broad in scope, teaching a variety of techniques to handle stress; others are more narrow, teaching a specific technique, such as relaxation or assertiveness training. Some stress management programs are also taught to individuals who are experiencing similar kinds of problems—such as migraine headache sufferers or individuals with chronically high blood pressure. Colleges are increasingly developing stress management programs for students. If you are finding the experience of college extremely stressful and are hav­ing difficulty coping with taxing circumstances in your life, you might want to consider enrolling in a stress management pro­gram at your college or in your community. Let's now examine one of the techniques used in many stress management programs—relaxation training.

How relaxed are you right now? Would you like to feel more tranquil and peaceful? If so, you can probably reach that feeling state by following some simple instructions. First, you need to find a quiet place to sit. Get a comfortable chair and sit quietly and upright in it. Let your chin rest comfortably on your chest, your arms in your lap. Close your eyes. Then pay atten­tion to your breathing. Every time you inhale and every time you exhale, notice it and pay attention to the sensations of air flowing through your body, the feeling of your lungs filling and emptying. After you have done this for several breaths, begin to repeat silently to yourself a single word every time you breathe out. The word you choose does not have to mean anything. You can make the word up, you could use the word one, or you could try a word that is associated with the emotion you want to produce, such as trust, love, patience, or happy. Try several different words to see which one works best for you. At first, you will find that thoughts intrude and you are no longer at­tending to your breathing. Just return to your breathing and say the word each time you exhale. After you have practiced this ex­ercise for 10 to 15 minutes, twice a day, every day for 2 weeks, you will be ready for a shortened version. If you notice stress­ful thoughts or circumstances appearing, simply engage in the relaxation response on the spot for several minutes. If you are in public, you don't have to close your eyes, just fix your gaze on some nearby object, attend to your breathing, and say your word silently every time you exhale.

Audiotapes that induce the relaxation response are avail­able in most bookstores. They usually include soothing back­ground music along with instructions for how to induce the re­laxation response. These audiotapes can especially help induce a more relaxed state before you go to bed at night.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-29