Psychologists are professionals who specialize in dealing with various problems in life, overcoming fears and understanding different kinds of emotions, and each of us may need the help of a psychologist once in a while.
Although psychologists have the ability to help others, this doesn’t mean that they don’t help themselves from time to time, as they too often encounter life situations that leave them powerless and stressed out. The difference between us and them is that they already know how to deal with the stress. So, take a page out of their book and learn 8 tips for dealing with stress, tension, and anxiety, according to the methods they use themselves.
This method of calming muscles was developed in the 1920s, and the idea behind it is very simple: after intense exertion comes long relaxation. This means that you have to flex your body muscles for 10 seconds, then experience their relaxation for 20 seconds. If you are under a lot of stress, it is recommended that you do this for each muscle group separately - the relaxation of the muscles will eventually affect your mind as well, relieving it of stress.
This is a stress relieving method used by psychotherapist Jeffrey Sumber. When he is depressed, like many of us, he wants to eat something tasty and comforting, but consciously chooses to eat something healthy, or a dish he has never tasted before. That's why he takes the time to buy groceries and prepare new foods - in his opinion, this is the most wonderful way to get real satisfaction from the nutritious food you prepare for yourself, and this process will help you focus on your cooking and health rather than your worries.
Psychologist Susan Kraus Whitbourne of the University of Massachusetts says she never tries to fight stress. Instead of trying to fight it, Susan developed a mantra for herself to repeat throughout the stressful situation. Her mantra is: I can’t change the situation but I can change my reaction.” A positive response to a negative situation can help you avoid stress, and if this is the first time you try to do so, you’ll quickly discover that it’s not as difficult as it seems, you just need to make saying the mantra a habit.
Many psychologists recommend a popular method of clearing your head - all you have to do is clap and say, "Enough! I'll think about it later!" And set a later time to try to solve the problem. Yes, it's that simple, as long as you promise yourself that you will really return to the stressful issue at another point during the day. You can wear a rubber band on your wrist that you can snap whenever you’re thinking of things you don’t want to think about - the sudden pain will help you snap out of it.
This technique is often used by AA groups, as it helps to avoid dealing with the source of addiction. All you have to do to clear the thoughts from the issue that makes you nervous is to do something positive or something that yields results, such as washing dishes or organizing a room in your house. Sometimes the stress that strikes us simply stems from the number of things we need to get done, and if you complete one small task from the large list, you can significantly reduce the sense of stress you experience.
It is recommended that you take the time to engage in something that contributes to your sense of calm at least once a week, for at least an hour. It can be anything that helps you relax and forget all your troubles - reading, painting, cooking or exercising - anything that makes you happy while doing it. At the same time, it should be something that has nothing to do with work, responsibility or negative thoughts - that hobby should be the least stressful thing for you to do.
If you are stressed and anxious, it is likely that sleeping doesn’t come easily to you, but there is a way to relieve the stresses and sensations while preparing your body for sleep, which is relaxing yoga. Take a few minutes to do some yoga exercises in bed, they’ll leave you relaxed and nodding off in no time.
Dr. Toni Bernhard, a retired psychologist at the University of California, offers a slightly unconventional but highly effective way to relieve stress, which is based on the physiology of the human body. He recommends swiping the index finger over the lips - left and right - for a few minutes. This movement stimulates the nerves in the lips and encourages the action of the parasympathetic nervous system - which operates only when the body is calm.
