Psycho-gymnastic exercises to relieve emotional stress

Stress management

Many scientific works are devoted to the topic of counteracting stress. The problem of its occurrence has been scrupulously studied from all sides. Stress itself can be divided into the following types:

• physical – the influence of weather conditions (heat, cold, sudden changes in temperature);
• chemical – exposure to toxic substances;
• psychological – strong positive or negative emotions;
• biological - injuries, diseases, various types of overload, childbirth in women.

Even in ancient China, mechanisms for relieving emotional stress were developed:

• meditation;
• acupuncture;
• dancing;
• playing music;
• massage;
• aromatherapy;
• calligraphy.

Chinese scientists believe that tension on the body contributes to stress. And all of the listed psychological and physical methods of influencing the body are aimed at relaxation effects: restoring mental balance, proper breathing, reducing stress levels. They should help mental health recover.

Calligraphy perfectly relieves nervous tension

Vaccination against fear

Start now by choosing the three most stressful or anxiety-inducing tasks in your career or personal life. In the current situation, this could be the fear of being left without a job, without a livelihood, or the fear of not being in control of your life. Write them down. Then, mentally rehearse a situation in which you are faced with one of your most stressful work or personal problems.

The fear you try to avoid can turn into a phobia - source.

Close your eyes so you can better identify what's going on in your body and mind.

• Notice how you react during the first five seconds. What is happening in your body (breathing, heart rate and areas of muscle tension), what are your thoughts or images, your feelings? How do you talk to yourself?

• Notice your reactions without making judgments or comparisons. Simply observe and then make notes of your automatic reactions to stress and confrontation. And again write down: a) physical sensations; b) thoughts or images; c) internal dialogue.

Stay in these stressful conditions for 30 seconds (that's 5-6 deep breaths) and get a “vaccination” that will help you become less susceptible to fears and stress in the future. When you decide to be alone with something that you have previously avoided, you are telling your primal reflexes that “a leader solves a problem, not runs from it.”

Take half an hour and jot down a list of your fears. Write the first thing that comes to mind. List thirty fears. Write down what you are worried about, what terrifies you so much that you are afraid to even write these words on paper. Take a pencil or felt-tip pen and make small drawings next to your most frightening feelings and thoughts.

Write down everything that worries you. Table from the book “How to overcome fear”

This exercise will give you a physical sense of how to create a psychological safety net for yourself that will relieve you of fear, stress, and help you work and live in peace.

Read the exercise and imagine (with your eyes open or closed) your feelings in each scene. Then notice how your mind and body responded.

Scene 1. Imagine that you have to walk on a board that is 30 cm wide, 100 cm long and 2.5 cm thick and you have all the abilities necessary to complete this task. Can you take the first step without fear or hesitation? Let's assume you answer yes.

Scene 2. Now imagine that you need to complete the same task and your abilities remain the same, but the board is located between two buildings at a height of 30 m. Can you walk along this board in such conditions? If not, what's stopping you? How much stress are you experiencing? In what part of your body do you feel tension (i.e., what are your reactions to danger and stress signals)? Most people answer that they are afraid of falling and getting seriously or even fatally injured. This is an understandable and normal reaction.

Scene 3. While you are standing on the edge of the board, trembling with fear and not daring to start or complete a movement, your boss, friends or relatives, who know full well that you are capable of handling this task, begin to accuse you of indecisiveness and advise you to simply do what is required. But you know it's not easy.

Suddenly everything changes. You feel the heat behind you and hear the crackling of fire. The building, on which one edge of the board rests, was engulfed in fire! How will you now cope with your doubts and the fear that holds you back? How important will it be to complete the task perfectly now? Are you still afraid of falling?

Most people respond that self-esteem and perfectionism no longer concern them. They say that they are ready to walk on the board even on all fours, just so as not to die in the fire - source.

Regardless of the method you choose to move around the board, notice how you are freed from the paralysis caused by fear and become motivated to take any action that ensures your survival.

Scene 4. In this final scene, imagine that you still need to walk along the board at a height of 30 m, your abilities remain the same, there is no fire, and there are no strict time limits for you, but 1 m below the board there is a strong net. Can you walk the board in this case? If so, what has changed for you?

Notice that you may now make a mistake, fall, feel confused, or not execute the move perfectly. Write down the words and feelings you had after the safety net appeared. For example, you might tell yourself, “I won't die,” or “If I make a mistake, it won't be the end of the world,” or “I'm still afraid of heights, but knowing that the safety net exists allows me to just think about completing the task and not worry about a possible fall.”

According to some studies, Buddhist monks are the happiest people because they don't worry about anything. Of course, it is impossible to avoid worries in everyday life, but you have the power to resist their negative influence.

Based on materials from the books “An Easy Way to Start a New Life”, “How to Overcome Fear” and “Depression Cancels”

Prevention and treatment of stress

To help the body cope with stress, experts have developed exercises to relieve tension, which include three main complexes: breathing exercises, relaxation exercises, and meditation.

Take a deep breath so that the necessary amount of oxygen enters the body, sufficient for the full functioning of the brain and its stable functioning.

Focus on your breathing. Breathe slowly and calmly, think about something pleasant. Relax your body as much as possible.

Slowly, through your nose, take several deep breaths. Try to inhale and exhale at equal intervals. To do this, count in your head. This exercise will promote sound and restful sleep.

Close your nostrils one by one and take deep breaths. Repeat the exercise several times. According to experts, this exercise works no worse than a cup of coffee.

The exercise has a very simple technique. Tighten your body muscles tightly for a few seconds, and then concentrate on the feeling of relaxation that arises. This technique was developed by physician E. Jacobson in the 1920s.

Repeat the breathing complex several times. You will feel relief almost immediately.

The concept of “meditation” involves deepening into oneself and visualizing the desired results. A quiet, calm place associated with comfort is suitable for the exercise. Extraneous factors need to be excluded; to do this, use quiet, relaxing music.

It is better for beginners to carry out the exercise with their eyes closed, this will make it easier to concentrate. Doing the exercise with your eyes open, choose an exit point. This way you will be less distracted. The focal point should be filled with meaning so that it is easier to cling to it.

Visualization should convey a positive emotion and help you calm down. This image could be your favorite cafe, a river next to a house in the village, a park alley, or any calm and pleasant place for which your imagination is sufficient.

The brighter and clearer you can imagine everything, the better the effect will be. Contrary to what many people think, this exercise takes little time, but the results are noticeable immediately.

Concentration exercise

By doing this concentration exercise several times a day, you will find that feelings of worry and anxiety will gradually subside.

1) focus on breathing and inhale on the count of “one-two-three”; 2) hold your breath on the count of “three”, clench your fists and tense your leg muscles and pull your navel towards the spinal column; 3) slowly exhale completely on the count of “ four-five-six,” easing muscle tension as you feel support from the chair and floor.

Feel the warmth and homeliness of an ordinary chair - source.

Read the following instructions out loud and record them on your voice recorder. Sit down, play a recording, close your eyes and focus on calming your energy and easing the tension in your muscles.

• As you exhale, feel yourself touching the chair and the floor, which represents something stronger than your mind or your ego fighting alone. This something could be your strongest self, the support of the earth, the laws of the Universe, the deeper wisdom of the integrated left and right hemispheres of your brain, or, if you prefer, God or another higher power.
• As you bring your attention to your body and the sensation of contact with the chair after each exhalation, try to feel how the chair is supporting you. Feel the warmth of the chair in your buttocks and back. As you shift your attention to your feelings in the present, you are telling your mind and body, “It will remain safe to be here for the next few minutes. There is no urgent work waiting for you, and there is no need to rush anywhere. You can ease your tension. You can eliminate the need to work as hard as you can. I prefer to sit quietly here, in the moment—the only moment that exists.”
• Welcome any thought or any part of yourself that tries to cling to the past or control the future. Bring that part of you and your time-traveling mind back to the present by saying, “Yes, I hear you. Now I'm here with you. You don't have to face the problems of the past or future alone. Come and be with me now, at this moment.”
• Recommit to protecting your body and life and treat every aspect of your self with compassion and understanding. With added power in your leadership role, bring all parts of yourself into this unique moment of respite from worries about the past and future. Focus your attention on what you can do now to improve your chances of achieving success and inner peace.
• Write down any physical and emotional changes you observe.

Getting rid of anxiety: let's summarize

These are basic exercises that, if done regularly, will help relieve anxiety and restlessness over time. To achieve maximum effect, do not forget about such an important element as accepting your condition and symptoms. Factors such as good healthy sleep, proper nutrition and time to rest during each day are also very important. Overwork, lack of sleep and stress are an excellent breeding ground for the formation of neuroses and anxiety disorders. You can read in detail about the algorithm for working with anxiety and anxiety disorders in the book written by psychologists Pavel Fedorenko and Ilya Kachay, “First Aid for Anxiety.” In it, they talk in detail about the mechanisms of anxiety and how to develop the right attitude towards it based on the exercises given in this article.

Psychological training

Autotraining. “Quick action” technique for relieving psycho-emotional stress. Self-hypnosis is widely used in sports, medicine, pedagogy and other areas that interact with people.

Dissipation of attention. Concentrating on the little things will allow you to abstract yourself from the situation as a whole for a while and help you make a difficult decision easier.

Decrease in importance. “It’s all nonsense compared to the world revolution.” This quote perfectly describes our situation. The more globally we look, the smaller and insignificant our problem will seem.

Knowledge is power. Information has always been one of humanity's strongest weapons in the fight, so why not use it in our situation? Gather as much information as possible about the problem and you will see possible options for action.

Modeling. The more development options you can come up with, the easier it will be to choose the most appropriate solution to your situation. This will also provide an opportunity to mentally prepare in advance for not the most pleasant options.

Laughter prolongs life. If you approach a problem with humor, it will cease to be a problem. Or at least it will be much easier to solve. Humor has always been a good way to relieve negative emotions.

Chocolate (sweet). Favorite folk remedy. Scientists have proven that sweets reduce stress by 46% and produce the hormone of happiness - “serotonin”. The main thing is not to overdo it.

Chocolate promotes the production of the hormone serotonin

Fish pose

1. Sit on the floor, stretch your legs and place your hands under your hips. 2. Make a slight arch in your spine and slowly lower your shoulders and head, resting on your forearms. 3. Touching the parietal part of your head to the floor, relax your cervical spine. There should be no pain or signs of discomfort. 4. Spend 30-60 seconds in this position.

Exercise promotes the production of melatonin, which is responsible for sleep. Contraindications: scoliosis, heart pathologies, ulcers, pregnancy.

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Stress and children

It's not just adults who are susceptible to stress. It threatens our kids no less. Their psyche is still quite fragile and more susceptible to external influences. Often we, without realizing it, harm our child. A lack of attention or a carelessly thrown word can deeply hurt.

Both psychological exercises have been developed for adults, and for our children there is a set of psychosomatic exercises aimed at combating psychological problems. The exercises are designed for a group of children, but there are also exercises that a child is quite capable of doing on his own.

The main requirement for such work is the age of the child - from 2-3 years and older. The lesson itself should be held exclusively in a playful form. This is a very important point, because if the child is not carried away by the game, then psychological exercises will not bring results, and, perhaps, will even put the child into a state of stress.

So, how can psycho-gymnastics help our children:

• will teach you how to adapt to a team, make acquaintances and make friends;
• will help you understand yourself, your feelings and the feelings of others;
• will teach you to demonstrate and understand emotions;
• will relieve shyness, disgust, fears and other troubles;
• develops imagination and creative thinking;
• will teach you to control your movements.

"Teddy bunny." This technique relieves facial muscle tension. Any favorite toy will do. We take it, sit down opposite our baby and say: “Let's play with the bunny. The bunny kisses the nose, the bunny kisses the cheeks, the bunny kisses the forehead...” Gently stroke your baby during this time, either by holding a toy in front of him or by stroking him with the toy itself.

"Look who's talking." We teach the child to empathize, develop the ability to identify himself with the world around him. The child chooses an object and tells what he would like to be and what he did. The more objects the baby describes, the better. The main thing is to make sure that the actions and description are positive.

"The flower is waking up." Relieving emotional and muscle tension. The child is in a state of calm. The adult says: “The sun has risen, the flower wakes up (the baby straightens up and pulls the tips of his fingers as high as possible), the breeze blew slightly, the flower clings to the grass (the child presses himself to the floor), the breeze has died down completely (the child straightens up), the sun has gone to bed, and he fell asleep flower (child relaxes).

“Hug a friend.” We satisfy the need for emotional intimacy. We bring some of our favorite toys. The child chooses one of them, hugs and says something affectionate, then takes the next toy.

The “Hug a Friend” technique helps fill the lack of emotional intimacy

"Moods". We learn to accept and understand our feelings and fears. Ask your child to continue the phrase: “I love it when...”, “If it’s dark for me...”, “When my mother is not around me...”, “I get angry if...”, “If I’m offended...”, “Once I was...”.

"Samaritan". We develop empathy and teach our baby to help. We tie the arm of one of our relatives - it is supposedly broken. The child is offered help to eat, drink water, draw a picture, get dressed, etc.

Night Goddess Pose

1. Lie down on the floor. 2. Place your soles together and make a diamond shape out of your feet. 3. For comfort, place a pillow under your knees. 4. Stay in this position for 2-3 minutes.

Exercise lowers blood pressure, calms the pulse, and helps with headaches. It also improves stretching, strengthens the hip joints, and improves blood flow in the pelvic and abdominal areas.