Stress – enemy or helper?

What exactly is stress? We hear about it practically every day and perceive it as something bad, undesirable. But do you know what to imagine under this spell and where stress actually came from?

Warning, danger!

Stress is an emotion that developed in our ancestors as a defense mechanism against immediate threats, such as an attacking bear. Its purpose was to activate the body for maximum performance in fight or flight. Today, bears rarely attack us, but we live in a hectic time where we are often under great pressure. Our brain often interprets this as a threat, triggering the body’s natural response. Stress has been around from the start to help us realize something is wrong. It’s good to see it as a warning light telling us to take care of ourselves. At the same time, it’s important to learn not to give in to stress and keep its effects manageable so it doesn’t control our actions. Long-term stress also exhausts the body greatly and can lead to health problems.

Techniques to manage a surge of stress

The best approach is, of course, to prevent stress—through sleep, health care, mental hygiene, or preparing for a test you’re afraid of. It may help just to realize that stress and fear are part of everyone’s life, so you’re not an exception; only the level of resilience to stress varies individually. You often can’t influence external circumstances, but what you can do is learn to work with yourself so your brain doesn’t perceive the situation as dangerous. This can also be achieved by practicing relaxation techniques that help quickly manage stress.

Immediately divert your attention elsewhere

As soon as you feel the first tension in your muscles, start sweating and trembling, you know a surge of stress is coming. Immediately start thinking about something else—maybe plan a vacation or mentally go through the latest episode of House of the Dragon. Or begin an activity that requires at least some thinking, like taking a pencil and writing a shopping list or what you want for Christmas. The point is to keep your brain busy so it has no room to focus on catastrophic scenarios. This way, you have a chance to stop the body’s reaction to perceived danger right at the start.

Schultz’s autogenic training

If you can’t stop the signs of stress by diverting your thoughts, it’s good to have practiced autogenic training in advance. Its goal is to relax and calm both body and mind. It consists of 6 steps, each performed for 2-3 minutes.

Procedure:

• Step 1: Imagine in your mind that your limbs are heavy. Slowly repeat: “I am completely calm” (once), then: “My right hand is heavy” (6 times), “My left hand is heavy” (6 times), “Both my hands are heavy” (6 times). Then say: “I am completely calm” (once). Do the same with your legs.
• Step 2: The next suggestion relates to warmth in your hands and feet. Repeat in the same pattern as the previous step, but change the phrase to: “My right hand is warm,” etc.
• Step 3: Focus your attention on your heartbeat. Repeat: “I am completely calm” (once), “My pulse is calm and regular” (6 times), etc.
• Step 4: Imagine your breathing as calm, regular, or slow and easy. Repeat: “I am completely calm” (once), followed by: “My breath is calm and regular” (6 times), etc.
• Step 5: Imagine the warmth of the sun on your belly and the center of your body. Repeat: “I am completely calm” (once), followed by: “My belly is full of warmth” (6 times), etc.
• Step 6: Imagine a cool breeze refreshing your forehead and face. Repeat: “I am completely calm” (once), followed by: “My forehead is pleasantly cool” (6 times), etc.

Jacobson’s progressive relaxation

This technique is useful when the body is tense and muscles are tight, so it’s also good for athletes before performance. It involves gradually going through individual muscle groups, tensing and then relaxing them.

Procedure:

Make sure to perform the technique in the correct order and rhythm, starting from your toes, moving through your legs, abdomen, chest, back, arms from shoulders to wrists, and ending with your mouth and eyelids. Muscle tension should come at the end of an inhale, and relaxation with the exhale. Hold each muscle tense for about 5 seconds, then relax it for about 10 seconds, mentally saying “relax” each time. Focus on the sensation in the muscles as you release the tension.

Are you experiencing stress related to the start of school? Much of it can be prevented—check out tips on how to survive the beginning of school without stress. Maybe then you won’t even need stress management techniques in practice.