Mental health experts tell how to manage stress

ANI |
Updated: February 04, 2022 17:08 IST

Washington [US], Feb 4 (ANI): We all go through stress in our lives, no matter how hard we try to avoid it. Now some mental health Experts have given advice on how to manage stress in the midst of the pandemic.
According to Fox News, here are some things you can try to stay stress-free:
1. The STOP skill
This is a smart strategy shared by Dr. Sabrina Romanoff, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University in New York City, of a branch of therapy called Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT.
“Stop means: Stop; Step back; Observe; Proceed carefully,” he explained.
“When emotions take over, you may find that you act impulsively. When you react impulsively, you don’t have time to use your arsenal of abilities,” she added.
If you find yourself panicking in a situation, you can always use the “STOP” skill to regain control of the situation.
2. The TIP skill
Another DBT modus operandi, Romanoff breaks down “TIP,” “Tipping face temperature with cold water; intense aerobic exercise; steady breathing and paired muscle relaxation,” she said, noting that each of these techniques has the effect of rapidly accelerating changing their pattern of biological response to stress.
“In turn, they lead to a decrease in your emotional arousal. These abilities they work like fast-acting drugs,” he added.
If you focus on the present moment, you will be better able to deal with what is at hand.
3. Put your face in cold water for up to a minute
“Bend over, hold your breath and submerge your face in a bowl of cold water for up to 60 seconds,” Romanoff offered.
“This is usually enough to induce the ‘dipping reflex.’ The colder the water and the longer the dive, the better it works,” he added.
As Romanoff explains, the diving reflex is when our hearts tend to slow their resting heart rate when submerged in cold, oxygen-depleted water, due to increased activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which decreases arousal. Taking a cold shower may also reset your mood.
4. Sunbathing
“Having fewer hours of daylight can have a negative impact on your mood,” says Doreen Marshall, vice president of mission engagement for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
To help deal with less sunlight, he recommended finding 30 minutes to go outside.
“You can just sit and watch the sunrise or walk around your neighborhood, whatever you do, just make an effort to make it a daily habit,” he said.
“A lot of people think you have to exercise vigorously to get benefits, but research, even in my lab, has found that’s really not the case,” echoes Thomas Plante, professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and professor adjunct clinical psychiatrist. at Stanford University School of Medicine.
“Stress reduction can be found with short walks. Try to walk every day, even if it’s only for 15 minutes, and you will be less stressed over time,” he added.
5. Connect with family and friends
“There’s a good chance you’re not alone in feeling alone, and sharing how you’re feeling can help others do the same,” Marshall said.

“Reach out to someone who feels this way too and talk about ways you can stay connected and support each other,” she added.
“As the saying goes, what goes around comes around. We live in notoriously stressful and rather apocalyptic times, where stress-related hardships create a tsunami of mental health challenges,” Plante said.
“When we are nice to others, they are usually nice to us, a positive boomerang effect that can then reduce stress, anxiety and depression for all of us,” he added.
6. Identify your triggers
“The most efficient way to reduce stress is to start engaging in stress-reduction techniques as soon as you realize you’re experiencing stress,” said Lin Sternlicht, therapist and co-founder of Family Addiction Specialist, based in New York City. New York.
“To do so, it’s important to identify triggers that could lead to stress, which would better prepare us to deal with stress when we anticipate it,” Sternlicht added.
Triggers vary from person to person, but can include certain people, places, things, foods (caffeine is often the culprit), activities, times of year, or times of day.
During those times, you can opt for a quick guided meditation track, repeat a calming mantra, or play relaxing music.
As Sternlicht also pointed out, pay attention to physiological cues you may have when you encounter a trigger, such as muscle tension or increased heart rate.
7. The big picture
“Too often we are stressed by the little things, the daily hassles, making mountains out of a molehill,” Plante said.
“We need to take a deep breath and ask ourselves if what we’re worried about really matters in the big picture. If not, let it go,” he added.
8. Forgiveness
Whether you’re holding a grudge against someone or a friend is making you nervous, forgiving them will relax you.
“Forgiveness is a powerful tonic for bitterness, anger and discomfort,” Plante said.
“Practice it regularly, I’ll admit, it’s not usually easy to do, but you can get better at it and you’ll feel less stressed,” he added.
9. Grounding method
“An important technique for stopping the stress response is anchoring in the present moment. Stress is often triggered by experiences that aren’t currently occurring, often stemming from past or future events and mental wandering,” Sternlicht said. .
“As such, grounding is an effective stress-relieving technique. There are many techniques for grounding in the present moment, and the more you practice them, the easier and more natural it will become,” Sternlicht added.
One of Sternlicht’s methods is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method.
“Just think of five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. It’s a great technique to keep your ‘mind wandering’ from dwelling on things.” useless”. , stressful thoughts,” Sternlicht said.
10. Stress release
“Stress is the result of ruminating thoughts. As such, a useful tool is to let them out and release them. I call it a stress dump, some might call it a brain dump, writing a journal or a list. The key here is to put pen to piece of paper and start writing. You may want to write down the things that stress you out and why they stress you out,” Sternlicht shared.
“There’s a physiological and psychological release that occurs when we take this action of literally getting the thoughts out of our head and onto paper. Doing so allows us to start separating our stress from being a part of us and therefore putting it into practice.” some distance between us and our stress,” she continued, adding that seeing our worries on paper can sometimes also help us realize that we may have been overreacting or catastrophic to our worries.
“Lastly, getting our thoughts in order can also help us clear our minds and begin to shift into solution mode and also help us become more organized with racing thoughts we may be experiencing,” she explained. (AND ME)