How to change your reaction to stress

As we often say colloquially, to live in Canada is to live “in the machine” or to have your life “move at 200 miles an hour,” although I believe that it is now a similar case back in the land where we all came from. I remember when my kids were little and went to after-school care, I lived in constant fear of not arriving on time to pick them up, or being the last parent to do so (which did happen on a few occasions). Then came the rush to feed them, to get their homework done, to make up for 10 hours of lost socializing time in only two hours, and to make it on time for their music lessons, math classes, or sports activities. And in the evening, when I would put my exhausted kids to bed, only then would I start to cook for the following day, and fall asleep in the living room after reading only a few lines of my book… I believe that this scenario is more than familiar to most mothers and wives, even if they do not have kids or live alone. Not even the sheer exhaustion was as draining as the constant stress of trying to get places on time and finishing all obligations. There is constant pressure to finish everything, to tend to many obligations at work and at home, and raise children and give them the best possible foundations for their futures. Add to that the desire to stay on top of things, to maintain a social life, to go out to concerts and the theatre, and maybe even do something for ourselves—even if that is just half an hour with a book. I think that it is only now, looking back, that I realize how demanding and stressful all of that was.

We all somehow fight stress—both in healthy and unhealthy ways. Some relax with a cigarette, some go to yoga or dance classes; some find relief in chocolate, some in meditation; some in binge-watching TV, some in nature.

That is how I myself, by following my inner urge, found my path and way to gradually decrease my constant state of stress and tension. Yoga was my first step, meditation my second, and then I continued to look for effective methods that would allow me to quickly get rid of stress when I get into situations that bring it on.  That is how I found this simple exercise, which you can do alone but also include your kids, whether it is you or they that need to calm down and focus, since they also live the same fast-paced life as we do and are exposed to the same stressors. This exercise helps us to not only calm down, but also to reprogram our reactions to stressful situations, whether they are only temporary or something that upsets us every time we think about them.  

How to reprogram your reaction to stress:

As you think about a stressful situation to which you would like to change your reaction:

1. With your fingers, gently press the indentations on your forehead above your eyes
2. Keep your thumbs on your temples
3. Breathe deeply
4. Stay like this for three to five minutes

This will allow you to think more clearly about the situation. If you do this regularly as you think about that stressful situation, not only will you calm yourself and rid yourself of stress, but with time you will also reprogram your response to that situation.

For mothers and teachers – How to calm your kids down quickly: 

Put them in partners and face them towards each other, or put them in a line one behind the other, so that each child has their hands on the forehead of the child in from of them, as per points 1, 2 and 3. The children will find this fun, and you will get to enjoy a moment of quiet. Usually, this exercise calms them down enough that they themselves change the way they play or their behaviour. If you are alone with a child, do this exercise together. You will be surprised how easy it is to make the child participate.  

Author: Svetlana Stankić

Source: Donna Eden with David Feinstein, Ph.D., Energy Medicine / Balancing Your Body’s Energies for Optimal Health, Joy and Vitality