Hello, dear readers! Do you know how to use the main recipe for finding inner balance? Are you letting streams of useless information pass you by? If you are looking for peace of mind, then you are ready to become happier and learn to enjoy life. Fortunately, this is not a gift that fate selectively bestows on its favorites, but an opportunity inherent in each of us. True, in order to pull this ability out from under the pile of daily negativity and surrounding aggression, you will have to make some efforts.
But you are ready for this, aren’t you?
Need a sign? Here he is!
Are you familiar with the word “psychosomatics”?
All psychosomatic diseases are based on anxiety and stress. This is how the body sends a signal that it is time to stop, time to regain peace of mind. Of course, when there are so many problems and unsolved problems around, it is difficult to stop running along the usual route. However, getting out of an emotional hole is usually even more difficult. I rarely allow myself such recommendations, but this time I advise you to start with... fortune telling! It’s called “mental balance.” Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but the results usually provide some motivation, help us gather our thoughts together and tune into the mood we need.
"Human stress and balance: reality and illusions." Presentation.
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Stress and human balance: Reality and illusions Authors: Students of State Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 1392 named after D.V. Ryabinkina Solovyova Alina 10"B", Shabalina Apollinaria 10"B"
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Purpose To study human balance and stress, their effect on the state of the body.
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Objectives 1. Find out how stress affects the health and human body. 2. Define peace of mind. 3. Determine how to maintain peace of mind.
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Hypothesis: Emotional overload has a strong impact on the body; the main role of stress in a person’s life is its impact on health. Traumatic experiences weaken defenses and reduce adaptation mechanisms. Against the background of moral oppression, not only the soul suffers, but also the internal organs. Moreover, the significance of nervous experiences for a person’s life is not always negative. The creator of the theory of stress, Hans Selye, argued that without stress, the surrounding reality becomes dead.
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Progress of work On the threshold of the 21st century. humanity is actively exploring the World Ocean, the polar regions of the planet, and mountains, often encountering the effects of extreme living conditions, i.e. with stress. It is known that in this case both psychological stress and the requirements for physiological stability of a person increase sharply. Almost everyone has experienced stress in their lives, and stress is often talked about these days. A prerequisite for the emergence and widespread dissemination of the doctrine of stress can be considered the increased (especially in the second half of the twentieth century) relevance of the problem of human protection from the effects of unfavorable environmental factors. Stress has many faces in its manifestations. It plays an important role in the occurrence of not only disorders of human mental activity or a number of diseases of internal organs. It is known that stress can provoke almost any disease. In this regard, there is currently an increasing need to learn more about stress and ways to prevent and cope with it. However, this does not mean that stress is only an evil, a misfortune, but also an important tool for training and hardening, because stress helps increase the body’s resistance and trains its forbidden mechanisms. Stress is our faithful ally in the body's ongoing adaptation to any changes in our environment.
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The vast majority of people understand the concept of “stress” as troubles, grief, and strong negative emotional experiences. This is partly correct. But only partly, because great joy, unexpected success, triumph is also stress. Or rather, not stress, a stressor-factor that causes a state of stress. G. Selye put forward and brilliantly proved the hypothesis of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), from which he came to the universal concept of stress. At the beginning of a number of diseases, patients experience general discomfort, what is called “uneasy.” Then weakness and irritability appear in children - tearfulness. With infectious diseases, the temperature rises. All these signs speak of some still incomprehensible painful manifestations, of a nonspecific, uniform protective reaction of the body, which G. Selye called the general adaptation syndrome. And only then, when other symptoms appear (rash on the body, upset stomach, pain in certain parts of the body, etc.), can we talk about a diagnosis, about the specificity of the symptoms of the disease.
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There are 3 stages in the development of OSA: the alarm reaction, the resistance phase and the exhaustion phase. In the first, the body begins, although rather timidly, to resist the changed conditions in the resistance phase or adapt to them. In the resistance phase, adaptation to new conditions occurs; the body fully resists the effects of the stressor. In the third phase, which occurs after prolonged exposure to a stressor, all adaptation reserves come to an end and the body dies. Naturally, the last phase does not always develop. In most cases, the body copes with the stressor in the first or second phases of the general adaptation syndrome. People who are far from medicine, but are familiar with the word “stress” (and there are more and more of them), use it most often with the epithets “emotional”, “mental”. If so, then emotional stress should probably be resisted by the same reactions of the body as all other types of stress? Indeed, emotional or mental stress develops according to the same laws of the general adaptation syndrome. Emotional stimuli are the most common human stressor. Who has not experienced failures, disappointments, loss of loved ones, material losses, shame, guilt, delight, joy? Aren't these stressful situations? Stress is a nonspecific response of the body to any demand presented to it.
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Absolutely all particles of our world are in a state of harmony, peace and balance. The same thing happens with a person. A person is not an exception to the rules; all the rules and laws that apply to the rest of the world also apply to him. Absolutely all human actions are permeated by the law of balance and are essentially a manifestation of this law. A sense of balance underlies all human actions. This feeling is given to him by nature. We constantly feel it within ourselves and constantly follow its silent guidance. This is easy to check. Try to stand straight, and then slowly begin to lean to either side without moving your legs. After a while, you will feel that you are starting to lose your balance and some force will force you to either straighten up, or step over, or bend over so that you can regain your balance. And even if you fall, then after that some force will make you get up again. The sense of balance manifests itself through absolutely all human actions and can be seen and felt through absolutely everything. For example: movement and immobility, inhalation and exhalation, raising and lowering various parts of the body or any things, fast and slow activity, work and rest, wakefulness and sleep, birth and death, and so on and so forth.
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The equilibrium state of a person’s inner world is extremely important for gaining a strong, stable, confident position in life. Responsible for balance in a person, emotions are at the same time an indicator of whether he is moving correctly or what he is doing. Our emotional mood, our feelings are quite easily perceived by others through our behavior - voice intonation, facial expression, etc. But many people do not know how to manage their emotions for a variety of reasons. Our emotions are the link between mind and body. And you need to be able to educate the emotional sphere.
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Balance with yourself is mental balance. A person is in mental balance in the absence of negative external factors and negative emotions. Many people notice that mental and physical health are connected. Thus, loss of emotional balance with oneself can lead to poor health and even illness. In a state of mental balance, a person understands himself. He is aware of his goals, knows how to control himself and his actions, correctly assesses various situations and tries to find the best way out of them. Life sometimes presents us with its “surprises” that throw us out of balance. Unexpected events and circumstances can seriously break a person, his psyche.
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You can get rid of stress and restore peace of mind in various ways. For example: 1. In a stressful situation, it is advised to breathe correctly. Taking even, deep breaths can help you calm down and come to your senses. 2. Try to look at everything with a sense of humor and stay on the positive side. 3. Think of an interesting activity for yourself. Any activity that you like is a so-called hobby. Doing what you love in your free time helps you relax and unwind after a hard day. 4. Don't be afraid to share your problems with loved ones and ask for help. Perhaps together you will find a solution. Or you can start a personal diary and make notes in it. 5. Try to relax. Listen to your favorite music, take a walk, watch your favorite movie, etc. 6. The main thing to remember is that there are no hopeless situations. Don't despair.
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Conclusion: Having carried out such interesting research work, we found out how stress affects a person, and that this is not such a terrible condition as many people think. We learned about what peace of mind is and how to properly maintain it.
About “here and now”
The main recipe for peace of mind is the ability to live in the present moment.
Conduct a small experiment: pick up, say, a pencil and try to think only about it for at least a minute. It would seem that the task is easy. But after the first attempt, it will become clear that it is quite difficult to keep thoughts around one object.
When you succeed, think about it - were you really so worried at that time that the loan payments were coming soon, the child glued the teacher to the chair, the boss yelled again, and the husband always forgets to buy batteries for the remote control?
As long as your attention is focused on the present, and not on the past, and not even on the future, nothing can disturb you. We are not always able to change our life situation, but we can maintain peace of mind by changing our attitude towards it.
Eat with your eyes
ju1959jjj / Pixabay
An excellent method to lift your mood among psychologists is called “eating with your eyes.” The trick is to give yourself as much visual pleasure as possible:
- Watch for some time the pictures of life that you like - frolicking children, animals, birds. Some people will prefer to look at the flowing water, others will like to take apart old grandmother’s things from the mezzanine.
- Watch a film specially prepared for this occasion.
- Try to look for bright spots among the gray landscapes - beautiful graffiti, the unusual appearance of a passing girl, an unusual building;
- Change the wallpaper on your desktop - instead of a gray picture, put a bright one (or maybe very bright);
- Visit an art gallery.
“A handsome husband is not your husband” or once again about attitudes
Sleeping during childhood
Information about the need to get a good night's sleep is given from each iron. However, we often try to do a bunch of things before we fall dead into bed. Let's make another attempt to learn to go to bed before 23.00 hours?
Then very soon 6-7 hours will be enough for you to fully recover.
What will you get in this case besides restoring calm and undoubtedly gaining peace of mind:
- production of melatonin, which is responsible for youth, beauty and energy, as well as helping to get rid of depression;
- when you wake up, you will want not to sleep for another five minutes, but to jump up and go for a run or actively move to the accompaniment of incendiary music;
- you will be cheerful and active all day;
- the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, disruption of the immune and nervous systems will decrease, sugar levels, blood pressure and metabolism will improve.
Let’s trust the reviews of those who are already “hooked” on the new sleep schedule. They unanimously claim that they now accomplish much more. And this applies not only to the must do list. Now these people have time to notice the simple joys that constantly surround us and delight our eyes, ears, and smell.
Additional terms
It is important to observe several conditions: dinner should be light and a couple of hours before bedtime. About an hour before, you can drink hot milk with honey or soothing tea. Ventilate the bedroom in half an hour.
After dinner, do not overload your brain.
Do whatever helps restore your peace of mind. You can write a diary, listen to soothing music, have a calm conversation, read a paper book or draw.
How do you eat?
It's hard to find peace of mind and balance without overhauling your nutrition plan.
Well, you already know about fast food, soda and similar joys.
Simple food
Now I want to emphasize something else: your diet should include more good, but simple food. For example, buckwheat, potatoes, legumes, etc.
It is good to use dried pulp from various vegetables and fruits before meals.
You also need to introduce everything that helps the body recover, and as a result, mental balance and tranquility. Herbal teas, nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, grape seeds, cumin seeds, apricot seeds, etc. Of course, fruits, berries, vegetables and herbs will take pride of place on this list.
Pomegranate juice and seeds
Separately, I would like to highlight pomegranate juice and seeds - they saturate the blood with oxygen and help cells renew themselves.
Fast
If you wanted to challenge yourself, for example, to fast or do fasting days, now is the time. But, within reason, of course: a hunger strike does not fit into your plans. But if your whole body resists and you don’t yet have the strength to move to a new level of nutrition, how can you find peace of mind and achieve balance?
In this case, it is better to consult your doctor so that he can prescribe you a suitable vitamin complex.
Independent solutions
By the way, you can start taking ascorbic acid and foods containing vitamin C on your own. These are your allies, keeping the body in a vigorous state.
And for those who intend to restore their peace of mind after experiencing stress, an additional recommendation is to drink rosehip decoction daily.
The most common causes of loss of mental balance
If at least one of the reasons listed below resonates with you, that is, coincides with your life story, first of all look for ways to eliminate it. And only after that move on to methods that help you find peace of mind.
After all, until you remove the main reason that is interfering, your internal state is unlikely to change.
Guilt
Guilt prevents a person from inhaling or exhaling, calm, deep and relaxed. It interferes with sleep, causing insomnia. And the internal conversation never seems to stop. Either he accuses him of something he has done, or, conversely, something he has not done, or he looks for excuses.
And no matter what joyful things happen in life, the burden inside the chest does not leave. That is why they say “like a stone fell from the soul” if you manage to free yourself from this feeling.
Fear
Fear not only deprives you of peace, but also prevents you from living a full life. Since the person does not dare to change, he limits himself and stops any actions aimed at fulfilling the need if they cause anxiety.
There are, of course, those who, despite the horror they experience, continue to move forward. Then they manage to overcome their fears, and accordingly, get what they want, finding peace.
But there are a number of worries associated with the future and loved ones. And it’s very difficult to get rid of anxiety, which is why you have to live in constant stress, worrying whether everything is okay.
Responsibility
Sometimes a person makes a mistake - he takes on obligations that are completely beyond his strength or there are simply too many of them, as if on one shoulders.
What kind of peace and harmony can we talk about then? You have to constantly think about how to cope and how not to break under this unbearable weight of the word “should.”
Write down point by point what you are responsible for. Then try to think rationally about whether these are really your obligations? And how can they be distributed among loved ones, delegate, so to speak, responsibilities and ask for help.
And never make promises that you cannot keep. Otherwise, then you will have to again look for ways to find peace of mind. Because remorse or accusations of the deceived, subsequently reduced self-esteem threaten to violate it.
Resentment
This is a rather difficult to bear feeling that destroys health. Because in fact it is anger that is retained and directed at oneself. It is difficult to call an offended person calm and peaceful.
And no matter how hard he tries to distract himself, his wounded pride will constantly make itself known, preventing him from feeling joy and other positively colored emotions.
It is especially difficult for individuals for whom resentment is one of the ways of responding to difficulties and other irritants.
Simply put, when she manipulates other people. Sometimes not on purpose, but because he doesn’t know how else to express his unmet needs, broken boundaries, etc.
Anger
Anger needs to be given vent. Moreover, it is constructive, not destructive. That is, instead of hitting an annoying person, it is recommended to let off steam on a pear or pillow. On safer items.
There can be many reasons for aggressive behavior. And retaining anger threatens the appearance of almost chronic dissatisfaction, irritability, and temper. There can be no talk of any harmony when a hurricane is raging inside and you want to destroy everything in your path.
Pain and sadness
The pain of losing something or someone valuable and significant sometimes deprives a person of the meaning of life and even the desire to live.
This is a very difficult condition; during this period a person needs help, outside support and time.
Use the recommendations from this article if, for example, you recently broke up with your loved one and are not yet able to rejoice.
Morning ablution... of the brain
Diary
Even if you are a happy owner of the habit of writing a diary, this exercise will not be superfluous. Keep a notepad and pen near your bed.
Start writing as soon as you wake up.
Just whatever is running through your head. Let it be incoherent, stupid, about nothing - turn off your inner Perfectionist and give free rein to your hand.
You have to write a lot - three pages of handwritten text.
Do not reduce the volume, especially under the pretext that you do not know how to write or have nothing to write about. Don't re-read it before a month.
What to write about?
This could be a description of a dream, thoughts about something, memories, unexpected ideas, anxiety and laundry forgotten in the washing machine, questions... Or a text about how you don’t know what to write about and therefore describe a cheeky pigeon cooing on the windowsill and getting in the way sleep.
Having cleaned your brains with such a brush, in just a few days (provided you do it regularly), you will feel yourself beginning to gain peace of mind and achieve peace of mind.
Because over time, you will stop wasting a lot of energy on thoughts that are inspired by society and prevent you from being free.
Large companies and meditation
In many large companies, it has been the norm for several years to give employees time to meditate. Managers agree that this tool helps restore subordinates' peace of mind, especially after stress.
Results
So, such morning mental hygiene in the form of a few scribbled pieces of paper is a completely worthy replacement for meditation. In order to improve your mental balance, create a playlist that can charge your internal battery.
Eliminate sad songs that make you want to cry and be sad.
By the way, listen, maybe you’ll like it too?
Exercises for emotional balance
The third series of exercises on “Concentrating attention”
Emotional balance
Benefits:
Cons:
Emotions, like any anxiety, significantly interfere with controlled concentration. In an excited state, a person is unable to concentrate on anything. Strong anxiety during public speaking deprives a person of any remnants of memory. Irritation blocks constructive thinking. A stressful state deprives a person of the ability to control himself. Mental or physical pain prevents a person from performing even everyday activities.
Pros:
Only in a balanced state are we fully able to direct the focus of attention without loss to distractions.
Case in point
— people
of choleric temperament
, as people with the highest level of emotions, concentrate their attention on any objects for an extremely short time, in order to switch back to the next object. Therefore, I recommend that choleric people work on achieving emotional balance, reducing the emotional background, using the exercises below, first of all. This will allow them to level out the weak points of their temperament and better use the strong ones (agility of mind, high energy, artistry).
For people of other (“normal”) temperaments, a tactical reduction in the level of emotions is recommended in especially significant situations - before an important conversation, exams, business negotiations, an important meeting - this is a warm-up and internal concentration. So are we, even if not all are athletes, but in our field, I hope, we are all professionals.
It is best to focus on simple but effective exercises for emotional balance, increasing composure and increasing concentration. Then, during the negotiations themselves, your thinking and attention will work one hundred percent and you will show all your best qualities.
Exercise "Breathing"
This is a good exercise not only for increasing concentration before an important task, but also for quickly eliminating unnecessary anxiety, for example, before a public speaking. Breathing a little more deeply, concentrate on the breathing process. Watch in detail with your mind's eye how the air penetrates through the respiratory tract into your lungs, slowly filling and expanding them. And then, after a pause, it leaves just as slowly, passing in the opposite direction. Lead time depends on circumstances. Work for 3-5 minutes.
Exercise “The surface of the lake”
Particularly effective for reducing excess emotionality and internal focus. Imagine in your mind's eye the absolutely quiet, windless surface of the lake. The surface of the lake is completely calm, serene, smooth, reflecting the beautiful shores of the reservoir. The water of the lake is mirror-like, clean, smooth, reflecting the blue sky, snow-white clouds and tall trees. You simply admire the surface of this lake, tuning in to its calm and serenity. Work for 5-10 minutes, you can describe the picture by mentally listing everything that is drawn on it.
Exercise "Rosary"
An ancient oriental way of focusing and eliminating disturbing thoughts. Slowly finger the rosary, fully concentrating on this activity, directing your focus only to the process itself. Listen to your sensations in the area of contact with your fingers and immerse yourself in them, achieving calmness and awareness. If you don’t have rosary beads, you can replace them by twisting your thumbs. Cross your fingers together, as many people do in thought, and scroll your thumbs, concentrating only on this process.
Exercise "Film Reel"
On internal concentration and ordering of emotionality. Imagine that you are watching a video recording of today (or yesterday) of your life - from the side, like in a cinema hall. Remember in all the smallest details how your day went. How they got up, what they did in the morning, prepared to leave the house, how they left, what were the small and significant events of the whole day, with whom and what they talked about, what happened in the late afternoon. Remember carefully and in detail, trying not to miss a single picture. If an important meeting or negotiation awaits you now, once again mentally scroll through the most important, key points and positions on which you will build your conversation.
Exercise “Mental Relaxation”
Sit on a chair (armchair) comfortably, but as straight as possible, leaning on the back. With your inner eye, begin to view and relax the parts of your body to which you direct your mental focus. First, direct your attention to the very bottom - to the foot of your right foot, stop on this area for a few seconds, with an internal order, completely relax it, rise higher. Next, fix your attention on the calf area of your right leg, completely relax. Next, go up to the knee area, feel and relax it. Higher. Next is the left leg. Then the genital area. Abdomen area. Chest. And so on. Slowly, with minimal upward movement. Achieve complete, consistent relaxation of all areas of the body, but without falling from the chair, minimal control still remains. This is a good way not only to train concentration, but also to relax without being noticed by your surroundings. This exercise usually takes 5-7 minutes.
Exercise "Sphinx"
Despite its apparent simplicity, this is a more difficult exercise than the previous one. It is necessary to be absolutely calm on the chair, completely motionless, without moving, stopping any involuntary muscular movements. The state is relaxed, there is no need to strain. Let go of your thoughts, allow them to come and go in a relaxed manner, without specifically directing them anywhere. It’s good if you achieve a comfortable, motionless state of the wise sphinx within 15 minutes.
Exercise “Sculpture”
If you have been to Europe or seen it on TV, you have seen on the tourist streets people in special paint who work as living sculptures. Often these are actors whose developed concentration allows them to remain motionless in difficult positions for quite a long time. God forbid you work as a dummy, but this is a useful exercise for testing and developing voluntary concentration. The simplest level is a regular upright pose. If you can do it in a state of complete immobility, but in a relatively relaxed comfortable state, 10 minutes is a good result. Complicate the pose - raise your arms, tilt your head, turn your body and again achieve complete immobility. It is clear that the more complex the pose, the more difficult the exercise and the shorter the control time. The disadvantage of this exercise is that it can only be done in public once - before emergency help arrives.
The first series of exercises for concentration
These are exercises to increase the degree of composure of the individual, to develop and test voluntary concentration.
- Exercise "Line"
- Exercise "Colorblind"
- Exercise "Fly"
See the exercises here.
Second series of exercises for concentration
Reflection is a condition for consciously managing your attention and your life. Reflection helps the individual understand where he is, what he is doing, and what needs to be done next.
- Exercise “Where my attention is directed”
- Exercise “Reflective Reading”
exercises here
Close the black hole of your energy
Yes, a mess in the closet, in the house, in the computer and phone will definitely lead to mental disorder.
We mercilessly throw away everything that is broken and torn, we give away everything that we haven’t worn for several years, we throw out incomprehensible papers and bags, we delete photos of exes and no longer needed files.
You can check: not only will you be able to find balance in your soul in this way, but you will also attract noticeable changes literally in the next few hours after cleaning. After these steps, you should have an irresistible desire to act. Running, long walks, dancing, fitness, riding a horse/bicycle/rollerblades, playing volleyball, swimming - you will want to do something.
Yoga and qigong are especially suitable for achieving mental balance.
It will be a great decision to try yourself in something new. In addition to doing something interesting for yourself, you will also expand your circle of acquaintances. Don't shy away from reading or listening to motivational stories about how other people found peace of mind.
Psychological techniques for calming down
Using the advice of psychologists, learn several techniques that will help restore calm and balance in your soul in situations where emotions are out of your control.
- At the moment when you are ready to explode, count to ten and back. Try to breathe deeply. By the end of the count, the veil before your eyes will go away and you will no longer want to bring that heavy vase down on your opponent’s head.
- “Get out” of the situation. Look at her like a stranger passing by. How would you evaluate what is happening if it concerned not you, but that impressive man?
- Restore mental balance after stress by grounding. In the literal sense: walk barefoot on the ground or grass, hug a tree or press your spine against it, eat “earth” foods - potatoes, carrots.
- Place yourself mentally in a protective ball of bulletproof glass. Imagine how the evil words of your boss hit the walls of the ball and fall to the floor with a ringing sound. Believe me, he will also feel something “wrong” at this moment. He will feel uncomfortable, but you will feel very comfortable in your ball.
And a little more psychology
You will be as close as possible to achieving peace of mind and harmony when you take full responsibility for your emotions. When you feel the opportunity to choose: observe or react. And you will be half-indifferent and choose the first one.
By the way, experts agreed that something that has excessive meaning (both negative and positive) drives you crazy.
If this annoys you, reconsider your views - you are clearly idealizing this.
Practice
Here are a few more practices in case the depressing mood lingers.
- Turn on any music (or without it) and let your body be free and do all the movements it wants.
- When a person is nervous, he begins to make faster movements. In fact, at this moment you need to slow down. If you catch yourself doing this, just yawn. This way the brain will receive a signal that there is no longer a threat and you can calm down.
- Select several people from the phone book. Tell each of them a story that relates to both of you in one message. Let it be a curiosity, or a touching memory. Or maybe you want to apologize for something? Write to these people what they mean to you and how much you love them.
- Donate a small amount to charity.
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today
Don't put things off for a long time. When a lot of unfinished tasks accumulate, we begin to feel psychological pressure - because they are like a snowball. And it is this pressure that is the trigger for procrastination. Subsequently, the person blames himself for not completing what was planned on time. A vicious circle is formed. He is stressed because he did not complete the work on time; and then fails to complete work on time due to stress. American psychologist Roy Baumeister suggests the following ways to escape their cycle of procrastination:
- Write a list of things that need to be done. Eliminate all items that can be waived or delegated to other people;
- If possible, cancel the work or set a new deadline for its completion;
- If this is not possible, then you should give up perfectionism and get the job done by the deadline (while putting quality into the background if possible). This will help reduce the number of unfinished tasks, and they will no longer hang over you like the sword of Damocles.
Inferiority complex – an unequal struggle?
