Shamash Alidina’s tips on Stress Management

Hello, I'm Shamash Alidina, a mindfulness and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) trainer. In honor of National Stress Awareness Month, our community of mindfulness teachers has put together a series of tips to help you navigate stress in these challenging times.

Reframing Stress

The first step in managing stress is to change our perspective on it. It's not always the stress itself that's harmful, but rather our reaction to it. Stress carries an energy that can be harnessed and used positively.

Embrace Stress: Instead of viewing stress as a negative force, consider it as a source of energy that can wake you up, motivate you, and drive you to do something meaningful.

Ride the Wave: Visualize stress as a wave. Instead of being overwhelmed by it, learn to ride it and use its energy to your advantage. This energy can be channeled into various activities, exercises, mindfulness practices, or even acts of service to others.

Mindfulness Practices

The second step revolves around mindfulness. Mindfulness exercises are a powerful tool for managing stress, but it's important to start small and build gradually.

Start with One Breath: Begin your mindfulness journey with something as simple as one mindful breath. Take a deep breath in and a slow, smooth breath out. This small step can be your gateway into the world of mindfulness.

Expand Your Practice: If you enjoy the feeling of mindfulness, gradually expand your practice. This could involve feeling your feet on the floor, noticing the sensations in your body when you're walking, or truly listening to the sounds when you're listening to music.

Starting small is not a reflection of our capabilities, but a recognition that our motivation fluctuates. By setting achievable goals, we can boost our motivation and make consistent progress.

An Exercise for Stress

The video titled "An Exercise For Stress - Jacqueline Gammon", features Jacqueline Gammon sharing a few tips for Stress Awareness Month. Jacqueline emphasizes the importance of being aware of one's own stress, as it often sneaks up on us. She suggests that feelings of being overwhelmed, anxious, worried, and forgetful are all symptoms of stress.

Jacqueline encourages viewers to regularly check in with themselves, noticing any physical signs of stress such as aches, pains, clenched fists, or a racing heart. She also emphasizes the importance of taking time to rest, which could be as simple as having a cup of tea, watching a funny movie, phoning a friend, meditating for a minute, or spending time outside.

She introduces a quick exercise for managing stress, using the acronym STRESS:

S: Stop and take a few deep breaths.

T: Trust that your breath will calm you.

R: Rest your hand on your chest.

E: Ease your shoulders back gently.

S: Shrug your shoulders a few times and roll them forwards and backwards.

S: Stay still for a few moments before resuming your day.

Jacqueline suggests that this exercise can be done as many times as needed throughout the day.

Another exercise she recommends is journaling, writing down feelings and thoughts without any specific structure. She mentions that she runs a journaling group that meets a few times a week, with spaces available for anyone interested.

In conclusion, Jacqueline emphasizes the importance of self-care and regular de-stressing.

Mindful Massage

A video sharing how to combine massage and mindfulness.

Check the Youtube recommendations for more videos on mindfulness by our teachers.

This is a series of videos on stress management created by graduates of the Teach Mindfulness program.