About Roger castell
The way of life in the industrialized countries, multiplies the occasions of conflicts, frustrations, worries, fears, constraints and overwork. We call stress all the muscular, physiological and psychological reactions triggered by a stressful event. But, how does this reaction manifest itself and how can we protect ourselves?
1 – The mechanisms of stress
Stress corresponds to a mobilization of energy, to act, defend oneself or adapt to reality. When the stress is light, the warning signal is followed by an energy recovery phase. Everything is therefore quickly in order. On the other hand, if the stress is violent (emotional shock) or if it is permanent (criticism or reproaches for example), the energy reserves are exhausted which can lead to a trough (for lack of recovery), or to a somatization (by overlay).
Indeed, when the reaction (verbal and bodily) is not possible, the energy mobilized will be blocked, producing an overvoltage in an organ (throat, stomach, back, etc.) and creating mental distress. However, for stress to be able to disturb for a long time (by depression or somatization), 3 conditions are generally needed:
* an emotional, sensitive and rather introverted temperament (with a tendency to mental rumination);
* a violent, unexpected and humiliating emotional shock (often with an anxiety-provoking atmosphere);
* an impossibility for the subject to free himself by expressing his revolt (with words and cries).
2 – Main causes and consequences of stress
The causes, very numerous, concern the whole of human life :
- the social life : noisy environment, night work, fierce competition, productivism;
– negative emotions: fears, fears, insecurities…;
– negative feelings: pessimism, envy, jealousy…;
– negative thoughts: dramatization, remorse, guilt, devaluation;
– situations: conflicts (profession, family), frustrations (divorce, unemployment), shocks (aggression).
But there are also psychological causes unconscious (promises, debts, submissions) or secret motivations (self-punishment – resignation – guilt…).
The results excessive stress (violent or repetitive) can disrupt health and become a source of suffering and anxiety. The localization of the overvoltage leads to disturbances in the behavior, physiology and psychology of the stressed person.
– Behavior is modified by muscle tension, which promotes feelings of fatigue and tension in the throat or stomach, but also outbursts of anger, violence, sulking and the risk of running away and suicide…. Very often, to free themselves from tension, the victim of stress seeks a "relaxing" solution, but then falls into the risk of dependence. This is the case of choices oriented towards alcoholic beverages, tobacco, drugs, medicines and the bulimia of salty or sweet foods...
– Physiology is disturbed because of visceral tensions that lead to digestive, circulatory or sexual disorders, migraines or skin diseases, …
- Psychology is also altered as a result of mental tensions, which create fixed ideas, fears, anxiety, hatred, guilt and insomnia….
The feeling of permanent stress is so unpleasant that it is normal to want to free yourself from it. But some solutions adopted by many French people are unsuitable since they contribute to accentuating the distress. This is the case for everything that leads to overconsumption (tobacco, drinks, drugs, snacking). Fortunately, there are better solutions, such as: taking action, thinking positive and learning to relax...
3 – Take action to protect yourself healthily
In speaking of the fight against stress, we often overlook the effective role of the simplest processes, such as conviviality, expression and action.
- Friendliness. Opportunities for friendly encounters (around a drink, or during a game) are effective for relaxing and forgetting one's worries. Funny stories, anecdotes, or sing-along songs are welcome. Because the laugh is the first anti-stress and the most marvelous laughter of tranquillizers. The success of comedy films is completely understandable, in a world where tensions multiply. To live more relaxed, let's avoid taking life (and ourselves) too seriously and learn to cultivate humor and good humor.
– Expression. Whether verbal or bodily, expression is an effective anti-stress because it has the effect of reducing or eliminating inner pressure. Let's promote meetings as much as possible to exchange, ie to talk about ourselves but also to listen, to be interested in others and to undertake in common.
- The action. The action is on 3rd “counterweight” of stress. All the actions of distraction or cooperation can be suitable since they allow you to forget your worries and even sometimes to let off steam. We can all find one hobby which will be beneficial: sport, painting, music, dance, walk, gardening, theatre, voluntary work, stamp collection, choir, travel, group production, etc. The important thing is to put your heart into it and to draw from it a lot of joy. But we can also not act and rest (nap) or do nothing (dream).
4 – Value of positive thinking
Even caused by external circumstances (divorce, unemployment, etc.), long-term stress is always maintained by thought. The stressed person thinks only of his problem from the slightest moment of loneliness or silence. This mental block is a fixed idea, which prevents him from finding satisfactory solutions, because the brain cluttered all day long with inner chatter ruminates exclusively on negative facts.
The negative talk.
The interior monologue of course addresses personal topics that depend on lived events. However, the main subjects of this monologue concern concerns, devaluations and the unspoken.
* Worry promotes dark thoughts and a negative outlook on life. The worried is a pessimist. He exaggerates the difficulty of past or future situations and dramatizes even unlikely consequences. This habit maintains a state of tension that can create feelings of anxiety or panic...
* Devaluation leads to a very critical perception of oneself. The devalued person says humiliating words (reproaches, complaints, etc.) that hurt them a lot. Here is a small repertoire: “I'm not going to make it… – I can't manage on my own… – I can't control myself – I made another mistake…” etc. These repeated formulas end up impregnating the subconscious to diminish the capacities and maintain the failure. They correspond to a real process of self-destruction that is as effective as it is regrettable!
* The unsaid is the refusal to express oneself. We can silence an opinion, a feeling, an emotion or even a sensation either for fear of hurting the other, or for fear of sanctions. This repression comes from childhood sulks. It ends up creating frustrations that maintain muscular or visceral tensions. These surges are at the origin of psychosomatic illnesses, depending on the organ disturbed in its functioning (throat, stomach, intestine, etc.).
Choice of small positive psychological advice (anti-stress) to complete the reflection.
| 1 – Make peace with yourself and you will be in harmony with others. 2 – Accept the reality of the faults committed and learn to forgive yourself. 3 – Remove your inner judge and the weight of the past because we can all evolve. 4 – Be yourself. Don't make others think you're perfect. 5 – We are all equal. Treat others as you would like to be treated. 6 – Dare to ask for help since no one can solve all their problems alone. | 7 – Learn to express your point of view (idea, taste, etc.) with calm and conviction, while respecting others. 8 – Always stay positive, calm and stable, even in difficult times (failures, disappointments…). 9 – Become aware of the qualities of others, minimize the faults. Nobody is perfect. 10 – Admit that time fixes everything. Every problem has a solution. Don't dramatize. 11 – Learn to take an interest in others and to communicate (expression + listening). 12 – Learn to live the present and plan the future in a positive way. |
Choose to think better
From an early age, education encourages us above all to stimulate negative thinking and the maladjusted behaviors that result from it. Out of habit, some of us spend our days maintaining inner pressure. They make themselves unhappy in the company of their dear worries, their unjustified criticisms and their refusal to speak. Yet we all want to be happy. Can we get out of this paradox?
Yes, without a doubt since evolution is part of life. We can therefore change our old ways of thinking and learn to cultivate optimism, make peace with ourselves, express ourselves more freely and learn to live more relaxed.. Well-being is possible: it is up to us to seek it and find it.
5 – Benefits of relaxation
To protect yourself from stress, all relaxation techniques (hypnosis, sophrology, etc.) are useful. Relaxation has the advantage of being an effective and easy-to-learn method. By promoting muscle relaxation and nervous calm, relaxation reduces fatigue and tension, which improves sleep (at night) and vitality (during the day).
Content of a relaxation session
At the beginning, practice relaxation in a quiet place, so as not to be embarrassed (noise, telephone). Look for comfort (loose clothes, shoes removed) then adopt a pleasant position (chaise longue, armchair, couch, beach mattress, etc.) and an attitude of openness (arms and legs slightly apart). To relax your neck and kidneys, consider slipping a cushion under your neck and another larger one under your knees, if you suffer from lower back pain.
It is advisable to start the session with stretching and deep breathing exercises, then to offer relaxation, for example by proceeding as follows:
- get comfortable comfortably with eyes closed (to improve mental focus);
- breathe slowly 3 times, pronouncing internally on the exhalation: “calm or peace” (a relaxing word);
- orient your awareness on various parts of your body (from top to bottom): "you can think about your forehead...let it relax...feel your forehead relax and become smooth...feel how pleasant the relaxation is". (Proceed in the same way by concentrating the thought on the eyes, the face, the lips, the chin, the right hand, the left hand, the 2 arms, the 2 legs, the back, the belly);
– imagine now a pleasant scene (holidays, holidays…).
– enjoy silence for a moment and express your well-being by thinking: “I feel good”;
– come back slowly back to reality by contracting your hands, arms, legs, neck and stretching, then open your eyes and savor the difference (the ascent should be very slow);
It is possible to accompany the session (entire or partial) with relaxing music (soft, slow and melodious), or with a natural recording (birds, stream, waves, etc.).
Finally, learning relaxation requires choosing: a comfortable position, a quiet and reassuring place, a rational approach to mobilize thought.
A wonderful health factor!
When you are well trained, you will be able to relax in all places (train, cinema) and in all circumstances (after exhausting work, before a difficult test). Finally, get into the habit of taking “relax” breaks during the day, approximately every two hours. These mini-relaxations of 2 to 1 minutes are effective and more relaxing than traditional “coffee breaks”. This will improve your well-being, your health and your sleep.
6 – For a serene and harmonious life
Stress is part of life. It is not possible to remove it completely, because a life without stress would be tasteless and uninteresting. The important thing is not to be overwhelmed by its influence when it becomes excessive or permanent and therefore “harmful“. It's in mastery stress that there is one of the main conditions for a healthy, balanced and harmonious life, fundamental key to human happiness (1)
The processes mentioned do not claim to solve all the problems but their simplicity makes them accessible to the greatest number. They will thus be able to contribute to increasing individual well-being and to making social life easier, more pleasant and more harmonious.
1 – These techniques are taught during the course: “Psycho-anti-stress” from June 15 to 219, 2016.
Bibliography
– Abrezol Raymond, Live happily, Ed. 3 Fontaines.
– Laborit Henry, Inhibition of action, Edition Masson.
– Bensabat S. Stress is life. Ed. Fixot.
– Chalvin Dominique, Dealing with stress. Ed.ESF.
– Watzlawick Paul, The Language of Change. Edition of the THRESHOLD.