“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” -- Leo Tolstoy
Taking This Program Allows You to:
- Counter stressors by activating natural relaxation responses lying inactive within the mind & body.
- Develop a set of skills leading to a state of mind for deep relaxation that counters stress.
- Choose between delivery by individualized coaching or to larger groups online.
Choose a Time • Talk With One of Our Advisors • Act Now
What Are Some Symptoms of Stress?
Symptoms vary a great deal. Typically, the signs are subtle. One sees things such as:
• Decreasing vitality and energy
• Feeling a Lack of control
• Repetition of behaviors that don't work
• Creativity being blocked
• Reduced conscientiousness,
• Increasing levels of mistakes and more mistakes
• Growing feelings of anxiety and even panic
• Disillusionment and alienation from work
Eventually, you see:
• Acting out
• Extreme social isolation and unwillingness to engage
• Inability to concentrate
• Complaints of endless fatigue.
• The Inability to do basic job functions resulting in termination
Access Learning Methods That Work
"The greatest performance gap is not between understanding and ignorance. It's between knowing and doing." — M. Johannsen
Inside the class there are a number of audios and videos providing samples of how one should practice. And there are exercises to go through and assignments to complete. The class also contains discussion forums and methods to get feedback from the instructor and class participants. The focus is on building skills and driving to mastery.
This programs includes:
- 7 videos (Legacee, Ted & YouTube)
- 28 carefully chosen articles
- 2 Psychology Podcasts
- 4 Discussions
- 7 Audio Instruction Guides
- 8 Tools for feedback & reflection
- 1 Self-Assessment
- 5 types of exercise
- 5 practice assignments
Module 1: Using the Breath To Relax
Image Source; National Cancer Institute. Anatomy of the respiratory system, showing the trachea and both lungs, diaphram, and their lobes and airways.
Description:
For many, there is a vague understanding that when anxious, one breathes faster and shallower. At extreme levels of stress, some start breathing “like a dog” and will even hyperventilate. However, the reverse is also true, breathing slowly and deeply relaxes the mind and the body. However, few people understand how to use the breath to relax. This module will show you how to use the deep breath technique to quickly relax IN NORMAL WORK SITUATIONS.
Learning Objectives:
- Discover the relationship between the breath and feeling anxious or feeling relaxed.
- Experiment with slow breathing to control and reduce stress.
- Practice using the deep breath technique to reduce anxiety.
Application Assignment
- Practice using 3 different variations of the Deep Breath Technique to reduce the impact of stressors in our life.
Module 2: Progressive Relaxation: Getting the Stress Out Of Your Muscles
Source: Welcome Trust. Muscles Man’, Pseudo-Galen, Anathomia
Description:
A state of burnout has other impacts on the body. One of the more common affects is that stress induces voluntary muscle contraction. Muscles so affected spasm (contract) and will not release. If the spasm continues or strengthens, it results in discomfort or pain. This technique focuses on how to scan the body and then reduce the amount of stress held. Progressive relaxation does not require stretching. Also, while Jacobson's original technique requires one to first contract a certain muscle group before relaxing it, the technique that we use simply has the mind focus on an area and relax those muscles.
Learning Objectives:
• Know how to focus your attention on different muscle groups
Application Assignments
• Learn how to relax the different voluntary muscles in the body.
Module 3: Using Meditation To Calm Down, Lighten Up and Relax
An example of a meditation object. This Mandala was made available as a post on Google+ by the Dalai Lama
Description
Stress is associated with a physiological mechanism known as the “fight, flight or freeze” response. Meditation is associated with the exact opposite mechanism, the relaxation response. So while stress results in anxiety and worry, meditation generates peace and serenity.
Meditation has been used for thousands of years in the East, but it is relatively new to the West. Since it is relatively new, most people don’t understand its benefits. This module explains the primary benefits and how to practice meditation.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the physical and psychological benefits associated with the regular practice of meditation.
- Discover the positive aspect of meditation on the mind and body.
- Learn the access steps necessary to enter a meditative state.
Application Assignments
- Practice accessing the meditative state.
- While meditating, choose between several different types of meditation objects.
- Explore how to better use this special state of mind.
Module 4: How Stress Affects the Mind-Body
Image by: Uoaei1 Das Kreuz am Blassenstein bei Scheibbs (Niederösterreich), darunter dichter Nebel im Erlauf- und Donautal.
Description
Many people with rotten stress management techniques end up needing professional help. In some cases, this cry for help comes for the ravages of acute stress; in other cases, the health professional is seeing the impact of chronic stress associated with burnout.
Chronic stress is a contributing factor to conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), ulcers, and atherosclerosis (closing of the arteries, typically around the heart.) While acute stress generates anxiety, worry and is associated nasty emotions such as anger.
The module helps you understand the distress associated with stress.
Learning Objectives
- Discover the impact of acute and chronic stress on the body.
- Know how stress impacts the normal functioning of the mind.
- Know the relationship between stress, illness and immune suppression.
- Understand how increasing stress levels impact work performance.
Application Assignment
- Produce a personal profile documenting your intellectual, emotional, behavioral, contextual and physiological stress symptoms.
