To decrease an acute stress-level of 8 or higher on a scale 1 to 10 where the fight-flight mode is controlling the body and mind, you have to focus on physiological techniques since at this level of stress we are outside of pedagogical reach. The most important technique is slow breathing focusing on prolonged exhalations…
We are seraching for a direction to move in that automatically helps us focus and affects everyday decisions. This week’s challenge is to dig a little deeper for the root cause of each problem in the list you did last time. Sometimes professional help is needed to understand this. It is important to take this…
There are many good reasons to consider writing a diary. Amon other things, it will help you get perspective and new insights. It also improves your access to your inner creativity and problem-solving. There are studies showing that writing also about tough experiences and negative feelings can increase wellbeing and help you heal, se later…
If feelings are our compass needles, we need to take them seriously as information sources.The purpose of your feelings is to help you focus attention and action so that your brain will work out and carry out a plan of how to deal with the situation as adaptive as possible. As an example: If someone…
How you talk to yourself is extremely important. Often we are not aware of this, but it is common to have a critical inner voice evaluating ourselves harshly and disproportionately in situations, being overgeneralizing in a judgmental and destructive way: “how stupid of me…” “Can’t you do anything right…” “Are you for real…” “Idiot…” Definitely…
The 3d step in traditional CBT is about creating an alternative thought and response to your thoughts in previous exercises, which in turn likely can create other, more positive and/or less intense feelings as well as other more adaptive behavioral responses. This is vitally important!!! This since, in opposition to sensory stimuli or feelings, which…
Mindfulness can be used to strenghten the ability to remain calm. Here is the second part of the body scan, a continuation of the mindfulness exercise from last week that you can record and use: … Move your attention away from your breathing and instead pay attention to the inside of your left leg and…
There are actually two stress levels that are important to keep track of: 1. One is the stress-scale that I explained in last week’s session, i.e. how the level of stress generally fluctuates in the human body during the day depending on activity level and intensity. 2. The other is your general baseline stress-level over…
Mondays’ posts aim to inspire you to take control of the direction of your life, one step at a time. It will take several posts because it is easier said than done. We can’t change everything at the same time and change takes time. But we can find a direction to move towards, which slowly…
The best way for the body and brain to recover and rest is of course sleep. Research shows that sleep repairs the body, cleanses the brain but also processes information for learning and memory on a deeper level. Sleep is also vital for maintaining a good mental health. Optimal sleepers have in research (e.g. Hamilton…