The feeling I have after watching this is one of empowerment. I really appreciate that not only does it tell the viewer that the way they handle stress is within their control, but it also then instructs the viewer how to control it. It is alarming to think of the health issues stress could cause. In particular, the stress described in the initial example of soccer given by the video surrounds a pass time intended to be fun, one could only imagine the impact of stress caused by work environments. As a college student I find I am encountering more stress than before in my life, and I imagine as I enter the full time work force in a few years, that will only increase so I find this information to be quite vital. Additionally, the format in which it was presented was easy to understand, and did not make the subject feel daunting or unmanagable. Specifically, I found the three C’s to be very helpful. In regards specifically to commitment, I believe its very easy to lose track of the aspects of your life which bring you peace and joy and therefore fall more vulnerable to stress. In my own life I can remember countless times I felt stressed by classes and could have easily helped relieve that by spending time with family or playing my guitar. Yet when you are so invested in that which causes stress it can consume you.
I also found myself relating very much to the videos description of polarized thinking as well as fortune telling. I have fallen victim to assuming or dreading the worst outcome to situations and it contributes a completely unnecessary amount of stress to my life. The thinking in extremes resonates with me as well, as I often feel defeated when coming across small obstacles, as if the goal is doomed.
Moving forward from this point, I intend to implement several of the strategies given in this video, with the most priority given to its concept of “keep it simple.” Sleep schedule, interpersonal relationships, and dietary routines are all very rudimentary aspects of ones life, and yet because of this go so easily ignored. I neglect at least two of these myself and perhaps if I can regulate and maintain these basis elements, they will have larger effects on my overall happiness and peace. My sleep schedule is likely the easiest to change yet I know I do not sleep as much or as well as I should. As it seems so manageable, I intend to set a bed time for 11 which will be better than my usual 1am. I believe this will also aid my yoga practice, as I will not be as groggy when I rise for morning class.
Tom Sclafani
I was really interested to hear how serious the health effects from stress can be and how much control we truly have over it. The video contributes how we manage stress to how much control people feel they have in their lives, social network, openness to change, attitudes, and self care.
I’ve always thought that some parts of stress are just how we are, that some people are just more stressed naturally than others, but in reality stress management is a skill that we have control over. I have found that practicing relaxation has helped me manage my stress, and this video reinforces this idea. The video also talked about locus of control. I had learned about this in my high school psychology class but never thought about how it is an important tool in mindfulness and having control over your thoughts.
The video follows a 90/10 rule, which I think really puts everything in a good perspective for helping to manage stress. He says that, “10 percent of how we do in life is based on what happens to us and ninety percent is how we respond”. Often, stress can make us be hyperfixated on an event and how things could have gone differently or the possible outcomes instead of focusing on what we have the ability to control. This can become easier through mindfulness techniques to help us navigate our thoughts and where we place our attention.
In this video the topic of stress and ways to deal with stress were discussed. The presenter shared information about studies done involving teaching people how to cope with stress through options such as therapy and mindfulness. As well as how these options can have similar benefits to taking medications for some people.
I enjoyed how in the video the presenter acknowledged that he at one point likely harbored some type of bias or stereotype towards people who practiced mindfulness strategies to come with stress, referring to them as “ The Kumbaya crowd“, but then also acknowledges that studies now show that mindfulness does have notable and lasting benefits.
The way that he discussed how common stress is, and how someone does not need to also suffer from a mental illness to need to seek professional help for assistance in learning to cope with stress reminded me of how my doctor discussed therapy with my mom to try and have her see it as a beneficial experience and breaking the stigma that you have to have serious issues to see a therapist. She told my mom that she, a doctor, regularly sees a therapist and that initially she felt embarrassed about that. Until her therapist told her that even she, the therapist, would also see a therapist.
I really enjoyed how accessible this video was, and although it dealt with serious health and psychological concepts, it still remained light and simple to understand. Sometimes videos about stress can feel like lectures, which may alienate and frustrate audiences, but this video didn’t feel like that at all. It felt genuine and used many scenarios to which many people could easily relate.
Personally, I’ve been trying to find ways to manage my own stress for years, and I’ve always thought that using a mixture of all the different techniques and mindsets that he talked about has been most helpful. For example, along with deep breathing and relaxation techniques, I frequently try to reframe my stressful or anxious thoughts in order to remind myself that I have the power over how I react to or deal with stressors in my life. The sense of control that is mentioned in the video really spoke to me because I think it is absolutely necessary to remind myself that while I cannot control what other people do, I can control what I do in response. The balance of control has always been very important and helpful for me.
Another stress reduction technique that was not explicitly mentioned in the video but is mentioned in this outside source (https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-relaxation-techniques-to-reduce-stress) is that of a body scan. I use this technique several times throughout the day as a way to check in with my body and notice where I’m holding my stress. Just taking a minute every once in a while to readjust my position can really make me feel more energized and in control.
After watching this Stress Reduction Animation, everything I had thought about stress had changed. I am someone who doesn’t deal with stress very well and gets anxious quickly so this video really helped me be more open to change. There are a lot of things that stress me out and now that I think about it, it isn’t all these things that stress me out but what I put in my mind and what I think about that causes the stress. The quote that Dr. Williams James had said 100 years ago “the greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another” stuck out to me the most. I know that I can reduce stress by the way that I think and I know I can choose what I decide to put in my thoughts all I have to do is actually make those changes and work on it. Instead of putting negative thoughts in my mind, maybe put more positive thoughts or think of things in a different way.
Another part of this video that helped me get a better understanding was “mindfulness can give us the ability to let go of worry and not get trapped in the anxious loops.” I think where I place my attention can be a really good thing for me. The things that stress me the most are the negative thoughts I put in my mind so If I change my thinking style and put my mind into things that don’t overwhelm me, I could potentially reduce my stress and live in a life less stressful and anxious. I feel that being more mindful could make me more present and could help me cut down on needless stress.
I think this is a really great video, I highly relate to this especially since I know that I’m not the only one who experiences stress. I think the most important thing is changing the way you think. I think once we start thinking that’s when we start stressing out and bringing negative thoughts in our minds. I also can see how certain situations and people can bring stress into your life but how you react or think in these certain situations is what you have to have more control over. I think the thing I have to remember is to be fully present and aware of where I am and what I am doing and not get overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around me.
The video, Stress Reduction Animation, goes over the elements of stress and the complexity of it in everyday life. The contents of the video began by introducing how there are both negative and positive factors of stress. The negative aspect is more commonly perceived as stress. From a scientific standpoint, stress causes increased blood pressure and heart rate and chemical changes in the body. Mentally, stress can also cause vulnerability, coping strategies and enable the development of problem-solving skills. Stress is a serious health condition that can cause worse medical outcomes than drugs and alcohol, depression and anxiety and can leave someone with overall worse quality of life.
Though there are negatives to stress, there are positives as well. Athletes and executives have found ways to manage stress pressure and use stress as an advantage to perform better in the tasks at hand. The rest of the video went on to describe how the most effective way to deal with the problems of stress is one’s outlook on it. When looking at a stressful situation with a positive attitude and moving to change one’s thinking style of how they perceive stress is so important in managing stress-related issues. The video went into depth on how one’s own thinking, whether it be overthinking or negative thinking is what makes stress negative. By practicing mindfulness and letting go of worldly distraction in life, it is easier to teach oneself how to be aware of the space between stimulus and response, and learn how to properly cope with stress.
My perception of stress had definitely altered after viewing the video, mainly because the video explained how stress is not a tangible problem, but rather a mental state. When looking at stress from this viewpoint, I found that it seemed easier to know how to effectively manage stress, because the video provided a clear answer to negative stress reduction.
I found that the video reminded me of the film Y Tu Mama También, particularly because both the film and the video go into detail on perception and the outlook one has on life. In order to make the comparison, I will need to spoil the movie, but the film is about a married woman who discovers she is going to die very soon. Instead of wallowing in the fact that she is going to die, she decides to go on a road trip with two young men she had just met and decides to live the rest of her life to the fullest on a beach where she eventually dies. In this way, without directly stating it in the film, the main character had reduced the negative stress of her situation by turning what she had been going through into a positive experience.
In this video, Dr. Mike Evans states that stress and stress management is essential to one’s health and wellbeing. Stress is not as simple as “cause-and-effect”; many things in the mind and body happen because of stress or lead up to stress. These can increase blood pressure, heart-rate, change the balance of chemicals within the body. In can compromise coping mechanisms and affect problem solving skills and in turn lead to mental health issues. Dr. Evans later states that “the most effective treatment for stress is to change your thinking style”. Stress is usually created within our brains, not from outside sources and the level of stress we accumulate depends on our responses to it. Stress management does not come naturally to everyone but it is quite possible to learn it. One strategy is to practice CBT otherwise known as Cognitive Behavior Therapy which includes training in problem solving, relaxation, avoiding thinking traps. In the video, the narrator quotes Dr. William James as saying, “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” Mindfulness techniques are another way to manage and reduce stress levels. They include increasing self-awareness, breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and meditation. Stress can overwhelm the mind and body and cause it to lose control; that is why it is important to ground oneself and go towards “being in the moment” and in turn, choose where to place your attention.
The video was very helpful in gaining perspective on how stress is a construct of the mind that affects everything else. It was also interesting to hear that stress is in accordance to how we respond to what we perceive as stressful and we have the ability to choose what affects us. I used to stress out over a lot of things; often they were trivial and they were things that I had little control over. As a got older and my perspective and worldview widened, I was able to prioritize and compartmentalize my surroundings and the external stimuli within. As I got busier, I had to make decisions on what was the most important to get stressed out about and deal with them in a healthy way. I also began to realize that stress was negatively affecting my health and it was then that I began to make better decisions on how I conduct my lifestyle. Taking yoga has helped me manage my stress level to a degree but I still have a long way to go if I want to take control of my life and better my wellbeing.
This is a very important video, and anyone who is aware of the ever-growing case of stress the world has would know that. Every day, more and more people are impacted by the fast-paced, work-geared, time-suck lifestyle that we’ve all adopted for the sake of efficiency, technology, and money. Watching this video, I was hoping to be given some specific techniques for ending stress; I struggle with it too! I can’t say I was surprised when all the video really had to offer was “Change your Thinking”. I think I can speak for more than myself when I say that I was hoping for a more streamlined, action-based solution. Isn’t that the point, though? We’re all caught up in a lifestyle that is based on action; how much can you do in the shortest time possible? Are you being productive? The task of delving inside is one that a lot of people can no longer fathom, and honestly, I’ve been one of those people.
The video brought up three “c”s: Control, Commitment, and Change. These are very broad terms, but they have so much to do with how we interact with the world. I cite a conversation I had with my mother over the weekend about how stress impacts me: When a problem arises for someone besides myself, I am level headed, I problem-solve, and I can move on easily. However, when the fault is mine, I succumb to stress. My mother even admitted that the way she raised myself and my brother could explain how competitive and obsessed with self-perfection we are. Bringing back the three “c”s, I am able to use my sense of control, commitment, and change for the better when tackling someone else’s distress. When I feel like I’ve messed up, though, the words take on a totally different connotation.
All in all, this video was a much-needed reminder that every-day stress is more manageable than I usually believe and that while the answer is not easy, it is simple, and with time it can be achieved.
Prior to watching this video I already had some knowledge that a great number of health issues can stem from stress. It was a lot easier for me to understand the points he was making by watching him draw out what he was saying. So to me it was interesting to find out why this is and learn how to prevent a health issue from it. The idea of mindfulness techniques stood out to me because the results improved the health of those dealing with stress more than any medication had, according to Dr. Zindel Segal’s experiment. These mindfulness techniques are known to be increased self awareness, breathing (which is a huge component of our yoga class and part of the Isha Kriya that we do), muscle relaxation, and meditation. According to the article, “Mindfulness for Stress Reduction” by Louise Delagran from the University of Minnesota, the way that mindfulness impacts the brain is by, responding to thought-base responses, regulation of the emotions, and finally the changes of the brain’s increased connections.
From the information that was given, I learned that stress is more about thinking rather than actual pressure on oneself. The complex nature of stress carries a lot of negative yet some positive aspects. Stress effects someone negatively because it can: increase your blood pressure, increase your heart rate, or cause chemical changes. It can also influence one’s vulnerability, as well as leading to worse health outcomes and self treatment with alcohol and drugs. These negative influences can end up dealing with depression and anxiety, ultimately leaving a person with feeling of a worse quality of life. On the other hand, there are some positive aspects of stress, which are: finding a stress level that is high but not too high for people who are more engaged with their optimum performance.
I learned the ways that regulating your stress all comes down to: commitment, control and change. I find these aspects really helpful and I look forward to using these methods myself. Something I plan on doing is changing my thinking style. I am a big over thinker, which causes me to feel a lot of anxiety with my personal life or work and it stresses me out on a day to day basis. Going forward and utilizing the information learned, changing the way you think will ultimately influence your attitude. Personally, with my mother and her having high blood pressure, it’s really challenging for her do deal with things that stress her out. She has a high tolerance for letting things get to such a stressful point but I take notice of how aware she is of her health issue and she will change her way of thinking in order for her to control her stress; which is actually what the video emphasizes as well!
omlinkblog 
The feeling I have after watching this is one of empowerment. I really appreciate that not only does it tell the viewer that the way they handle stress is within their control, but it also then instructs the viewer how to control it. It is alarming to think of the health issues stress could cause. In particular, the stress described in the initial example of soccer given by the video surrounds a pass time intended to be fun, one could only imagine the impact of stress caused by work environments. As a college student I find I am encountering more stress than before in my life, and I imagine as I enter the full time work force in a few years, that will only increase so I find this information to be quite vital. Additionally, the format in which it was presented was easy to understand, and did not make the subject feel daunting or unmanagable. Specifically, I found the three C’s to be very helpful. In regards specifically to commitment, I believe its very easy to lose track of the aspects of your life which bring you peace and joy and therefore fall more vulnerable to stress. In my own life I can remember countless times I felt stressed by classes and could have easily helped relieve that by spending time with family or playing my guitar. Yet when you are so invested in that which causes stress it can consume you.
I also found myself relating very much to the videos description of polarized thinking as well as fortune telling. I have fallen victim to assuming or dreading the worst outcome to situations and it contributes a completely unnecessary amount of stress to my life. The thinking in extremes resonates with me as well, as I often feel defeated when coming across small obstacles, as if the goal is doomed.
Moving forward from this point, I intend to implement several of the strategies given in this video, with the most priority given to its concept of “keep it simple.” Sleep schedule, interpersonal relationships, and dietary routines are all very rudimentary aspects of ones life, and yet because of this go so easily ignored. I neglect at least two of these myself and perhaps if I can regulate and maintain these basis elements, they will have larger effects on my overall happiness and peace. My sleep schedule is likely the easiest to change yet I know I do not sleep as much or as well as I should. As it seems so manageable, I intend to set a bed time for 11 which will be better than my usual 1am. I believe this will also aid my yoga practice, as I will not be as groggy when I rise for morning class.
Tom Sclafani
Well stated and supported by your outline for personal goals for improvement, best wishes OM
I was really interested to hear how serious the health effects from stress can be and how much control we truly have over it. The video contributes how we manage stress to how much control people feel they have in their lives, social network, openness to change, attitudes, and self care.
I’ve always thought that some parts of stress are just how we are, that some people are just more stressed naturally than others, but in reality stress management is a skill that we have control over. I have found that practicing relaxation has helped me manage my stress, and this video reinforces this idea. The video also talked about locus of control. I had learned about this in my high school psychology class but never thought about how it is an important tool in mindfulness and having control over your thoughts.
The video follows a 90/10 rule, which I think really puts everything in a good perspective for helping to manage stress. He says that, “10 percent of how we do in life is based on what happens to us and ninety percent is how we respond”. Often, stress can make us be hyperfixated on an event and how things could have gone differently or the possible outcomes instead of focusing on what we have the ability to control. This can become easier through mindfulness techniques to help us navigate our thoughts and where we place our attention.
Well written OM
In this video the topic of stress and ways to deal with stress were discussed. The presenter shared information about studies done involving teaching people how to cope with stress through options such as therapy and mindfulness. As well as how these options can have similar benefits to taking medications for some people.
I enjoyed how in the video the presenter acknowledged that he at one point likely harbored some type of bias or stereotype towards people who practiced mindfulness strategies to come with stress, referring to them as “ The Kumbaya crowd“, but then also acknowledges that studies now show that mindfulness does have notable and lasting benefits.
The way that he discussed how common stress is, and how someone does not need to also suffer from a mental illness to need to seek professional help for assistance in learning to cope with stress reminded me of how my doctor discussed therapy with my mom to try and have her see it as a beneficial experience and breaking the stigma that you have to have serious issues to see a therapist. She told my mom that she, a doctor, regularly sees a therapist and that initially she felt embarrassed about that. Until her therapist told her that even she, the therapist, would also see a therapist.
Namaste
I really enjoyed how accessible this video was, and although it dealt with serious health and psychological concepts, it still remained light and simple to understand. Sometimes videos about stress can feel like lectures, which may alienate and frustrate audiences, but this video didn’t feel like that at all. It felt genuine and used many scenarios to which many people could easily relate.
Personally, I’ve been trying to find ways to manage my own stress for years, and I’ve always thought that using a mixture of all the different techniques and mindsets that he talked about has been most helpful. For example, along with deep breathing and relaxation techniques, I frequently try to reframe my stressful or anxious thoughts in order to remind myself that I have the power over how I react to or deal with stressors in my life. The sense of control that is mentioned in the video really spoke to me because I think it is absolutely necessary to remind myself that while I cannot control what other people do, I can control what I do in response. The balance of control has always been very important and helpful for me.
Another stress reduction technique that was not explicitly mentioned in the video but is mentioned in this outside source (https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-relaxation-techniques-to-reduce-stress) is that of a body scan. I use this technique several times throughout the day as a way to check in with my body and notice where I’m holding my stress. Just taking a minute every once in a while to readjust my position can really make me feel more energized and in control.
Well stated and supported Namaste
Fatima Lua (Castaneda)
Wednesday 8:30am
2/23/20
After watching this Stress Reduction Animation, everything I had thought about stress had changed. I am someone who doesn’t deal with stress very well and gets anxious quickly so this video really helped me be more open to change. There are a lot of things that stress me out and now that I think about it, it isn’t all these things that stress me out but what I put in my mind and what I think about that causes the stress. The quote that Dr. Williams James had said 100 years ago “the greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another” stuck out to me the most. I know that I can reduce stress by the way that I think and I know I can choose what I decide to put in my thoughts all I have to do is actually make those changes and work on it. Instead of putting negative thoughts in my mind, maybe put more positive thoughts or think of things in a different way.
Another part of this video that helped me get a better understanding was “mindfulness can give us the ability to let go of worry and not get trapped in the anxious loops.” I think where I place my attention can be a really good thing for me. The things that stress me the most are the negative thoughts I put in my mind so If I change my thinking style and put my mind into things that don’t overwhelm me, I could potentially reduce my stress and live in a life less stressful and anxious. I feel that being more mindful could make me more present and could help me cut down on needless stress.
I think this is a really great video, I highly relate to this especially since I know that I’m not the only one who experiences stress. I think the most important thing is changing the way you think. I think once we start thinking that’s when we start stressing out and bringing negative thoughts in our minds. I also can see how certain situations and people can bring stress into your life but how you react or think in these certain situations is what you have to have more control over. I think the thing I have to remember is to be fully present and aware of where I am and what I am doing and not get overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around me.
Well stated OM
The video, Stress Reduction Animation, goes over the elements of stress and the complexity of it in everyday life. The contents of the video began by introducing how there are both negative and positive factors of stress. The negative aspect is more commonly perceived as stress. From a scientific standpoint, stress causes increased blood pressure and heart rate and chemical changes in the body. Mentally, stress can also cause vulnerability, coping strategies and enable the development of problem-solving skills. Stress is a serious health condition that can cause worse medical outcomes than drugs and alcohol, depression and anxiety and can leave someone with overall worse quality of life.
Though there are negatives to stress, there are positives as well. Athletes and executives have found ways to manage stress pressure and use stress as an advantage to perform better in the tasks at hand. The rest of the video went on to describe how the most effective way to deal with the problems of stress is one’s outlook on it. When looking at a stressful situation with a positive attitude and moving to change one’s thinking style of how they perceive stress is so important in managing stress-related issues. The video went into depth on how one’s own thinking, whether it be overthinking or negative thinking is what makes stress negative. By practicing mindfulness and letting go of worldly distraction in life, it is easier to teach oneself how to be aware of the space between stimulus and response, and learn how to properly cope with stress.
My perception of stress had definitely altered after viewing the video, mainly because the video explained how stress is not a tangible problem, but rather a mental state. When looking at stress from this viewpoint, I found that it seemed easier to know how to effectively manage stress, because the video provided a clear answer to negative stress reduction.
I found that the video reminded me of the film Y Tu Mama También, particularly because both the film and the video go into detail on perception and the outlook one has on life. In order to make the comparison, I will need to spoil the movie, but the film is about a married woman who discovers she is going to die very soon. Instead of wallowing in the fact that she is going to die, she decides to go on a road trip with two young men she had just met and decides to live the rest of her life to the fullest on a beach where she eventually dies. In this way, without directly stating it in the film, the main character had reduced the negative stress of her situation by turning what she had been going through into a positive experience.
Namaste
In this video, Dr. Mike Evans states that stress and stress management is essential to one’s health and wellbeing. Stress is not as simple as “cause-and-effect”; many things in the mind and body happen because of stress or lead up to stress. These can increase blood pressure, heart-rate, change the balance of chemicals within the body. In can compromise coping mechanisms and affect problem solving skills and in turn lead to mental health issues. Dr. Evans later states that “the most effective treatment for stress is to change your thinking style”. Stress is usually created within our brains, not from outside sources and the level of stress we accumulate depends on our responses to it. Stress management does not come naturally to everyone but it is quite possible to learn it. One strategy is to practice CBT otherwise known as Cognitive Behavior Therapy which includes training in problem solving, relaxation, avoiding thinking traps. In the video, the narrator quotes Dr. William James as saying, “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” Mindfulness techniques are another way to manage and reduce stress levels. They include increasing self-awareness, breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and meditation. Stress can overwhelm the mind and body and cause it to lose control; that is why it is important to ground oneself and go towards “being in the moment” and in turn, choose where to place your attention.
The video was very helpful in gaining perspective on how stress is a construct of the mind that affects everything else. It was also interesting to hear that stress is in accordance to how we respond to what we perceive as stressful and we have the ability to choose what affects us. I used to stress out over a lot of things; often they were trivial and they were things that I had little control over. As a got older and my perspective and worldview widened, I was able to prioritize and compartmentalize my surroundings and the external stimuli within. As I got busier, I had to make decisions on what was the most important to get stressed out about and deal with them in a healthy way. I also began to realize that stress was negatively affecting my health and it was then that I began to make better decisions on how I conduct my lifestyle. Taking yoga has helped me manage my stress level to a degree but I still have a long way to go if I want to take control of my life and better my wellbeing.
Some resources to consider:
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/zen-koans-unsolvable-enigmas-designed-to-break-your-brain-puqun-li
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/are-you-a-body-with-a-mind-or-a-mind-with-a-body-maryam-alimardani
Well stated OM
Grace Dziedzic – Yoga Tools Wed 8:30
This is a very important video, and anyone who is aware of the ever-growing case of stress the world has would know that. Every day, more and more people are impacted by the fast-paced, work-geared, time-suck lifestyle that we’ve all adopted for the sake of efficiency, technology, and money. Watching this video, I was hoping to be given some specific techniques for ending stress; I struggle with it too! I can’t say I was surprised when all the video really had to offer was “Change your Thinking”. I think I can speak for more than myself when I say that I was hoping for a more streamlined, action-based solution. Isn’t that the point, though? We’re all caught up in a lifestyle that is based on action; how much can you do in the shortest time possible? Are you being productive? The task of delving inside is one that a lot of people can no longer fathom, and honestly, I’ve been one of those people.
The video brought up three “c”s: Control, Commitment, and Change. These are very broad terms, but they have so much to do with how we interact with the world. I cite a conversation I had with my mother over the weekend about how stress impacts me: When a problem arises for someone besides myself, I am level headed, I problem-solve, and I can move on easily. However, when the fault is mine, I succumb to stress. My mother even admitted that the way she raised myself and my brother could explain how competitive and obsessed with self-perfection we are. Bringing back the three “c”s, I am able to use my sense of control, commitment, and change for the better when tackling someone else’s distress. When I feel like I’ve messed up, though, the words take on a totally different connotation.
All in all, this video was a much-needed reminder that every-day stress is more manageable than I usually believe and that while the answer is not easy, it is simple, and with time it can be achieved.
I hope you deploy your IK practice for stress reduction and peace Namaste
Shamylle Estevez
Prior to watching this video I already had some knowledge that a great number of health issues can stem from stress. It was a lot easier for me to understand the points he was making by watching him draw out what he was saying. So to me it was interesting to find out why this is and learn how to prevent a health issue from it. The idea of mindfulness techniques stood out to me because the results improved the health of those dealing with stress more than any medication had, according to Dr. Zindel Segal’s experiment. These mindfulness techniques are known to be increased self awareness, breathing (which is a huge component of our yoga class and part of the Isha Kriya that we do), muscle relaxation, and meditation. According to the article, “Mindfulness for Stress Reduction” by Louise Delagran from the University of Minnesota, the way that mindfulness impacts the brain is by, responding to thought-base responses, regulation of the emotions, and finally the changes of the brain’s increased connections.
From the information that was given, I learned that stress is more about thinking rather than actual pressure on oneself. The complex nature of stress carries a lot of negative yet some positive aspects. Stress effects someone negatively because it can: increase your blood pressure, increase your heart rate, or cause chemical changes. It can also influence one’s vulnerability, as well as leading to worse health outcomes and self treatment with alcohol and drugs. These negative influences can end up dealing with depression and anxiety, ultimately leaving a person with feeling of a worse quality of life. On the other hand, there are some positive aspects of stress, which are: finding a stress level that is high but not too high for people who are more engaged with their optimum performance.
I learned the ways that regulating your stress all comes down to: commitment, control and change. I find these aspects really helpful and I look forward to using these methods myself. Something I plan on doing is changing my thinking style. I am a big over thinker, which causes me to feel a lot of anxiety with my personal life or work and it stresses me out on a day to day basis. Going forward and utilizing the information learned, changing the way you think will ultimately influence your attitude. Personally, with my mother and her having high blood pressure, it’s really challenging for her do deal with things that stress her out. She has a high tolerance for letting things get to such a stressful point but I take notice of how aware she is of her health issue and she will change her way of thinking in order for her to control her stress; which is actually what the video emphasizes as well!
Delagran, Louise. “Mindfulness for Stress Reduction.” Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing, 2016, http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/mindfulness-stress-reduction.
Well stated and I hope you share the Isha Kriya practice with your Mom, Namaste