How To Reduce The Negative Effects of Stress Anywhere at Anytime in 3 Easy Steps

 As society in the United States deals with upcoming changes in political leadership, economic challenges, and increased issues with mental health, many people are dealing with triggering situations and environments.  With that realization comes some anxiety, anger, and the loathing of social interaction.  You know what else that means? The possibility for highly stressful situations.

Some of you are reading this saying, “Yeah but the 2020 lockdowns and restrictions coupled with reduced work, and other COVID-19 related stressors, were just as bad.”  I won’t dispute that, however, those stressors were dealt with in private settings for the most part.  We know that to be different from the pressures caused in person by corporate managers, co-workers, fellow students, and the list goes on.  Not to mention that greater political and civil divides reared their ugly heads during the shutdowns.

People are interacting in mass settings with individuals that may show “undesirable” aspects of their beliefs and perceptions in contrast to your own.  So in preparation for the challenges to eventually come your way, wellness leader and industry veteran Coach Mike D.A. is sharing three techniques that are usually taught to his clients:

1. Stop, Observe and Assess Before Responding
This seems like common sense but we all know the saying, “all sense ain’t common or everyone would have it.”
Coach Mike spent a total of 11 years of his life in prison (one as a juvenile and 10 as an adult).  It’s one of the most violent environments you could ever encounter, so your survival is predicated on being able to assess situations before you possibly make a fatal mistake.

“Stop, observe every aspect of what’s happening, then assess the value of what you may be about to energetically invest into the outcome and how it will affect you in the long run,” says Coach Mike.

2. Control Your Breathing
Most people are unaware of how our Autonomic Nervous System works.  The ANS is the part of our nervous system that deals with our involuntary physiological processes such as heart rate, breathing, digestion, and so forth.  It also has two main divisions known as Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. The former is known for its famous “Fight, Flight or Freeze” mechanism. The latter is the opposite in that it is designed for calming us down.

With that said, stressful situations activate the Sympathetic System which causes our breathing to increase and become shallow.  To counter this reaction, active the Parasympathetic System by breathing deeply. This is known as Diaphragmatic Breathing aka “Belly Breathing”.  It focuses on taking long, deep breaths that push the stomach and abdominal muscles out. Ten breaths with a count of “five Mississippi” each should do the trick.

3. Be Mindful of Yourself In The Moment
Unless you’ve had some form of disciplined training (ex. Martial Arts or Military Service), most of our emotional reactions are subconsciously conditioned responses that date back to our time as children.  This is where the concept of “blacking out” comes in, it’s the “I don’t know what happened, I just snapped” situation playing out.

Instead of letting that habit loop manifest, allow your consciousness to step in.  This can only be effective by being mindful a.k.a. being present or “in the moment”.
After you’ve stopped, observed, assessed, and reduced your breathing, it’s time to be cognizant of your place in the matter at hand so you can control the only thing that you truly can: your perception and reaction to the issue.  Allow yourself to calm down.

“The important concept to remember is that stress is not a thing.  It is a physiological response to a stimuli, and how we perceive that cue.  When it’s acute (short-term, less than an hour), stress is naturally a positive mechanism for us.  Once it becomes chronic (long-term), the biochemical process it releases can become toxic to our entire being. The more you train yourself to relax and stay present in any given situation, the better your chances of minimizing the damage,” says Coach Mike.

To learn more details about Coach Mike D.A’s story and his programs, please visit our website.