Stress prevention is the best methods and ways to avoid a nervous breakdown. Stress in old age and ways to overcome it

Stress Prevention - 17 Ways to Protect Yourself From Stress

Stress prevention This is an important condition for maintaining emotional health. And it is important to follow the general principles for increasing the level of resistance to stressful situations. This will prolong your life and increase its level several times. Here are ways to control unpleasant experiences:

1. Take things easy.

You should not take everything to heart and worry about every little thing. Learn to calmly perceive any events in your life. Imagine that you are a sieve, or a cloud, and all stresses pass through you without leaving a trace.

2. Learn positive thinking

If you are overwhelmed by stress, positive thinking will help you. Its essence is that you need to concentrate on positive thoughts and memories.

3.Use switching ways

Are you having unpleasant thoughts? Don't give them power. Switch. Shift your focus to the outside world. See what makes you happy. Concentrate on what you see and hear in the moment.

4. Get rid of negative emotions

Suppressed emotions increase stress and can lead to depression. So let's get them out. Naturally, this must be done in a positive way. So as not to harm others. For example, beat pillows or engage in forgiveness.

5. Laugh more

Laughter is the best stress reliever. Don't neglect her. Watch comedies, use laughter therapy, smile at passers-by.

Sports help to cope with stress. Therefore, if you want to maintain emotional health, sign up for your favorite sports section and enjoy regular workouts.

7. Be grateful for what you have

Gratitude is a very good way to prevent stress. Instead of constant dissatisfaction, you will begin to enjoy what you have.

8. Relax

This method is very useful. All doctors and psychologists recommend daily autogenic training for 10-30 minutes to prevent stress.

9. Take a trip

A friend of mine experienced chronic stress related to anxiety about her health and being fired from her job. Her lover gave her a ticket to Mexico. After her return, she is unrecognizable. She left all the stresses in another country. Give it a try if you love to travel.

By the way, it is not necessary to go to another country, you can do tourism even in your hometown.

10. Take baths

An excellent remedy for relaxation. Especially with essential oils.

11. Be outdoors

12. Use self-hypnosis

Choose a suitable affirmation for yourself and say it out loud or to yourself as often as possible, tuning in to the desired wave. For example, if you are worried at work, you can say the following formula: "Inside and around me, peace and harmony."

13. Find a hobby

A favorite hobby is a great stress reliever. So ask yourself: What do I like to do? Perhaps write poetry, cook culinary masterpieces or study psychology. Got the answer. Good. And now, without delay, proceed to an interesting lesson.

14. Make a list of what makes you happy

Take a few minutes to write down your favorite pastimes that make you happy. These classes are your salvation from stress.

14. Dream and fantasize

In positive psychology, there is a technique called Visualization. Its essence is that you dream about what you want, do it with pleasure and in the present tense. And then you get what you drew in your imagination.

16. Keep a diary

The diary helps to understand yourself, analyze your life and find a way out of difficult situations. And also keeping records has the function of a psychotherapist, you write about what worries you, and it becomes easier for you.

17. Consult a psychologist

If your nerve strength is running out and nothing pleases you, consult a psychologist. Thank God, there are now enough professionals in this field who can help you cope with stress.

stressful thinking styles

Even ancient philosophers said that we do not react to events as such, but to what we think about them. A person's reaction to any event depends on his thoughts. And the stress response as well.

There are a number of thinking errors that can lead to unnecessarily strong, excessive stress. The most common mistakes include:

"Black and White Thinking". The world is seen in black and white, without color and halftones. A person thinks in terms of “everything” or “nothing” and considers himself a complete loser at the slightest discrepancy between expectations and reality.

Overgeneralizations. On the basis of single facts, a global (and unconfirmed) conclusion is formulated. The words "never, nobody, nothing, everything, everything, always" are often used.

Catastrophization. This is a kind of "bloat out of molehills." There is an exaggeration of a negative event until it grows in the mind of a person to the size of a catastrophe. The words "nightmarish, terrible, terrible, tragic", etc. can be used.

Subjectivization. Another option is “turning a fly into an elephant”, when a person is set up for a certain explanation of events and stubbornly tries to find confirmation of this. If no relevant facts are found, "confirmations" are formed from everything at hand, including from one's own emotions.

Excessive pessimism. The "spyglass effect" in which good news is downplayed and bad news exaggerated. A person pays attention only to the negative aspects of life, while stubbornly ignoring the positive aspects.

Dreaminess and denial of reality. A person is full of colorful, but absolutely unrealistic expectations about himself, other people, work, profession, the world around him, etc. At the same time, he often does not see a real problem or convinces himself that the problem does not exist, although in fact it is very relevant.

Excessive demands. A person makes inadequate, excessive demands on himself, other people and the world as a whole, and makes incredible efforts to fulfill these requirements. The words "should" are often used.

Condemnation and labels. A person takes the position of a strict judge and passes a mental sentence on himself or another. For example: "I'm a loser", "he bad person", etc.

hedonistic thinking. Thinking aimed at maximum pleasure and the complete elimination of suffering and any restrictions. Often there are phrases: “I can’t stand this”, “I need it right now”, “this is too hard”.

Viscous thinking. A person again and again returns to the same thought until it fills the entire space of consciousness. Moreover, each subsequent attempt to solve the problem is less and less successful.

The listed errors of thinking occur from time to time in every person. Their identification and correction are an important component of stress management. This can be done both independently and under the guidance of a cognitive-behavioral specialist. Of course, in the second case, the results can be obtained much faster. But even with independent work, you can noticeably improve your stress management skills.

Four groups of stress symptoms

There are at least 4 groups of stress symptoms: physiological, intellectual, emotional and behavioral.

PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS:

Persistent headaches, migraine

Headache

Uncertain pains

Indigestion

Bloating of the abdomen with gases

Constipation or diarrhea

Spasmodic, sharp pains in the abdomen

Palpitations (feeling that the heart is beating fast, irregularly, or frequently)

Feeling short of breath

convulsions

Fatigue

Exposure to allergies

excessive sweating

Clenched fists or jaws

fainting

Frequent colds, flu, infections

Resurgence of diseases that occurred before

Rapid gain or loss of body weight

Frequent urination

Tingling sensation in hands and feet

Muscle tension, frequent neck and back pain

Skin rashes

Feeling of a lump in the throat

Double vision and difficulty seeing objects

INTELLIGENT SIGNS OF STRESS:

indecisiveness

Weakening of memory

Impaired concentration

Increased distractibility

"Tunnel" vision

Bad dreams, nightmares

Mistakes

Loss of initiative

Persistent negative thoughts

Impaired judgment, confused thinking

Impulsive thinking, hasty decisions

EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS:

Irritability

Anxiety

Suspicion

Gloomy mood, depression

Fussiness

Feeling tense

exhaustion

Exposure to fits of anger

Cynical, inappropriate humor

Feeling nervous, fearful, anxious

Loss of confidence

Decreased life satisfaction

Feeling of alienation

Lack of interest

Reduced self-esteem

Job dissatisfaction

BEHAVIORAL SIGNS OF STRESS:

Loss of appetite or overeating

Bad car driving

Increasing problems in the family

Poor timing

Avoidance of supportive, friendly relationships

unkemptness

Antisocial behavior, lying

Failure to develop

Low productivity

prone to accidents

Sleep disturbance or insomnia

More intense smoking and drinking

Finishing work at home

Too busy to rest

Each symptom is worth one point. A stress level of up to 10 points is considered acceptable, more than 10 - requiring action. At the same time, a score of 20 to 30 indicates a high level of stress, and more than 30 indicates a very high level.

Before, you need to realize its essence. In modern realities, many people often confuse stress with depression and the like. mental disorders. There is a big difference between stress and depression. First of all, depression is a pathology that needs to be treated, and often with medication. Classical depression has a number of relevant etiological and clinical features that support this diagnosis.

What is stress?

Stress is not a disease, it is the body's response to environmental stimuli, both positive and negative. Stress is always there, stress surrounds us, stress is life, and you can’t get away from it. Everything that makes a person nervous, looking for ways out of any current situation, can be safely called stress. Moreover, a moderate stressful situation is even useful, it allows you to keep the body in good shape.

With regard to long-term, regular exposure to negative stressors, the situation worsens here. Chronic stress can cause serious overload, primarily of the central system and the body's immune defenses. The initial impact of a stressful situation activates the activity of the central nervous system, which begins to trigger anti-stress defense mechanisms - blood pressure and cardiac activity increase, thereby improving blood flow to organs and tissues, the concentration of glucose, fats and proteins in blood plasma increases, activity decreases digestive system. The body goes into a state of readiness, being on the verge of making a decision - to avoid further exposure to stressors or to deal with them.

The immune system and hormonal status play a significant role in the fight against stress. In the blood, the concentration of some immune bodies increases, trying to protect cells from possible damage, and the hormones norepinephrine, adrenaline and cortisol help maintain physical activity. Thus, the body seeks to return to a stable state, which is called homeostasis. Homeostasis is the point in the middle of the segment, to which all body systems are constantly striving. And stress is trying to deflect their activity in any direction from this point.

This situation, under the condition of prolonged exposure, leads to increased expenditure nutrients, and, in the end, ends with exhaustion. From this moment begins the harmful effects of stress factors on the body. First of all, the nervous system and immunity suffer - the same, similar to depression, clinical symptoms of increased fatigue, drowsiness, irritability over trifles, and so on appear. The risk of developing infectious diseases, especially of a respiratory nature, increases. If the impact of stress factors is not timely reduced or eliminated, the situation is fraught with the development of more serious mental and physical diseases - phobias, anxiety disorders, depression and, often, borderline conditions. Of the organs most at risk are the heart, stomach, intestines, and genitourinary system.

Stress does not need to be avoided or prevented, it is almost impossible to do so. It is necessary to exclude long-term exposure to stress factors, as they are realized. In psychology and psychiatry, for this purpose, there is a separate strategy - stress management - a technique for preventing the harmful effects of stress factors on the body.

Prevention of chronic stress refers to a wide range psychological methods of therapy available to psychologists, as well as for use at home, the so-called auto-training, which is based on the theory and practice of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Stress management includes a fairly wide range of methods used in practice, consider the most commonly used ones that can be used at home without the use of medications:

In many developed countries attach great importance to the prevention and treatment of stress. Entire programs have been developed to manage stress and prevent its chronic effects on the body. It is a pity that Russia is only at the beginning of this path. For this reason, you have to save yourself.

The state of stress is familiar to everyone, from a newborn to a frail old man. The very first stress experienced at the time of birth is beyond our control.

At a conscious age, we can completely control it: let it in or not into our lives, regulate the charge from positive to negative, the degree of intensity of passions and their duration. No wonder the wise Chinese designated this phenomenon with two hieroglyphs: danger and opportunity.

Hans Selye, a Canadian physiologist, was the first to define stress. He divided it into positive and negative:

positive moderate strength improves attention, charges a person with positive energy, strengthens the immune system, increases interest in achieving a goal, fills life with vivid emotions.
negative, on the contrary, prepares the body to fight danger - this is its main biological purpose. According to Selye, a strong negative shake-up of the nervous system can give rise to many serious diseases and premature aging.

His point of view is supported by statistics:

7 out of 10 cases of myocardial infarction are caused by psycho-emotional overload,

as well as science:

Australian scientists from the Garvan Institute (Sydney) found that a person living in a state prolonged stress, is open to viruses and infections, there is an increased production of the hormone neuropeptide Y, which violates the protective functions of the body.

Effects of stress:

general deterioration in health and the development of depressive conditions, phobias and other mental disorders. Relationships with other people worsen in a person, drug or alcohol addiction may occur. Possible suicide attempts.

What happens to the body during stress?

Vladislav Mozhaisky, a psychotherapist, describes this condition as follows: our body consists of many tiny cells, each of them has its own specific environment. Imagine that at the moment of stress this environment turns into hydrochloric acid.

It is very difficult for the body to cope with this huge amount harmful biochemical substances and enzymes. Therefore, their release invariably occurs in the blood and lymph.

The danger signal enters the brain and under the influence of the stress hormone cortisol and the hormone of action of adrenaline, the body mobilizes all its resources:

muscle tone rises sharply, the whole body seems to shrink, preparing to jump or flee, which gives a tremendous load on the heart
heart rate accelerates
we lose our appetite, because digestion slows down
, the pressure rises
increased blood clotting.
blood drains from the brain, we think more slowly, hear and see worse,

The result of such changes in the body can be loss of consciousness, vomiting, asthma attack, diarrhea. Middle-aged people are at high risk of strokes and heart attacks.

How Stress Accumulates

We experience stress throughout our lives.

growing up - any manifestation of individuality runs into restrictions "it is impossible", "they don't do that", "you must behave well" and the like. This generates indignation and a nervous reaction, moreover, than younger age, the more sincere and faster the reaction.
At a conscious age, we already encode ourselves for stress: “I am obliged”, “I must”, “I need” and others.

Such installations invariably create unnecessary nervous tension, I want to do a lot right now, but there is not enough time, we begin to take the missing time from children, from family, from our favorite hobby. Life takes on a frantic pace, nervous and, therefore, muscle fatigue accumulates, we lose self-control over emotions, we can flare up, break loose, get angry or burst into inappropriate tears or laughter.

In order not to expose your health to stressful shake-ups, you need to monitor your emotional state, the level of anxiety,.

If such a trifle as not washed dishes causes a wave of indignation, and the loss of keys or a quarrel with your husband seems like the end of the world, you should think: are you on your shoulders the burden of responsibility and duties that you have shouldered?

According to statistics women aged 30 to 40 are most susceptible to stress,

at the age of the so-called "greatest anxiety". During this period of life, they have to solve several problems at the same time. priorities: children are small and require a lot of attention, parents are old and they need care and attention, a career is at its peak and also takes the lion's share of strength and energy.

Stress can be triggered by:

prolonged nervous tension,
constant psychological pressure,
depressive states,
physical exhaustion - insomnia, vitamin deficiency, malnutrition, uncontrolled intake of psychotropic substances.

Ways to prevent stress

Any stress will last only as long as we allow it to be in our minds.

Spontaneous reaction. There is no universal cure for stress. But, if you still failed to avoid a severe nervous breakdown, then do not hold back your emotions, listen to yourself, your body will tell you which medicine is suitable for it.

Look at the behavior of an animal that is afraid of a predator, it runs away, i.e. MOVING!!! See how the child reacts when he doesn't like something - very EMOTIONAL: either cries, or screams, or makes faces.

The reaction is immediate and spontaneous - the very first and needed help to myself!

We change our attitude to the situation. Reduce the significance of an event or situation that causes mental stress: “It’s not the end of the world!”, “It could be worse”, “Everything that is done is for the better!” With such thoughts, you create a dominant focus of excitation in the brain, which slows down and replaces the former one.

Dare to refuse. Very often, the reason for the breakdown is the inability to refuse, as a result, at work, in addition to the main duties, you are charged with a bunch of additional duties, and friends, taking advantage of your kindness, burden you with their problems.

Promising something, starting any business, leave yourself a loophole, do not reassure the interlocutor by 100%. After all, no one knows the future and it is difficult to program it. There is always a high probability that you will not be able to fulfill the promise.

Do not take on a lot of responsibility, take on board such phrases as “I will think”, “I will call you back on occasion”, “I will try, but I cannot promise”, “I will do it if I have the opportunity” and the like.

This will reduce psycho-emotional stress in case of unsuccessful circumstances.

Look for helpers, do not drag the entire load yourself. Share the amount of work with colleagues, household chores with household members, do not try to do everything on your own. To admit that it is physically difficult for you to cope alone is not at all ashamed.

Make Lists plan your day in advance. Choose priority cases, move to tomorrow those that can wait. Don't try to solve everything at once. Such a desire will not bring anything good, but it will add fatigue and tension to the nerves. Due to the fact that the planned things are not carried out, dissatisfaction with oneself grows, which becomes the cause of irritability and conflicts with others.

How to deal with anxiety

Divide worries into three groups:

"Warning Calls". These issues require an urgent response.
Alarms are reminders of unresolved problems.
Upcoming problems. Premonitions of threats in the future.

alarm bells deserve serious consideration. If you smell smoke and are worried about a possible fire coming soon, then drop all your affairs and get to grips with solving this problem.

Alarm Reminders such as “congratulate dad on his professional holiday”, “son has a swim tomorrow, don’t forget!”, “hand over things for dry cleaning” a place in the diary. Don't worry, use notebooks, computers, reminders in the phone.

Coming Problems worthy of your attention, but do not subordinate your life to them, do not let in fears in advance. Set aside time when you can calmly reflect on the risks ahead with your money, with your job, with your business. Think and look for a constructive solution. Do not allow yourself to constantly procrastinate these topics in your thoughts. Prepare for problems without panicking. Think over your actions in advance calmly, without wasting your spiritual and mental resources on something that is not in your power to eliminate.

Thought control.

Often the impetus for experiences can serve as a thought that came to mind spontaneously. If you notice that you are nervous about the same thing many times a day, ask yourself the question: “Can I change this situation?” If not, then throw the cause for concern out of your head, force yourself to switch your attention to something else,.

Making decisions.

Trying to make the best decision, do not overexert yourself. Any decision requires the expenditure of intellectual resources. If decisions about moving to live in another city, giving birth to a child, entering into marriage are carefully and for a long time considered, this is normal. But when choosing between Volvo and Saab, do not give yourself more than a few days to think. Ice cream, vanilla or chocolate, is equally delicious.

Try to see the bright side in any situation, do not get hung up on troubles, and they will quickly give way to joyful events.

A positive perception of life not only helps to avoid, but also contributes to a higher quality of life.

I wish you good mood and good spirits!

Elena Valve for the Sleepy Cantata project.

Sources: malahov-plus.com, A. Leonova and D. Kostikova "On the verge of stress / In the world of science" 2004, Selye "Stress without distress".

Elena Valve for the Sleepy Cantata project

Part III. Prevention of stress. stress management

What is stress?

The profession of a teacher is associated with a lot of stress. Stressful situations can arise at any time in communication with children, administration, parents, representatives of various organizations. Studies conducted on a sample of teachers primary school English schools, showed that more than 72% of teachers experienced moderate stress in their work and 23% of teachers experienced severe stress (FontanaD., 1995).

So what is stress?

G. Selye (1979) defined stress as the level of depreciation of our body, and, like many other researchers, associated it with stress. As a rule, stress is a state of the body caused by the prolonged action of the process of increased excitation. The Psychological Dictionary (1998, p. 371) gives the following definition of this concept: “The state of mental stress that occurs in a person in the process of activity in the most difficult and Everyday life, as well as in special circumstances". This is a mental or physical stress caused by physical, emotional, social, economic or professional circumstances, events or experiences that is difficult to cope with and difficult to endure (Colman A.M., 2001).

According to D. Greenberg (2004), the cause of stress is a stressor, or a stimulus that can "launch" the reaction of fight or flight. The stressor can be emotional condition(anger, fear) and external factors (smells, noise). Experts believe that most of the stressors are associated not with the production activities of a person, but with his everyday life. However, people often bring their problems to work, where, in turn, factors of professional activity are added (Sergaev S.I., 2002).

G. Desler (1997) identifies two main sources work stress: environmental factors ( study load, safety, number of students) and personal factors (performance, patience, health). But regardless of what was the source of stress, as a result of post-stress disorders of nervous activity (Sedin S.I., 2002; Sutherlanol S., 1995), many diseases can occur: heart attack, stroke, mental illness, etc. Of course, the impact of one and the same stressor may be different in different situations and on different people.

stressfulness various events is determined by their predictability (unpredictability) and the ability (impossibility) to control the situation. However, it is not the events themselves that are important, but the extent to which they have touched us (Gleitman, 2001).

On the scale of stressful events (HolmesandRahe, 1967), life events such as the death of a spouse, divorce, severe injury or illness, marriage, dismissal from work, etc. cause the greatest stress. A scale of everyday problems (LazarandandFolkman), causing stress , is a list of such events as the deterioration of the health of one of the family members, the increase in prices for goods, household chores, etc.

Specialists (G. Gleitman) believe that people who receive support from the social environment (friends, family) experience any stress with less loss.

And people who are in full-fledged marriages and other social relationships have greater resistance to disease than those who are divorced or single. Teachers who have at least one friend among their colleagues are also less prone to stress (FontanaD., 1995).

However, stress is not always harmful to a person. Some stressful situations play a positive role in our lives. Sometimes they bring unusual bright colors to the gray everyday life of our existence. Overcoming stressful situations, we feel at our best, proudly tell our friends and colleagues, for example, about the experience gained in behavior in extreme situations. Sometimes, being under the influence of stress, people reconsider their beliefs, life positions, change their views on current events and attitudes towards their close environment, which can contribute to further personal growth or life security. Stress is an integral part of our life, and it is not always possible to avoid it. Therefore, along with taking preventive measures to prevent stress, it is worth learning how to cope with situations that are inevitable.

Prevention of stress. stress management

Psychologist working in kindergarten or at school, often forced to call teachers for help in situations that caused them stress. Moreover, the primary task of the psychologist is the implementation of preventive work. Yes, for prevention of stressful situations S.I. Sergaev offers the following methods:

1. The actions of the employees themselves: create pleasant relationship with all colleagues, setting realistic deadlines for completing important projects, finding time every day to relax, sometimes walking, not putting off work with unpleasant problems, “not biting off more than you can eat”, etc.

2. Employer activities for employees: identifying risk factors and health deviations, implementing a physical exercise program, holding social and cultural events, etc.

3. Measures to improve the management of the organization (creating a certain environment for employees experiencing stress at the workplace): studying the causes of stress, changing the employee's duties, conducting training, establishing a flexible schedule, improving working conditions, etc.

Studies by D. Fontana and K. Abousserie (FontanaD., 1995) revealed a positive relationship between a high level of predisposition to stress and neuroticism and introversion among primary and secondary teachers. It turned out that the higher the introversion and neuroticism, the more stressed teachers are. Stress is also common among teachers who strive to be perfect at all times and in everything in their professional activities (Kyriacou, 1982).

D. Fontana (1995) gives Five Tips for Teachers on Stress Management.

Council the first. Determine if you are in the risk group (described above). If yes, then in any extreme situation learn to decide what you can do and what is simply not in your power or competence. Learn to laugh at yourself in those situations where you made a small mistake. A sense of humor always helps reduce stress. And the ability to laugh at oneself without any embarrassment is characteristic of people who know how to value themselves and who are free from internal conflict. Of course, they try to change things in the direction they want, if possible, but at the same time they are able to be flexible.

Tip two. Learn to observe yourself and be aware of why certain events make us tense, sad, or annoying. Try to make a list of similar situations. For example: "6" a "" the class with its disgusting behavior makes me angry ... Petya Ivanov, when he is silent at the blackboard for 5 minutes, makes me out of patience ... "

Of course, we do not have such a button, by pressing which 6 "a" or Ivanov Petya "launch" anger or our impatience. The reaction to events entirely depends only on us. 6 "a" can really make noise in the lesson, but only we can decide how to respond to this: with anger or the ability to control ourselves. Each teacher can simulate in advance such a response to a possible, expected stressful effect, which will certainly make his life easier.

Tip three. Sometimes people take the words and actions of others personally, although there is no good reason for this. Children from 6 "a" behave this way because it has become a habit for them, because they come after the lesson of physical education, etc., and not because they do not respect the teacher. Be more realistic, and before you get offended or angry with someone, figure out if they really meant to hurt you.

Council the fourth. AT stressful situations try to focus your attention on the problem, and not get stuck on your own negative emotions. Try to find alternative solutions and choose from them what you think is more acceptable.

Tip five. Engage in the prevention of stressful conditions: read books, do simple relaxation exercises. And if you are in a state of stress, then do not accumulate negative ones, share your problems with colleagues, with loved ones.

And here are the recommendations of M. Berkeley-Allen (1997, pp. 193-194), with which we introduce the participants of the training in detail (third day):
1. Increase your lunch break by half an hour (of course, with the permission of the boss).
2. Give yourself a small gift (a bouquet of flowers, a ticket to the theater or a sporting event, have dinner at a restaurant).
3. Allow yourself some time alone.
4. Take time to enjoy doing what you love.
5. Allow yourself to spend half a day doing nothing.
6. Do something that you have long wanted to do, but never had time for.
7. On the weekend, let yourself sleep longer.
8. Show off your achievements to a friend or relatives.
9. Spend some of your savings and buy yourself some trinket.

Experts recommend for removal emotional tension strive to reduce muscle tension. So, G.S. Belyaev, V.S. Lobzin, I.A. Kopylova (1997) note that muscle activity is associated with the emotional sphere and muscle tension is an external manifestation of unpleasant emotions (fear, anger, etc.). Accordingly, muscle relaxation is an external indicator positive emotions, states of general peace, balance, satisfaction.

Muscle relaxation (relaxation) has a dual physiological significance, since it is both an independent factor in reducing emotional tension and an auxiliary factor in preparing the conditions for a transitional state from wakefulness to sleep. The authors believe that such exercises help to train the mobility of the main nervous processes and are especially useful for indecisive, anxious and suspicious people prone to prolonged experiences. In order to move into a state of physical and mental peace, it is enough to regularly perform exercises for the hands and facial muscles ( relaxation masks). It should be noted that such exercises do not take much time and, as a rule, teachers like it, so we recommend mastering some of them during the training (second day).

To make relaxation exercises more effective, three basic rules should be followed:
1. Before you feel relaxation, you need to tighten your muscles.
2. Tension should be performed smoothly, gradually, and relaxation should be done quickly in order to better feel the contrast.
3. Tension should be done on the inhale, and relaxation on the exhale.
Thus, the muscle relaxation algorithm can be as follows:

inhalation - slow muscle tension;
a small breath hold - the maximum level of tension;
exhalation - relaxation of a muscle or group of muscles.

Relaxation masks for facial muscles.

1. Surprise mask. IP: sitting, standing, lying down. With a slow breath, gradually raise your eyebrows as high as possible. At the height of inhalation, hold your breath for a second and lower your eyebrows with exhalation.
2. Anger mask. IP: sitting, standing, lying down. With a slow breath, gradually frown your eyebrows, trying to bring them closer together as much as possible. Hold your breath for no more than a second, lower your eyebrows with an exhale.
3. Kiss mask. IP: standing, sitting, lying down. Simultaneously with inhalation, gradually compress your lips (“chicken tail” or ear cushion with a tube). Take this effort to the limit. Fix the effort, hold your breath for a second, with a free exhalation, relax the circular muscle of the mouth.
4. Laughter mask. I.P: standing or sitting. Alternately squeeze and unclench your teeth, squeeze gradually, unclench sharply, allowing the lower jaw to fall off a little. Alternate inhalations and exhalations according to the movements of the masticatory muscles. You can do the exercise with chewing gum.
IP: standing, sitting or lying down. Squint your eyes a little, with an inhalation, slightly compress your lips and raise the corners of your mouth - a mask of laughter, with an exhalation - relax tense muscles.
5. mask of discontent. IP: standing, sitting, lying down. With inhalation - vigorously, but gradually compress the lips, tighten the muscles of the chin and lower the corners of the mouth - with exhalation - relax the muscles of the face.

Exercise for the circular muscles of the eyes.

I.P: head on a pillow or on the back of a chair. Sitting or lying down, with a slow breath, gently lower the eyelids, gradually build up tension mainly due to circular eye movements. Covering your eyes with eyelids, start to squint them as much as possible. After maximum squinting, hold the breath for a second, then lower the eyelids with a free exhalation.
I.P: sitting or standing. Attach the tongue to the roots of the upper teeth (in the position of the sound "t", "d"). Gradually, simultaneously with inhalation, rest the tip against the upper teeth. Then a short breath hold. At the same time, fix the voltage. Free exhalation through the mouth. With this exhalation, the relaxed tongue will vibrate a little.

Each exercise is performed several times.
To relieve neuromuscular tension, in addition to using relaxation exercises, it is advisable to consider the following recommendations:
1. Even in the most terrible situation, you can find positive moments.
2. Use the Scarlett O'Hara rule: “I won't worry today. I'll worry about it tomorrow."
3. Try with today love yourself a little more than before.
4. Even in the worst mood, try to arrange yourself little holiday, and spiritual relaxation will surely come.
5. Do not fall into immobility if you are in trouble: do not sit by the window, move, tell others about what happened. Dealing with stress alone is difficult!
6. Alcohol is not The best way to relax. It only temporarily helps to get rid of gloomy thoughts (Sedin S.I., 2002).

In addition, each of us can find our own recipes that will suit only him and no one else. Probably, you should rely on intuition, try to experiment and invent such a “medicine”. Of course, it will not be perfect and universal either, but even if it helps at least a few times, it will make each of us a little happier.

To be continued…

According to the book by Monina G. B., Lyutova-Roberts E. K. “Communicative training (teachers, psychologists, parents)”