Lección 1
The Science Of Stress
In this lesson, we delve into the science of stress and its impact on our bodies. The stress response is a natural reaction to threats, both real and perceived, activating our Autonomic Nervous System. While this response is crucial in the face of genuine danger, it becomes challenging when we perceive everyday stressors as life-threatening.
Our bodies have an innate safety surveillance system that operates unconsciously and continually evaluates risks. Understanding this system can help us identify when we move away from a state of connection and into a state of protection.
This lesson can increase your understanding of the body’s response to stress. This understanding will help you use the tools shared in the remainder of the course to build resilience and expand your "window of capacity," enabling you to handle stressors and challenges without feeling overwhelmed. By widening your window of capacity, you can enhance your ability to navigate stressful situations and maintain well-being when faced with difficulty.
Lección 2
Become Aware Of Your Stress
In this lesson, we will discover how you cope with stress, and develop an awareness of your stress signs and habits. Although the stress response is a natural reaction, the way you react to stress is a habit that can be influenced. By bringing understanding to how you respond you can take action to effectively influence your stress levels and expand your capacity to handle it.
This lesson incorporates many questions to help you increase self-awareness of your physical and mental stress signs. Be sure to have a notebook and pencil available to record your answers. Gaining an understanding of your own stress signs can provide valuable insights.
The self-awareness of stress is the first step in allowing you to actively shape your response to it. The next five lessons will offer simple body-based tools, related to the five senses and areas of the senses, to help you influence your stress. When awareness and tools are combined they can lead to improved well-being and a more resilient response to life's challenges.
Lección 3
Hands/Sense Of Touch
In this lesson, we will explore the powerful role of touch and how it can influence your stress response. By adding cues of safety through touch, you can send a reassuring message from your body to your brain, helping to bring your “thinking” brain back online and enabling you to respond from a calmer place.
Touch activates acupressure points that release oxytocin, the neurochemical associated with love and bonding. By applying deep pressure or engaging in specific touch-based tools, receptors in your body send signals of safety to the autonomic nervous system.
It's important to prioritize your comfort and well-being, so feel free to adjust and modify the tools according to your preferences. Remember, these are experiments you may need to try more than once to feel the effects. By regularly engaging in these self-soothing tools, you can enhance your ability to regulate stress and foster a greater sense of well-being.
Lección 4
Eyes/Sense Of Sight
In this lesson, we will focus on how you can harness the power of your eyes and sense of sight to influence your stress response. By adding cues of safety through visual stimuli or the lack thereof, you can send a reassuring message from your body to your brain, facilitating the return of your “thinking” brain and allowing you to respond from a different place.
Vision is our dominant sense, enabling us to navigate the world and ensure our survival. Interestingly, the eyes are the only external part of the brain. When we are stressed, our pupils dilate, and changes in eye optics occur, bringing the stressor into sharp relief, similar to the portrait mode effect on a phone.
Engaging in simple tools that focus on your sense of sight can have profound effects on your stress response. As you experiment with any of these tools, you may notice subtle signs of their efficacy, such as deeper breaths, sighs, a yawn, or a softening sensation.
After engaging in these techniques, take a moment to check in with yourself and notice any shifts in how you feel. By actively utilizing your eyes and sense of sight to influence your stress response, you can enhance your overall well-being and cultivate a calmer, more centered state of being.
Lección 5
Ears/Sense Of Hearing
In this lesson, we will explore the impact your ears and sense of hearing can have on your stress response. By intentionally adding cues of safety via the ears, you can send a powerful message from your body to your brain, fostering a sense of well-being and enabling you to respond differently when faced with stress.
We will take a moment to actively engage your ears and sense of hearing then move into ear massage to evoke feelings of safety and relaxation. As always, you are the expert of your own experience, so feel free to adapt the techniques to suit your comfort and needs. Remember, it may take practice to fully experience the effects of these tools.
Lección 6
Nose/Sense Of Smell
In this lesson, we will use the power of your nose and sense of smell to influence your stress response. By intentionally adding cues of safety through the area of your nose, you can send a reassuring message from your body to your brain, facilitating a sense of calmness.
Research shows that stress can affect your sense of smell and your rate of breathing. Based on this, we will explore simple tools to counter stress, such as noting smells that are present, being mindful of breathing through your nose, and engaging in extended exhales. We will also practice alternate nostril breathing, which can improve the way your heart and lungs work together.
Remember, these tools are meant to be experimented with and may take practice to fully experience their effects. As always, you are the expert of your own experience, so feel free to adjust the tools to your preferences.
Lección 7
Mouth/Sense Of Taste
In this lesson, we will focus on how you can utilize your mouth and sense of taste to influence your stress response and add cues of safety. By intentionally engaging with mouth-related experiences, you can send a powerful message from your body to your brain that everything is okay, allowing your “thinking” brain to come back online and respond from a place of regulation.
From fake yawning to pursed lip exhales, you may feel a bit silly engaging in these practices today but I encourage you to try these science-backed tools on for size. As always, you are the expert of your own experience, so feel free to adjust the techniques based on your comfort level and preferences.
By actively influencing your stress response, you can develop new ways of responding to stressors. Practicing these tools regularly can help grow your window of capacity and build your resilience. Please share any questions or comments in the classroom.
Lección 8
Plan Your Practice
In this final lesson, we will create a plan to add the practice of Influencing Your Stress into your life. You can think of it as an experiment to make space and see what works best for you. Be sure to have a notebook and pencil available to record your answers.
Once you've chosen your tool, you'll make a plan. The plan is about when and how you'll use the tool you’re experimenting with and the motivation for doing it. Maybe you’re seeking a calmer mind, more resilience, or just feeling better overall. Understanding why you want to change how you deal with stress can help fuel the process.
Lastly, to help keep you on track, you will identify your accountability for practicing your chosen tool. This could mean telling a friend about your plan, setting reminders, or even visually tracking your progress. Having this kind of backup will help you stay committed and make real progress.
