GREETINGS!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MOTIVATION
STRESS AND HUMAN RESPONSE
TECHNIQUES TO COUNTER CHRONIC STRESS
SELF CARE THERAPY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SELF COMPASSION THERAPY AND PHRASES
SELF COMPASSION AND EMOTIONAL WELL
BEING
SELF COMPASSION, MOTIVATION AND HEALTH
SELF COMPASSION VS. SELF STEEM
LESS STRESS, MORE CARE
What is STRESS?
The American Psychological Association (2017)
has these statements about stress: "Stress is often
described as a feeling of being overwhelmed, worried,
or run-down. Stress can affect people of all ages,
genders, and circumstances and can lead to both
physical and psychological health issues. By definition,
stress is any uncomfortable 'emotional experience
accompanied by predictable biochemical,
physiological, and behavioral changes.
Stress And Human
Response
The American Institute of Stress (AIS) has distinguished
different types of stress and the human response to it.
Hans Selye defined stress as the body's nonspecific response to
any demand, whether it is caused by or results in pleasant or
unpleasant stimuli. It is essential to differentiate between the
unpleasant or harmful variety of stress termed distress, which often
connotes disease, and eustress, which often connotes euphoria.
Eustress is stress in daily life that has positive connotations, such as
marriage, promotion, baby, winning money, new friends, and
graduation. On the other hand, distress is stress in daily life that has
negative connotations such as divorce, punishment, injury, negative
feelings, financial problems, and work difficulties (AIS 2017).
Techniques To Counter Chronic
Stress
Several techniques to counter chronic stress were
presented in the same article (Health Harvard 2017):
1. Relaxation response. Dr. Herbert Benson, director
emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body
Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, has devoted
much of his career to learning how people can counter the
stress response by using a combination of approaches that
elicit the relaxation response. These include deep abdominal
breathing, focus on a soothing word (such as peace or
calm), visualization of tranquil scenes, repetitive prayer,
yoga, and tai chi.
Techniques To Counter Chronic
Stress
2. Physical activity. People can use exercise to stifle the buildup
of stress in several ways. Exercise, such as taking a brisk walk
shortly after feeling stressed, not only deepens breathing but also
helps relieve muscle tension. Movement therapies such as yoga,
tai chi, and qi gong combined with fluid movements, with deep
breathing, and mental focus, all of which can induce calm.
3. Social support. Confidants, friends, acquaintances, co-workers,
relatives, spouses, and companions all provide a life-enhancing
social net, and may increase longevity. It is not clear why, but the
buffering theory holds that people who enjoy close relationships
with family and friends receive emotional support that indirectly
helps to sustain them at times of chronic stress and crisis.
Self-care Therapy
A positive way to counter stress is self-care therapy. Nancy Apperson
(2008) of Northern Illinois University has provided steps for self-care:
1. Stop, breathe, and tell your self: " This is hard and I will get through this
one step at a time"
2. Acknowledge to yourself what you are feeling.
3. Find someone who listens and is accepting.
4. Maintain your normal routine as much as possible.
5. Allow plenty of time for a task.
6. Take good care of yourself. Remember to:
a. Get enough rest and sleep.
b. Eat regularly and make healthy choices.
c. Know your limits and when you need to let go.
d. Identify or create a nurturing place in your home.
e. Practice relaxation or meditation.
f. Escape for a while through meditation, reading a book, watching a
movie, or taking a short trip.
SELF-COMPASSION THERAPY AND PHRASES
Self-compassion is another way to counter stress. Kristin Neff (2012)
has discussed self-compassion in her article, "The Science of Self-
Compassion.“
"Self-compassion entails being warm and understanding toward
ourselves when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than flagellating
ourselves with self-criticism. It recognizes that being imperfect and
experiencing life difficulties is inevitable, so we soothe and nurture
ourselves when confronting our pain rather than getting angry when life
falls short of our ideals. We clearly acknowledge our problems and
shortcomings without judgment, so we can do what is necessary to help
ourselves. We cannot always get what we want. We cannot always be who
we want to be. Self-compassion recognizes that life challenges and
personal failures are part of being human, an experience we all share. In
this way, it helps us to feel less desolate and isolated when we are in pain."
SELF-COMPASSION THERAPY AND PHRASES
Neff provided self-compassion phrases when feeling stress or
emotional pain, perhaps when you are caught in a traffic jam,
arguing with a loved one, or feeling inadequate in some way. It is
helpful to have a set of phrases memorized to help you remember
to be more compassionate to yourself in the moment. You can take
a deep breath, put your hand over your heart, or gently hug yourself
(if you feel comfortable doing so), and repeat the following phrases:
This is a moment of suffering.
Suffering is a part of life.
May I be kind to myself.
May I give myself the compassion I need.
SELF-COMPASSION AND EMOTIONAL WELL-
BEING
One of the most consistent findings in the research literature is
that greater self-compassion is linked to less anxiety and
depression. Of course, a key feature of self-compassion is the lack
of self-criticism, and self-criticism is known to be an important
predictor of anxiety and depression. However, self-compassion still
offers protection against anxiety and depression when controlling
for self-criticism and negative effect. Thus, self-compassion is not
merely a matter of looking on the bright side of things or avoiding
negative feelings. Self-compassionate people recognize when they
are suffering, but are kind toward themselves in these moments,
acknowledging their connectedness with the rest of humanity. Self-
compassion is associated with greater wisdom and emotional
intelligence, suggesting that self-compassion represents a wise
way of dealing with difficult emotions.
SELF-COMPASSION, MOTIVATION AND
HEALTH
Self-compassionate people aim just as high, but also
recognize and accept that they cannot always reach their
goals. Self-compassion is also linked to greater personal
initiative-the desire to reach one's full potential. Self-
compassionate people have been found to have less
motivational anxiety and engage in fewer self-handicapping
behaviors such as procrastination than those who lack self-
compassion. In addition, self-compassion was positively
associated with mastery goals (the intrinsic motivation to
learn and grow) and negatively associated with performance
goals (the desire to enhance one's self-image) found on the
study of Deck in 1986. This relationship was mediated by the
lesser fear of failure and perceived self-efficacy of self-
compassionate individuals. Thus, self- compassionate people
SELF-COMPASSION VERSUS SELF-STEEM
Self-esteem had a robust association with narcissism while
self-compassion had no association with narcissism. In contrast to
those with high self-esteem, self-compassionate people are less
focused on evaluating themselves, feeling superior to others,
worrying about whether or not others are evaluating them,
defending their viewpoints, or angrily reacting against those who
disagree with them. Self-esteem is thought to be an evaluation of
superiority/inferiority that helps to establish social rank stability and
is related to alerting, energizing impulses and dopamine activation.
While self-esteem positions the self in competition with others and
amplifies feelings of distinctness and separation, self-compassion
enhances feelings of safety and interconnectedness (Neff 2012).
LESS STRESS, MORE CARE
We should be in control of the stress that confronts us
every day. Otherwise, when we are overwhelmed by stress,
it can be detrimental to our health. Self-care and self-
compassion are two ways to positively confront stress. We
should love and care for our self more and more each day.
Thank You For
Listening!
ACTIVITY
Based on the lines or lyrics you have
chosen in the song “With a smile”, make an
essay about it.
