How to Reduce Stress and Anxiety through Mindfulness Techniques
In today's lesson you will learn what happens in our brain when we feel strong emotions and stress. You will also learn mindfulness techniques to help you calm down and handle stress more effectively. You will get a chance to practice two types of mindfulness techniques.
Your Brain on Stress and Anxiety
Our brain and body have built in ways for us to feel anger, manage it, and control our actions.
Amygdala - Feelings Alarm. Instant and automatic - breathing, heart beat. Emotion center. Cortex (grey matter) - Thinking part of your brain. Figures out the situation and what to do about it. Amygdala can take over and overwhelm the cortex. Does not work as fast as Amygdala which makes it easy to say or do things you might regret. Ask yourself questions or use word signals like "think twice," "chill out," or "calm down." |
Think about the last time your felt stressed. Why were you upset? What was happening? Were there any smells, sounds, or visuals you noticed?
How did you experience this stress in your body? Did your shoulders get tight? Did your head hurt? Was your throat tight or your heart beating faster?
When we can notice our stress reactions we can know when to put into practice a mindfulness technique to calm down.
How did you experience this stress in your body? Did your shoulders get tight? Did your head hurt? Was your throat tight or your heart beating faster?
When we can notice our stress reactions we can know when to put into practice a mindfulness technique to calm down.
What is Mindfulness?
MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY
Brainstorm things you already do to stay mindful and/or reduce stress and anxiety.
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Mindful Minute Exercise
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