{"id":1189,"date":"2022-04-01T08:29:46","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T14:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpsychiatry.com\/?p=1189"},"modified":"2022-04-19T08:44:03","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T14:44:03","slug":"stress-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.denverpsychiatry.com\/stress-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have been living under threat for the last two years.\u00a0 COVID impacted us in numerous ways and the trauma is real and palpable.\u00a0 As if that was not enough, we are watching the events in Ukraine unfold just as we are trying to emerge from the shackles of COVID.\u00a0\u00a0 In the best of times this invasion would be brutal to watch.<\/p>\n

As we are trying to cope with this new stress while already feeling burned out and anxious.\u00a0 It is imperative to keep focus on positive coping skills as there can be a tendency to give up.<\/p>\n

Positive coping skills include keeping a consistent sleep and wake cycle, focusing on a healthy diet, engaging in exercise on a regular basis (this can include brisk walking), reaching out socially and having fun, and minimizing substance use.\u00a0 \u00a0Therapy is also a good idea if you are so inclined.<\/p>\n

There is a therapy from Japan that can be helpful.\u00a0 It is called Naikan.\u00a0 It roughly means \u201clooking inside\u201d or \u201cintrospection\u201d.\u00a0 It is self-directed and something you can do on your own just in a few minutes a day.<\/p>\n

In times of stress, we tend to be wired to focus on inconveniences in our lives, to think negatively. \u00a0This therapy is designed to derail that thinking.<\/p>\n

The method is boiled down to answering three questions (this can be done by writing\/journaling or simply thinking in a quiet space):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What have I received today from ____________?<\/li>\n
  2. What have I given today to _____________?<\/li>\n
  3. What difficulty or trouble have I caused to _____________?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The first question is akin to gratitude exercises. Acknowledge something good you received today. This can include people or objects.\u00a0\u00a0 An example would be, \u201cI am grateful for bikes and for those that invented them.\u201d\u00a0 It can have a depth such as being grateful to farmers who grow our food, truckers who deliver it, etc.<\/p>\n

    The second question can have a wide range. The answers can be as simple as acknowledging a piece of trash you saw on the ground, you picked up, and threw away.\u00a0 When you answer this question be specific about an action that you did.\u00a0 This question can work like a transaction to reconcile the first question: \u201cI have received, and this is what I give\u201d.\u00a0 It also is a way to focus on positive things you are doing.<\/p>\n

    This process can relieve a feeling of being \u201cowed\u201d and the resentment that comes with it.\u00a0 It can take us away from the feeling of desire and bring us to awareness of what we can give.\u00a0 Giving can instill happiness and make us feel more grateful.<\/p>\n

    Regarding question three, we tend to spend a lot of time thinking about how others affect us.\u00a0 We tend to dwell on a difficulty or inconvenience another person causes us.\u00a0 Our default, especially when feeling bad, is to focus on what is missing or what is wrong.<\/p>\n

    On the other hand, when we are a source of difficulty or inconvenience to others, we often don\u2019t notice it.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf we are not willing to see and accept those events in which we have been the source of others\u2019 suffering, then we cannot truly know ourselves or the grace by which we live.\u201d\u00a0 (Krech, \u201cNaikan Therapy\u201d, Tricycle Buddhist Review, Winter 2015.<\/p>\n

    Thinking of how our actions affect others can take us out of a victim role.\u00a0 In addition, the process of examining our lives in how we impact the world takes us away from a view of our obstacles and challenges.\u00a0 Being accountable for our behavior is liberating.<\/p>\n

    After listing out these three questions, examine what you can learn from the work.\u00a0 What new awareness do you have?\u00a0 What have you taken for granted?\u00a0 What do you need to do and what can you do differently?<\/p>\n

    Research has shown that this \u201ctreatment has positive effects on how people perceive themselves and the world in which they live, their mental health, and their adoption of coping styles (Ding et al., 2017; Liu, 2018)\u201d.<\/p>\n

    To be effective in this therapy, we need to minimize distractions.\u00a0 It takes focus to truly go through a day in our mind and look at things we can be grateful for, things we have done for others, ways we have affected others, including any failings we may have had.\u00a0 This is not an instant therapy.\u00a0 It is one to engage in daily for five to ten minutes.\u00a0 With consistency, one begins to truly sense the therapeutic benefits.\u00a0 Stay persistent with this and your other positive coping skills.<\/p>\n

    This kind of self-reflection can be challenging but effective.\u00a0 It leads to personal growth, growth in relationships, and it fosters self-compassion and less judgment and criticism.<\/p>\n

    Further information on this can be found in Naikan podcasts.\u00a0 In addition, there is a book by Gregg Kerch \u201cNaikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection\u201d.<\/p>\n

    References:<\/p>\n