Is your to-do list huge? Are you stressed by family or work demands? Or maybe politics, climate change, or global conflicts are making you anxious.
Science has proven that while it’s impossible to eliminate all stress, you can learn how to better manage it.
Over the past 20 years, Judith Moskowitz, a research psychologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, has developed eight skills to help people increase positive emotions and reduce anxiety, even in difficult situations. and researched practical methods. And she has developed online courses, like the Stress Management Masterclass, to teach these skills.
“People can absolutely be taught to have positive emotions even when things look pretty bleak,” Moskowitz says.
She has documented this in studies of people experiencing difficult situations, such as caring for a spouse with dementia, stage 4 breast cancer, and other health issues.
Moskowitz is now starting a new study. She wants to assess how the skills in the course can help with everyday stress, the stress that everyone experiences in their daily lives. She opened her courses and learning to anyone over the age of 18 living in the United States.
Study participants will complete a questionnaire to measure their levels of anxiety and positive emotions before and after the course.
How to participate: If you would like to participate in research by taking Northwestern’s online resiliency course, sign up here.
One thing Moskowitz noticed early on in his research was that even when people were experiencing hardship, they talked about positive things, like watching a beautiful sunset or sharing a meal with a friend. It means I want to. And people who are more aware of these bright spots tend to cope better.
Moskowitz’s courses will help you develop these skills. If you want to get started, here’s a quick overview.
1. Positive events
We tend to fixate on the negative. So try this. Switch your focus to something good today. It could be a beautiful sky, a delicious bite of fresh fruit, or a phone call from a friend.
Moskowitz is a coffee lover, so she suggests taking the time to notice the smell and feel of a warm mug and really enjoying your morning ritual.
When you focus on small pleasures, you may feel calmer and more comfortable.
This is a simple concept, but it goes against our natural instincts. Humans have evolved to pay attention to threats and problems. “It’s adaptive,” Moskowitz says. But don’t overlook the positives.
2. Taste
If you notice a beautiful sky or a delicious smell, take time to savor it. The goal here is to make the moment last. Let’s say you have some great photos from your vacation or celebration. You can re-experience positive emotions every time you look at the photo.
“Think of being able to feel positive emotions again,” Moskowitz says. You can simply remember and savor the moment, or you can write it down or talk about it with others. This can amplify positive emotions and provide an emotional buffer during times of heightened stress and anxiety.
3. Gratitude
This may seem like a commonplace. Understood! But before you ignore it, a lot of research has been done on its benefits. For example, a recent study of women found that gratitude may promote longevity.
So ask yourself the following questions: Would a list of all the things you’re grateful for be long? Think about all the people, events, and experiences that bring you joy. At first you might just think of a few obvious things, but with practice Moskowitz says your list will grow and you’ll start noticing the little things that enrich your life.
4. Daily Mindfulness
You’ve probably heard this before. To feel calmer, tune into your experience in the present moment instead of getting caught up in your thoughts. But you won’t know the benefits unless you actually take the time to practice it. One way is to focus on your breathing. The shortcut is to get rid of the clutter in your mind. Try this: Find a quiet place and breathe slowly. Inhale while expanding your belly. Breathe out slowly, about twice as long. Notice how your breath feels in your stomach as it rises and falls.
5. Proactive reassessment
Can you find a silver lining when something unfortunate or unexpected happens? It’s a familiar concept, but Moskowitz says it works. One of the things she says in her life when something bad happens is, “It could have been worse.”
Try it next time you have a troublesome experience. For example, if you took your car in for repair and it wasn’t ready in time. Instead of getting angry, could you please take the time to go for that walk you’ve been meaning to take? Or would you like to spend some quiet time? Although this may not be possible in all situations, it is a good way to gain perspective during everyday difficulties, such as losing your keys or missing the bus.
6. Self-compassion
Are you your biggest critic? If your self-talk is negative, that’s a good clue. Many of us “hold very high standards for ourselves that we would never expect from anyone else,” says Moskowitz. So now is the time to extend the compassion you showed your friend to yourself. There’s an easy way to try this. For example, take time to do things that make you feel good, or take a lunch break instead of putting it off when you’re hungry. You can also give yourself a gentle hug every now and then.
7. Personal strengths
When we are in the midst of difficulties and challenges, we can forget what we are good at. Therefore, this course provides techniques for recognizing and evaluating your strengths. Are you a good listener? Are you empathetic? Are you good at managing details? Knowing your strengths will help you stand strong in the midst of hardship.
8. Achievable goals
Once you know your strengths, it may be easier to set goals that align with them. “Research on goal achievement shows that making progress toward a goal increases positive emotions. So it’s worth getting out your notebook and writing out some goals. It’s worth crossing something off your list. , it’s very rewarding,” Moskowitz said. Moskowitz says.
Growing research field
You may be skeptical that something as simple as this will make a difference. And it turns out Moskowitz was also a skeptic. “My first reaction to something is, ‘That’s not going to work,'” Moskowitz says.
But after years of documenting its benefits, she became a convert. Of course, these skills are not magic. It cannot eliminate stress or solve the cause of anxiety, but it can help you become more resilient and find more moments of happiness.
Moskowitz says practicing these skills can help you build a “reservoir” of positive energy that you can tap into when dealing with challenges and frustrations.
Jeff Huffman, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says, “There’s good data that people are happier when they feel positive emotions,” but there is still little research on the long-term effects of positive interventions and their implementation. He says more research is needed to understand the effects. These skills.
“We don’t know if it will have a lasting impact on health,” he added.
Professor Huffman is collaborating with Professor Moskowitz on research into the effectiveness of these interventions, and his lab is using these to help patients overcome stress and make healthy lifestyle changes. uses many of the same skills.
In the field of neuroscience, some research shows that repeatedly practicing certain positive emotions can change the brain.
Research shows that the parts of the brain that are activated after people are trained in empathy and compassion may begin to make new connections.
Jyoti Mishra, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, says that just as repeating the same motor action over and over again improves your ability to play a sport, the same is true for practicing positive emotions. Masu. “It can become a self-fulfilling virtuous cycle.”
told NPR
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Vicky Hallet contributed reporting to this article. Edited by Jane Greenhalgh and Carmel Ross.
Stress Less is edited by Jane Greenhalgh and Carmel Wroth
