Welcome to stress and reactivity. In this module you will learn about the physiology and psychology of reactivity, and ways you can influence a more intentional response to a stimulus, trigger, or external event.
All modules follow the same 3 part format. Part 1 is for grounding. Part 2 is for learning. Part 3 is for practicing. Along the way you’ll see prompts to check in with how this module feels, and you can use the workspaces provided to reflect (if it suits you).
Part 1: Grounding
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Part 1: Grounding -
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Take a moment to be still and ground yourself in the way you know to be right for you.
To get started, please choose an exercise for regulation and grounding. For this exercise, whichever option you select, try to notice what happens to your body when your mind tells it what to do. It may accept the instruction, knowing you are working from a place of safety and growth mindset, it may resist in anticipation of future discomfort. You don’t have to do anything with this feeling, simply notice it.
Once you have finished regulating your nervous system and taking control of your attention, you may wish to get a small ‘fidget tool’ or a pillow to hold. This can help with maintaining attentional control, comfort, and a feeling of security.
Part 2: Learning
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Part 2: Learning -
The only constant is change ~ Heraclitus
The world, your mind, and your body are in a constant state of change. You can never be the exact same person you were two minutes ago, having taken more breaths, blinked your eyes more times, and learned more information than before. You can never step into the exact same river twice, as each time you enter the river, it will have swept, dripped, splashed, and absorbed new material. Despite this knowledge, we tend to actively cling to pleasant experiences and emotions and actively avoid stressful ones. Of course, this makes sense. On balance, you would be very unlikely to choose a stressful experience over a pleasant one.
Stressful experiences can generate uncomfortable physiological changes in our bodies. Your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis becomes activated, which is commonly known as “fight or flight” response, and your sympathetic nervous system kicks in by increasing your heart rate to deliver more blood to the areas of your body required to move you into action in response to a real or perceived threat. This is thought to be an evolutionary response to threat (imagine a cave man noticing a tiger on the horizon and not having the means to process the need to change course). Cortisol, commonly referred to as “the stress hormone” is released, and you may feel like your perspective or ability to think clearly become impaired, this is because your best thinking centre, the pre-frontal cortex, has been drawn into survival mode.
Unwanted stressors are a natural, uncontrollable, and unavoidable part of life. We cannot choose whether we experience these. It therefore becomes important to recognise what we can choose. The way we react is a choice we can make. There will, of course, be stressors that feel so overwhelming that it feels like we don’t have a choice in our response, but this is because our HPA axis has been activated and we no longer have optimal access to our best thinking function, in our pre-frontal cortex. Taking a moment to intentionally create space between the stressor/trigger, and our reaction to it creates space for intentional decision making. When we take time to regulate the body, we can shift away from automatic reactions which may not best serve us, and toward intentional responses, which come from our best thinking centres in the pre-frontal cortex.
Practicing exercises designed to create space for intentional decision making is a good way to move toward responding with intention, and away from reacting without the support of your pre-frontal cortex. Life’s stressors will always be there, but our response to them is something we may be able to influence positively, with practice.
Module Preparation WorkSpace
Before you start a practice within a module, it is best practice check in with your mind. This workspace will help you notice your own thinking and can help to guide family or other supports in how best to support you through this module. Your answers are likely to change a bit each time you come to this workspace, and with each new area of focus you decide to work on. Take your time. YOUR answers are the right answers.
Part 3: Practice
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Part 3: Practice -
This section offers descriptions of two different exercises you can try to tap into the concepts detailed within this module. Feel free to try one, or both, and see what suits you. One may resonate better than another, or one may feel more accessible today. Well done for taking the time and making yourself a priority.
Exercise one
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy offers a variety of exercises to help individuals deal with stress and reactivity. One such exercise is called "Cognitive Defusion." Here's how it works:
1. Identify the Distressing Thought or Feeling: Start by recognizing the thought or feeling that is causing you stress or reactivity. It could be a worry, fear, or any negative emotion.
2. Observe the Thought: Rather than getting caught up in the content of the thought or feeling, try to observe it from a distance. Imagine it as if it were just words on a page or passing leaves in a stream.
3. Label the Thought: Give the thought or feeling a name or label. For example, if the thought is "I'm not good enough," you could label it as "The 'I'm not good enough' story."
4. Thank Your Mind: Acknowledge that your mind is simply doing its job by producing thoughts, even if they are unhelpful or distressing. Say "Thank you, mind" to recognize this.
5. Repeat the Thought with "I'm Having the Thought That...": Repeat the thought or feeling, but prefix it with "I'm having the thought that..." For example, "I'm having the thought that I'm not good enough."
6. Notice the Difference: Notice how labelling the thought and acknowledging it as just a thought changes your relationship to it. It helps create some distance between you and the thought, reducing its impact on your emotions.
7. Engage in Present Moment Awareness: Shift your focus to the present moment by noticing your surroundings, your breath, or any sensations in your body. This helps ground you and brings your attention away from the distressing thought.
8. Choose Values-Based Action: Finally, choose an action that aligns with your values, regardless of the presence of the distressing thought or feeling. This could be something small, like reaching out to a friend, or something larger, like engaging in a hobby or passion.
By practicing defusion, you learn to relate to your thoughts and feelings differently, reducing their power over you and allowing you to respond more flexibly to stress and reactivity.
Exercise two
Compassion-Focused Therapy focuses on developing compassion for oneself and others to alleviate suffering and improve emotional well-being. One exercise that can help with reactivity is the "Self-Compassion Break." Here's how to do it:
1. Pause and Acknowledge: When you notice yourself becoming reactive or experiencing strong emotions, pause for a moment and acknowledge what you're feeling. This could be frustration, anger, or any other challenging emotion.
2. Recognize Common Humanity: Remind yourself that experiencing difficult emotions is a universal human experience. You are not alone in feeling this way; many others have felt the same emotions in similar situations.
3. Offer Kindness to Yourself: Place your hand over your heart or adopt a comforting gesture that feels natural to you. Then, offer yourself words of kindness and understanding. You might say to yourself, "May I be kind to myself in this moment" or "May I find peace amidst the storm of my emotions."
4. Connect with the Present Moment: Bring your attention to the present moment by focusing on your breath or the sensations in your body. Take a few deep breaths, feeling the air enter and leave your body.
5. Extend Compassion to Others: Recognize that others also experience difficult emotions and reactions. Extend your compassion beyond yourself to include others who may be struggling in similar ways.
6. Visualize a Supportive Figure: Imagine someone who embodies compassion and understanding—a mentor, a loved one, or a fictional character. Visualize them offering you support and encouragement in this moment of reactivity.
7. Reflect on Shared Humanity: Consider the interconnectedness of all beings and reflect on the shared humanity that binds us together. Recognize that we are all imperfect and vulnerable, yet deserving of compassion and understanding.
8. Choose a Compassionate Response: Finally, choose a response to the situation that is guided by compassion rather than reactivity. This might involve taking a break, seeking support from others, or engaging in a self-care activity.
By practicing the Self-Compassion Break, you cultivate a mindset of kindness and understanding towards yourself and others, which can help reduce reactivity and promote emotional well-being.
After practicing an exercise is a great time to check in with your mind. This workspace will help you notice your mind, and maybe if anything has changed since you started the module. Your answers are likely to change a bit each time you come to this workspace, and with each new area of focus you decide to work on. Take your time.
