The Science behind the Approach!
Lets cut to the chase - there's a lot of noise around stress and anxiety. It makes it very easy for us to get trapped in the drama of who said or did what. We can spend days or even weeks mulling over a situation thinking that we're solving a problem, but this form of pervasive thinking actually makes us feel even more stressed.
I define stress as feeling emotional, frustrated, agitated, angry or resentful. The psychology of mindfulness suggests that 13% of our situation is what actually happens to us and the other 87% is how we react. Yet, before you find that off putting, I'm not suggesting that it's all our own fault and I'm not going to give you the glass half full analogy because I find it a little irritating myself! I find it irritating because no two people experience a situation in the same way. Yes we have similar experiences but what impacts our experience...
- where and how we were raised
- what we think defines our self worth
- being an only child
- being the oldest child, the youngest child, the middle child
- our genes
- what we were taught
- how we felt about education
- how we felt and continue to feel about authority
- what we think good leadership looks like
- being the cleverest person in the room
- not being the cleverest person in the room
- how we were taught to express or shut down our emotions
Stress isn't our fault! but we can be empowered to fix it.
I think you get the point, which is that many factors contribute to what we find stressful and how we manage stress. For some of us, those strategies are unsophisticated. They were developed by our younger self and become stronger every time we practice them. That's because the brain is a series of muscles, so if we started worrying at the age of 10, chances are at the age of 40, we're really good at it. We think we have free will but most of us are automatically reacting with the childhood coping strategies we put into place. This reaction is so fast, we find ourselves reacting before we've given our response any thought.
So when I began studying mindfulness and stress at university, I put together a 21 day program, that allows people to learn to tap into these patterns, to watch them and to challenge them. The program combines the work of Mark Williams, Jon Kabat Zinn and even Google's Search Inside Yourself program. The 21 day program requires a financial commitment of £395 and a 30 minutes per day commitment, which can be a stretch, particularly if we already feel particularly overstretched.
So for stress awareness week I wanted to offer a lighter approach and have put together a collection of digital products that offer immediate support with stress management.
Most of us want to feel in control. We want to be able to trust that in any situation, we'll be able to respond appropriately and not break down emotionally or lose our temper. Awareness that we are in that place puts us even more on edge but we must recognise that we are not broken.
When the stress management system has been running on high it's natural for us to experience that edginess that is generated by the ever present hormones of stress. These continue until we learn to calm the system down, or are forced to remove ourselves because of burn out.
So if you want to get your emotional life back under control, these 4 products work collectively to support you. Suitable for desktop or App, you'll receive a link to your own library where you can access the products at your leisure. What's included:
The quick and simple guide to stress management explains exactly how stress works and the mistakes many of us make when we try to remove stress. Format: 1 hour video, 2 guided practices design to train focused attention; calm the mind and nervous system.
BONUS MODULE: Video and prioritisation grid - dealing with overwhelm.
Stress is the biggest contributor to poor sleep, so Sleepy Nights will have you drifting off in under 30 minutes, allowing your mind and body to switch off and naturally restore.
Format: 35 minute audio
Challenge 21 is 21 days of 12 minute presentations. A 2 minute tip on how to train the mind and emotional system, followed by a 10 minute guided practice. This begins the development of the skills that are required to notice the triggers for stress and to intercept the system and calm everything down.
Format: 21 12 minute videos - 1 per day 21 days.
Beautiful Journeys is a set of 9 audio tracks with and without seaside and woodland sounds. It teaches the mind and body to rest and challenges the voice of that inner critic. This is because as we become more aware of ourselves or our situations, it's easy for the inner critic to ramp up. Recognising it and challenging it's inner narrative is essential for creating the conditions for personal growth.
Format: 9 guided practices of 30 minutes.
What do people say about Just Breathe..
Lou, Chester
Sleepy Nights - "Thank you for creating a wonderful full body wind down for both the body and mind. The first 2 times I listened I fell asleep before the end! For this moment I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I loved the idea of support it was so relaxing. Thank you 🙏 "
James (I.T Tech Lead)
Mind21 Stress Management - When I joined the course I felt like I was on edge constantly especially when my work worries started to spill over into my weekends.
I was really sceptical about the concept but I've been surprised by how effective it's been. The first week gave me techniques I could apply instantly. Although I found some of the practices difficult, I left the course able to tune into techniques that help me manage stress. I no longer feel like my stress is out of control. It's improved my sleep and overall I feel less on edge.
Nicola, Liverpool
Sleepy Nights - "My sleep pattern has literally grown wings and flown out the window and headed to Australia. So when I saw the post for sleep meditation, I thought I'd give it a go. I used it for 5 consecutive nights. First night, I heard it all the way through. The voice was relaxing and calming. The instructions helped me control my breathing. In the morning after the third night, I realised that I'd only heard the first 30 seconds before I drifted off. Generally when I get into bed that's when I process the day's happenings but I felt this helped to quieten my mind and helped me drift off to sleep."
Kathy, Richmond
Beautiful Journeys - This is a really neat programme on an easy to use system. It’s also colourful and clear to read. If you are new to the idea of mindfulness as part of your self care routine, then it’s a great intro and more, but equally is of great benefit to an experienced person. Each 30 min session had a different theme and you can do them in order or pick and choose if one resonates with you more. A professionally presented system and a pleasure to use.
Elisabeth, Ellesmere Port
Stress Management - I used the techniques to manage my day but also followed the practices when I felt overwhelmed. I don't think I could have got through exam season without it. Thank you Julie.
Suzie, Liverpool
Absolutely loved your stress management course.
Even in the modules your voice was so soothing. I loved the fact that the modules were broken up and I could listen and didn't have to read anything. Listening works better for me. I was worried that when it came to the practices I wouldn't remember what to do, but of course when I came to them, it was really easy to follow. I loved the course and that's coming from someone who doesn't normally do this sort of stuff. I could see the benefit of doing it on stressful days.
How to use the bundle.
You have lifetime access to the material so come back and revisit it anytime. Each time we practice we can notice different things so try to approach it with an open mind.
There's a lot included so this is how we recommend you approach the material:
- Tackle the stress management course as this will give you some great insight into the process of stress. It's short and will get you started straight away.
- Use Sleepy Nights each evening to get yourself off to a restful sleep.
- For 21 days, first thing in the morning if possible, follow the 10 minute practices to get your mind in good shape and to begin reprogramming those neural pathways. Learning something new, achieving and meditating all release happiness hormones, so this 10 minutes per day can really get your day off to a fantastic start.
- Once or twice per week try and make 30 minutes for yourself and select a Beautiful Journey. Take the opportunity to take that time to switch off.
- Note Beautiful Journeys can be beneficial as an aid to relaxation before sleep, but it does have a light bell at the end.
Most of all, I would recommend you approach it with an open mind, curiousity and light heartedly. This bundle has been put together to support your stress management techniques, and is not another stick to beat yourself up with.
Enjoy!
Remember if you're not completely satisfied, we offer a 100% money back guarantee.
Meet your guide
Mindfulness has changed my life in so many ways. It's helped me to work with stress, deal with narcissism and to live each day in colour.
Before I studied I was constantly worried and struggled to sleep. I found mindfulness practices that really helped me to switch off and when I started teaching, I learnt that my approach to guidance often had people snoozing through their practice. I realised just how tired people are and how vital good rest is, so I created my first sleep meditation.
This was the missing piece of the jigsaw as it became clear that one of the top contributors to poor sleep is actually stress. So for stress awareness month, I decided to pull together this bundle of products to tackle different aspects of stress. I hope you find it beneficial and come to realise that when it comes to stress, we really can take back control.
Qualifications
Julie has a masters degree in mindfulness from Aberdeen University and specialises in mindfulness based stress interruption and emotional resilience. Julie qualified to teach with the British Mindfulness Association and also has diplomas in life coaching, NLP and a masters in I.T.
