I feel good!

I am re-typing this in a word format (then post it later) since my first entry wasn’t published (you see my PC has a lot of virus, I think). Oh well, anyway…here’s my story

I attended a two-day workshop on stress management. The original purpose is for me to cascade whatever learning I’ll gain from the workshop to the rest of the people in the organization. But just like everybody else, this is something I really really need. So how was the workshop? It met my expectations. It was more than the general statements on how to manage stress. First is by getting in touch with your experience of stress. Knowing your source of stress, how you react to it and its impact/effect on family and work. Only then can we proceed to the second step which is applying different techniques: nutrition, body techniques and mind-focused techniques (makes sense, right?). The best part is learning these techniques and actually doing it. Especially the corpse exercise…a lot of the people in class really fell asleep. I wasn’t able to concentrate because left and right people were snoring.

Interesting discoveries during the workshop:

1. PEOPLE around us are the biggest source of stress: family, friends, colleagues, boss (as we well know) and customers.
2. most of our reactions (cognitive, emotional, behavioral or physical) has always been negative.
3. carbohydrates are for relaxation while protein is for mental alertness and energy
4. stress management is a lifestyle change
5. most of our reactions can be categorized into social (watching movies, going to the mall, out of town trips) and physical (exercise, walking, dancing). Read: we need to work more on the emotional and spiritual side.
6. pressure points to determine whether you’re stressed: top of the head, in between your brows, cheekbones, behind the ear, sides of the elbow and palm of your hand (below your thumb)

I tried doing some techniques (diaphragmatic breathing and serendipity prayer) yesterday and I also asked my participants in the seminar to follow me.

At least now, I already know how to do yoga and tai-chi!