Week 7 - Resilience Informal Practices

Pause, Breath, Relax:  Notice during the day the cues you get from you body when stress begins to arise.  Take a moment to pause and take a few deep breaths or use any kind of contemplative technique to relax your body.  

Coherent Breathing Practice: Practice Coherent Breathing techniques when you feel stressed or tired from studying by counting your in breath silently for 6 seconds and then your out breath for 6 seconds for a full minute.  Notice how your body responds after you have practiced for one minute.

Perspective Taking: When a difficult situation arises practice looking at it from a different perspective so that you do not become overwhelmed by the physical and mental stress of the situation.  This new perspective could be looking at the big picture of a situation, seeing how this challenging situation can be a learning and growth opportunity and ask “how can I benefit from this right now”, reflecting on how it is not going to last forever but will soon change, and noticing if you are caught in a negatively bias and balancing out your mind by bringing in a more balanced and positive outlook.

Take Care of Your Body:  Sleep: Are you sleeping enough? Listen to the cues in your body that tell you when you are tired and try to schedule your day in a way that you get enough sleep during the week.   Take time to relax:  Carve out small pockets of time during the day where you can just chill out and deeply relax your body.  Perhaps being outside in nature, taking a leisurely walk, relaxing in your room with your favorite music, enjoying a cup of tea or coffee with a friend, taking naps, find time to meditate or do yoga.   Take time to exercise: Make sure you are getting enough aerobic and strength building exercise into your day.  Check out the different offerings at your gym such as group classes and equipment training.  Watch your eating: be aware of the foods that you are eating and how they affect your stress.  Try to eat a balanced diet and eat moderately to keep your body healthy and energized.