Managing Stress: A Deeper Dive - Appreciating Narratives
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 10am to 12pm
About this Event
Presenters: Pat Touzin and Michael Connolly
Managing Stress: A Deeper Dive
Stress is not an intellectual matter. It is a full-body experience. Our experience of stress changes along with changes in our inner and outer environment. We can ride waves at the surface where the environment can be volatile and turbulent or take a deeper dive into waters that are calm. The deeper dive allows more focused, contemplative, and deliberate approaches to understanding and navigating the undercurrents of our stress.
This series will take a three-dimensional approach to manage stress. Participants may attend one, two, or all three sessions. Attending all sessions enables participants to explore practices over a period of time, but this is not necessary.
Part Three: Appreciating Narratives
Stress management programs generally include components on self-talk and on cognitive-restructuring—recognizing and re-writing self-talk to shift from stress-inducing to stress-relieving thoughts. The conversations we have with ourselves reflect our self-esteem—the reputation we have with ourselves. This session provides an opportunity to sample some of the stories that we tell ourselves as well as stories we have been told about ourselves about who we are and what talents we have to contribute to the world. Often these narratives operate as a soft, steady, barely-recognized drum beating the background of our consciousness. We rarely stop to notice or to consider their impact and relevance for our current experience. By bringing them to the foreground, we can investigate and gently modify the underlying assumptions and beliefs that give these narratives staying power. Practices of gentle acceptance, compassion for self and others, and strengths-based perspectives are sustainable approaches for managing stress.
Additionally, workshop participants are invited to a 20 - 25minute follow-up Zoom session led by Michael Connolly one week after each workshop, on Thursday at noon. In these gatherings, we will compare experiences of resilience tools and practices, explore what's working, and share resources.
Register here.