Visualization for Stress Regulation - Essay Example

?Visualization for stress regulation The paper is a proposal for a pretend that I would be giving to the college on the stress reliving skill called visualization. I would be the instructor for this class that will be held for one hour a week for eight consecutive weeks. Space for the class will be provided by the college. The students will be educated free of cost. The fundamental purpose of conducting this class for me will be to help out all fellow students with learning an efficient, natural and cost-effective stress relieving technique. One of the most fundamental skills that every individual requires in order to spend a happy life is stress management. Effective management of the stress enables an individual to optimize on his/her problem solving skills and also make rational decisions. Stress causes people to take decisions in a hurry and they are not able to evaluate all pros and cons of a particular approach. Stress has both physical and emotional effects upon an individual. Physical effects of stress include but are not limited to insomnia, lack of hunger and high blood pressure. Some of the emotional consequences of stress are suffocation, restlessness, anxiety, anger and lack of rational decision making power. In addition to the regular symptoms of stress, it also plays a role in aggravating all kinds of diseases that the patient might already have. There are numerous emotional and physical disorders that have been linked to stress including depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections, a host of viral linked disorders ranging from the common cold and herpes to AIDS and certain cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. (AIS, n.d.). One feels the impact of stress upon the ability to think and act. A person in stress is not able to deal with small problems efficiently. Frustration can intensify to such an extent that the individual starts yelling at others. High blood pressure makes the patient feel like the mind will burst open. Pressure is particularly felt at the eyes. Stress also makes the patient feel lethargic. The patient’s ability to focus upon the work is sapped as a result of which, his/her performance in the job is affected. The patient takes petty matters on nerves. The fundamental outcome of stress is pessimism. The patient cannot help thinking that something bad is about to happen. The patient keeps imagining how a situation can bring unfavorable outcomes for him/her. The patient moves from the real world into the imaginary world wherein he/she fights imaginary obstacles. Although this does not consume physical work, yet the mental energy consumed in the process leaves little efficiency for the physical works one is supposed to do in the daily life. Relaxation of the mind and body diminishes the stress and energizes the individual. Stress is generally perceived as a very difficult condition to get rid of, though something as simple as visualization can help prevent it. Visualization is one of the most cost-effective means of relieving stress. Not only is visualization cost-effective, but it is also quite simple to achieve. All it takes to visualize is lying down and gently closing the eyes. In this condition, the individual is supposed to imagine being in calm and soothing environment. Imagination works wonders here. The better the power to imagine, the more is the tendency to visualize. Everybody creates an imaginary place according to his/her own preferences. It might be a place one has been to in the real life and has enjoyed being there the most or it can be an imaginary place. In a vast majority of cases, such places are assumed to be beautiful natural scenes with lush green fields, flowers, birds and cool breeze. When an individual tends to imagine such a scene, his/her attention is diverted from the cause of stress to the imagined scene. This voluntary shift of attention alters the individual’s mental condition for the better. The patient is encouraged to divert full attention towards the imagination. This is achieved by engaging all senses in the process of imagination. The patient tends to feel the environment, smell the roses, taste the strawberries, see the blue ocean and hear the chirping birds. “Including an indoor or outdoor fountain providing the sounds of cascading water offers an excellent backdrop for your visualization relaxation techniques” (Serene Waters, n.d.). Visualization helps relieve the stress in much the same way as yoga does it. Yoga is one of the most ancient and powerful exercises of the mind and body that have been known to bring much more benefits to the one e.g. weight loss who practices them in addition to relieving stress. Yoga is fundamentally based on the concept of visualization. The individual closes the eyes, and breathes slowly. While inhaling, the individual should think as if he/she is inhaling calm and while exhaling, he/she should think that he/she is getting all the negativity out of the body (Scott, 2007). I plan the topics that I intend to teach in my successive classes according to the following schedule: Class Topic 1 What is stress? 2 How stress affects body? 3 Types of stressors and the benefits of positive stressors 4 The physical and emotional symptoms of stress 5 Visualization as a stress-relieving technique 6 How to choose a personalized visual location? 7 Sensual detailing of the visual location 8 Impact of visualization on the mind and body In order to acquaint themselves with effective stress management skills, it is imperative that the learners have an objective understanding of the stress. Therefore, I shall start the course with an illustration of “stress management”. In this topic, I would define the stress and identify the factors that cause it in a vast majority of cases. Finally, I shall discuss certain ways in which stress can be managed. There would be eight classes in total, with each class no more than of half an hour. For every class, a new location will be chosen for visualization as decided by the class through mutual consensus. References: American Institute of Stress. (n.d.). Effects of stress. Retrieved from http://www.stress.org/topic-effects.htm. Scott, E. (2007, Oct. 10). Use Visualization For Stress Relief. Retrieved from http://stress.about.com/od/guidedimagery/ht/visualizations.htm. Serene Waters. (n.d.). Visualization Relaxation Relieves Stresses of Life. Retrieved from http://serenewaters.net/2011/09/25/visualization-relaxation-relieves-stresses-of-life. Read More