4 Strategies for Staying Calm in Stressful Moments

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response, lies our growth and our freedom.” –Dr. Viktor Frankl

In the famous quote above, Frankl, a physician and holocaust survivor, presents a radical idea about personal growth and fulfillment. He seems to say that, if we could simply pause for long enough to access our uniquely human ability to evaluate the wisest response, we can break free from suffering and tap our higher potential.

Frankl not only survived time in three different Nazi death camps, he also helped his fellow prisoners. As he describes in the international bestseller, Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl also noticed that, among his fellow prisoners, those with a sense of greater meaning or purpose (such as the desire to live to share their story and prevent another genocide) were most likely to survive. After his release, Frankl took the lessons from his experience and created an entirely new school of psychology based on finding meaning in life, which is still in use today.

The Chinese character for crisis contains the sub-characters danger and opportunity. Within every crisis, there is the possibility of falling into the danger, or the potential to find or create an opportunity. Frankl exemplified this possibility: He transformed his greatest crisis—something far more trying than what most of us can imagine—into an opportunity to serve and his life’s legacy.

What if we could all learn to pause for long enough to get into the gap between stimulus and response and choose a response that makes the highest possible use of a situation?

Getting in the gap may sound like a fantastic idea, but it can seem exceedingly difficult to do in trying times. In moments of stress the region of our brain that triggers the fight or flight response, the amygdala, shuts down the pre-frontal cortex, the brain region responsible for clear thinking and rational decision-making. When we’re hot headed or afraid, we literally can’t think straight.

Have you ever said something you regretted when upset? Or acted in a hot flash of rage? Or, maybe you’ve gotten up to give a public speech, and suddenly your mind goes blank? That’s the fight or flight response in action. What if, like Frankl, we learned to slow down time for at least long enough to gain access to this gap between stimulus and response?

Here are three very simple techniques we can apply to put on the brakes and increase the space between stimulus and response:

1. STOP is an acronym designed to help us get in the gap.  It stands for:

• Literally pause before saying or doing anything.
• Take one to three deep breaths, and really feel the sensations of each breath. (Deep breathing, especially with a slow exhale, helps send signals of relaxation to your brain).
• Observe the entire situation, both internal and external. Take stock of the sensations in your body, your emotional state, the circumstances/dynamic of this situation/interaction.
• Proceed in a way that supports you and your highest intentions for this situation. If you’re unclear about the best next step, it can help to return to your intention for your relationship with this person, or simply who you want to be. Then, from this place of highest intentions, choose your next move.

Making the simple choice to STOP can create a literal gap between stimulus and response and enable us to calm down enough to make choices that align with our highest intentions.

2. RAIN is another acronym that can help us deal with difficult emotions.

• Recognize the emotion you’re feeling
• Accept the emotion or emotions, without judgment. Often we make things worse by beating ourselves up when we feel angry, sad, or jealous. This only creates additional suffering. In Buddhism, this is often referred to as the second arrow—we’ve already been shot with a difficult emotion; why make the situation worse?
• While we can’t necessarily change the emotion we’re feeling in this moment, we can prevent unnecessary pain by not berating ourselves for how we feel. We can avoid launching the second, third, or thousandth arrow. Accepting our emotions as they are is the first step in this process.
• Emotions can feel extremely solid. However, in reality, they’re quite dynamic, frequently shifting in intensity, location in our body, etc. As you move to the “I” in RAIN, please take a moment to investigate how the emotion feels in your body. What physical sensations do you notice? What’s the story you’re telling yourself? Is the emotion static and heavy, or is it fiery and dynamic. Is it monolithic—do you feel only anger—or are there shades of disappointment, embarrassment, or resentment? According to the work of Daniel Siegel, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founder and co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Institute, just naming an emotion can help to tame it by engaging the brain’s logical, linear left hemisphere.
• Non-identification. One of the best things we can do is to recognize we are not our emotions. The fact I feel anger in this moment does not make me an angry or bad person. Non-identification can be helped by changing our language. In English, we talk about emotions using phrase “I am …” such as, “I am angry,” or “I am scared.” However, in many romance languages, people say “tengo miedo” or “I have fear” rather than “I am scared.” This helps the person speaking separate his identity from the emotion he is feeling. Although we may not speak French or Spanish, we can change the terms we use, shifting from “I am angry” to “I feel anger arising.” This simple shift can help us get unhooked/disentangled from gnarly emotions.

3. Hold your difficult emotions like a crying baby. Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh often encourages his students to hold anger and other difficult emotions like they would a crying baby. When a baby cries, we don’t generally get angry with it or make it wrong for feeling upset. Rather, we hold the infant tenderly in our arms, do our best to soothe its distress, and ask, “What do you need?” Unfortunately, when we’re upset, we often make ourselves wrong for feeling a certain way. Instead, Thay (as he’s known by his students) encourages us to hold our emotions with tenderness and care and ask the simple question:  What do you need? As we soothe this fiery emotion and care for its underlying need, we often find ourselves freed from the emotion’s grasp.

4. Get in touch with your sole(s). This final strategy is the simplest: Any time you feel overwhelmed by a “negative” emotion, merely take a few moments to feel the sensations of the soles of your feet as they press into the floor below you. This can help ground you in the present moment (by definition, physical generally happen in the present moment.) A research study looking at kids with autism and emotional difficulties found that this simple technique helped them regular emotions.

UCLA study: Non-drug treatment may reverse Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease was officially recognized a hundred years ago, but there's still no effective treatment for it. Now researchers at UCLA say they've developed a program that shows for the first time memory loss being reversed.

It's not a drug; it's not a procedure; it is a novel, comprehensive and personal approach to treating memory loss associated with Alzheimer's. UCLA researchers spell out exactly what can be done to reverse what the disease does to the brain.

In the report provided by UCLA, Dr. Dale E. Bredesen explains how Alzheimer's is a complex disease affected by sleep, diet, even exercise.

"These all -- and other things -- all contribute to this critical balance in plasticity," said Bredesen.

Ten memory-loss patients, some with brain-scan-confirmed patterns of Alzheimer's, participated in a small UCLA trial called MEND (Metabolic Enhancement for NeuroDegeneration).

In the UCLA protocol, patients made dramatic lifestyle changes. They avoided simple carbs, gluten and processed foods. They increased their fish intake, took yoga and meditated. They were instructed to take melatonin, get adequate sleep, incorporate vitamin B-12, vitamin D-3 and fish oil.

Within six months, nine patients saw a noticeable improvement in memory. One patient, who was in the late stages of Alzheimer's, did not show improvement.

UCLA researchers say the findings suggest at least early on, changing a person's metabolic processes can bring back memory and cognitive function.

Six of the patients of the patients in the study who had to discontinue working were all able to return to their jobs. Study authors say some patients were followed up to two and a half years and the memory improvements remained.

Plans are underway to do larger studies on this therapeutic program.

For more information on the study: Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program

The Muscle You've Never Heard of But Need to Know

When it comes to a tight core, most people picture six-pack abs. But a truly toned core is much more than what you see on the surface. Deep within your loins, the psoas (pronounced SO-az) muscle group partners with other muscles to stabilize and girdle the lower spine, promoting proper body alignment.

"It's our most important skeletal muscle," says Jo Ann Staugaard-Jones, an advanced Pilates and Hatha yoga instructor and author of The Vital Psoas Muscle: Connecting Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Well-Being. "The psoas is the only muscle connecting the spine to the legs, so it serves as the sole link between the upper and lower extremities." Even though you've never seen it, it creates movement and flow throughout the body, constantly contracting and releasing.

Just like other muscles, the psoas can grow stronger or weaker, depending on your lifestyle. Sitting all day is a killer, as one might expect. In today's sedentary society, Staugaard-Jones says the average person spends five to 11 hours a day sitting, hastening muscle atrophy. Between computer use, driving, flying, reading, watching TV, and sitting at a table to eat or write, we are constantly placing our bodies in a relaxed hip flexion position, with the full weight of the torso hovering on top and the lower extremities inactive. Such a position can inhibit circulation, muscle conditioning, and nerve response, leading to lower back pain, sciatica, and poor posture.

Related: An Expert Guide to Learning Crow Pose

"If you sit for a good portion of the day," Staugaard-Jones warns, "chances are your psoas is tight." Pain isn't always a symptom, but it can be. "If a patient complains of chronic, dull, bilateral pain in their lower back and groin, that's a big clue that their psoas needs relaxing and stretching." They may also feel discomfort in their hip sockets, glutes, or sacroiliac joints in the back of the pelvis.

Another, more surprising, cause of psoas pain may be emotional trauma. The psoas is known as "the fight or flight muscle" because when the body or mind become stressed, the psoas tightens and contracts in a primal response designed to protect us from harm. Thousands of years ago, an approaching brontosaurus would cause our psoas to instinctively shrink and contract, reducing us to as small a target as possible. Today, the trigger could be a divorce, job loss, losing a friend or family member, or just the general stress of life.

Related: 4 Strategies for Staying Calm in Stressful Moments

In some situations, strengthening moves like lunges, windmills, and Boat Pose can help, but often a painful psoas first needs stretching and rest, not exercise. The following three moves will help relax and stabilize the psoas, promote proper posture, ease pain and help break the fight or flight cycle.

Constructive rest position, or CRP, is an incredibly effective, and relatively easy, way of releasing a tight psoas; you essentially lie down and let gravity do the work. (If you like Corpse Pose, you'll love CRP.) Mental imagery intensifies the process. Begin by lying face-up on a yoga mat on the floor or another firm, flat surface. Knees should be bent and resting against each other; feet are flat on the floor, hip-width apart (or slightly wider if that's more comfortable). Arms can be relaxed alongside you in classic Savasana pose. Then, have someone read the following prompts to you (or visit Staugaard-Jones' website, where she narrates the CRP):

Close your eyes and imagine a current of energy traveling down your spine, looping up between your legs, traveling up the front of the body and back down the spine again. Inhale as the energy flows downward; exhale as it moves up. Feel your head melting into the ground. Imagine your knees are draped over a hanger suspended from above, thighs hanging on one side, lower legs on the other. Next, picture a small waterfall trickling down your thigh, first from the knees into the hip sockets, and then down the skins to the ankles. Feel as if your eye, hips, and feet are relaxing in calm pools of water.

Slowly repeat this imagery for 10 minutes. By the end, your femurs will relax in their corresponding hip sockets, free from the hip flexors' grip, and your spine will follow its natural curves. Both improvements are excellent for releasing the psoas. Roll to one side and bring yourself to a sitting position (rather than sitting straight up, which will compromise your new alignment.)

Half Bridge Pose stretches out the hips and low back. Begin in the same position as with CRP, feet hip-width apart. Position both arms along the sides of your body, palms down, fingers reaching toward heels. Press your arms and feet into the floor, exhale and lift your pelvis, pushing it towards the ceiling. Keep your thighs parallel to one another and your pelvis in line with your knees. (If this position hurts your neck or upper back, place a folded towel underneath.) If your hips are high enough, you may be able to clasp your hands underneath and bring the shoulder blades closer together. Hold for 30 seconds to one minute, then slowly release as you exhale.

Hint: If this pose feels too challenging, place a yoga block beneath the base of your spine for added support and stress relief.

Related: A Bridge Sequence for Opening the Shoulders

Warrior I and II poses strengthen, stretch, and stabilize the psoas; like all standing poses, they teach correct alignment and improve circulation and joint mobility. Watch this video tutorial to learn the foundations of Warrior postures. To practice, begin standing up, facing forward. Take a large step back (three to four feet) with your right leg, keeping hips facing forward. Your right foot will be turned out slightly. Pressing the outer edge of your right foot into the ground, bend the front (left) knee directly over the left ankle. Your weight should be evenly distributed between both legs. Hands can rest on your hips, or you can raise your arms overhead. (Individuals with untreated high blood pressure should not raise their arms in this pose.). Breathe in and out for 30 seconds to a minute. Return to standing and repeat on the other side.

Transition to Warrior II: While in Warrior I (bent left leg in front and right leg in back), keep your gaze forward while your body turns to the right. Your right arm will reach straight behind you, parallel to the floor, palm down; left arm extends straight ahead. Your back toes may naturally move out a bit to help open the hips. Breathe in and out for 30 seconds to a minute. Return to standing and repeat on the other side.

Hint: Concentrate on breathing; holding your breath will create tension and limit the stretch.

Learn more about the body's complex anatomy, and tools that can be used to realign imbalances on Sonima.com.

This article originally appeared on Huffington Post & was written by Leslie Goldman.

What To Do For Muscle and Joint Stiffness

Q: I went to see a chiropractor today to get orthopaedic lifts for my shoes, and he gave me a bit of an examination at the same time.

He told me that I was very stiff and I was likely feeling a lot of back pain. Actually I have no back pain but I am very stiff. I have always struggled with flexibility.

These days my upper shoulders and back of my neck are often sore and tight. I have been slowly working on some of the stretches on your website, but this guy wanted me to go see him and he would help me with adjustments, etc., etc.

I'm wondering if I can just rely on stretching (seriously 30 minutes a day) to regain flexibility and deal with these problems instead of actually seeing this guy.

A: Generally, my feeling is that it's best to see what you can accomplish with a regular stretching routine.

In the absence of chronic inflammation or pain from an acute injury, stiffness in the back, shoulder, and neck regions is typically caused by one or both of the following:

• Stiffness within the joints in the area

• Tight muscles

Joint stiffness can cause surrounding muscles to become tight from lack of use, and tight muscles can cause underlying joints to become stiff, also from lack of use. So for practical purposes, in addressing stiffness, it doesn't really matter which one is causing the other; the vast majority of stretches promote joint flexibility and healthy muscle length.

Chiropractic adjustments aim to prevent joint stiffness, typically by delivering a "short amplitude, high velocity" thrust through one of the planes through which the involved joints are designed to move.

Though chiropractic adjustments can be immensely helpful in promoting optimal joint motion, my experience has been that without regular stretching and awareness of daily activities and postures that are at the root of chronic stiffness, adjustments can become a short term fix.

In my opinion, it's better to adopt a lifelong program of stretching to establish and maintain healthy length and blood flow in all major muscle groups, which should help your joints and surrounding ligaments to stay healthy as well.

I would add foam rolling to your stretching routine, as I find it to be an invaluable tool for keeping muscles, ligaments, and the joints they service healthy.

Also keep in mind that beyond stretching and foam rolling, you can likely benefit from some resistance training that promotes a strong core and good body balance. For example, instead of doing conventional push-ups, by doing push-ups with one hand on the ground and one on a medicine ball, you force muscles, ligaments, and proprioceptors (joint receptors that register joint position sense) throughout your body to develop a high level of functional strength. By functional strength, I mean strength that your body can consciously and subconsciously use to stay balanced and be less prone to injury as you go about your daily activities.

Another example of an exercise that promotes good body balance is one-leg squats, where you keep your core strong, balance your weight on one leg, and do slow, controlled squats - even just a few degrees will yield big dividends to your functional core strength and balance.

But not to move too far away from your question, a regular program of stretching and foam rolling is where I would begin - this really needs to be the foundation of your self care program. If you try to do too much with strength and balance-related exercises without ensuring that your muscles are healthy and your joints are moving properly, you might just reinforce faulty patterns of being and moving.

Archive of Stretching and Foam Rolling Posts

After spending a few months taking care of your body, if you feel that you haven't experienced significant improvement and can use some help, that's when I might visit a chiropractor, physiotherapist, kinesiologist, or any other practitioner that specializes in functional movement work. If your stiffness is severe enough that you can't stretch and exercise effectively, then it makes sense to seek treatment from day one.

Find more info at: http://drbenkim.com/what-do-muscle-stiffness