The training started again with the help of our favourite picture cards with a meerkat figure, and this time we had to choose a card to represent our relaxation activities and another card to express a stressful situation. We then each drew our tripod of mental balance, with each pillar representing our work, relationships and self-care.
Stress, burnout prevention and relaxation techniques
Next, we spent some time theorizing about how stress manifests and how we can eliminate it through relaxation. We looked at burnout prevention from the dimensions of biological (e.g. physical exercise), mental (reading, imagination), social (empathy, collaboration) and spiritual (values, meditation – relaxation).
So what relaxation techniques do we have for the peace and harmony of our bodies? First, we are introduced to the so-called natural relaxations which include laughter, singing, stretching, massage, praise and, above all, breathing. We focused on breath work and learned how to breathe properly into the abdomen.
Then came the short relaxation technique performed by the 5 senses exercise of Prof. Mirek Frýba. This quick calming technique is based on proper breathing and perception of all our senses (i.e. touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing) in the present moment. To better set our senses in motion we first bit into a lemon, then tasted some toasted bread and finally enjoyed a piece of chocolate. It was quite interesting to feel how our tastes were changing. Another short technique was the anchor – an autostimulation manoeuvre, where we anchor a pleasant memory and recall it by connecting our thumb and index finger during a stressful situation.
The best part of the training came towards the end of the training day, when we lay down on our mats to try and longer relaxation. Within 20 minutes, listening to the pleasant voice of our therapist, we went through awareness of all our organs, which relaxed our whole body and mind. Some of us went home feeling reborn :-).