SOBER Stress Tips

Have you ever been so stressed you thought your head would explode?

So many are dealing with unrelenting stress! Between the economy, work pressures, endless political ads, and strained family stress, it is no wonder Americans are reporting a dramatic increase in stress and anxiety.

Are you looking for an easy way to lower your stress?

Why is it that when hard times present themselves, some people feel forced to defend themselves, to spin out, to feel overwhelmingly anxious — yet others will take the same challenge, modify it into an opportunity, and pull together their abilities to meet it head-on?

Part of the answer lies in how a person uses personal resilience to face adversity.

If you ever feel overwhelmed, try this method to lower your stress immediately.

The S.O.B.E.R. Approach

This approach builds on five steps: Stop what you are doing, Observe what is happening, Breathe, Expand awareness of your whole body, and Respond with understanding. Once you begin using this simple, easy-to-remember approach, you can reduce your reactive behaviors to stressful situations and use more mindful positive responses, leading to lower stress.

1. Stop — Ever notice how much of your life you spend on autopilot? When you first see your stress levels rising, stop. When you stop allowing the stress to build, you can step out of it and ground yourself in the moment. No matter what you are doing, give yourself a moment to pause. No matter your position — walking, standing, or sitting — stop, relax for a few seconds, and re-engage after you have had a second to get yourself together.

2. Observe — This step is mandatory. Now that you’ve paused, take a moment to be mindful of everything happening in your mind and body. As you stop and observe, what emotions are you feeling? What types of thoughts are running through your mind? Perform a quick body scan and notice where you might be holding tension. Be aware of any negative or disruptive sensations. Recognize them rather than ignoring them or trying to make them disappear. Once you have done this, go to the next step.

3. Breathe — Now that you are in the moment with an increased awareness of what you’re feeling, allow yourself to focus on your breathing. Breathing is a natural and quick way to slow things down. As you breathe, make sure your body posture is relaxed. Start with a 4–4–4 breathing style. Begin gently breathing in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold that breath for 4 seconds, and then release it through your mouth for 4 seconds. Do this 4–8 times. If you are a person of faith, you can take something like the 23rd Psalm or the Lord’s Prayer and breathe through it two words at a time.

As you do this short exercise, you should notice feeling more settled and relaxed.

If you notice your mind wandering, gently bring your attention back to your breathing.

4. Expand awareness — As you move into this part of the process, I want you to see the stress-producing event for what it is. Now that you have that in focus, pay attention to your breathing. Begin to think about your body as a whole unit. Notice where the tension is and begin to let it go.

5. Respond with increased awareness. When life throws stressful circumstances at us, we always get to choose how we respond. As you become more mindful of whatever situation is causing your stress, you will be more aware of your options. Instead of having an uncomfortable, stressful event or a knee-jerk reaction, you will have more control.

No matter what life throws at you and me, we always have a choice in our response. We can freak out or keep our wits about us and respond with a sense of mindfulness and gratitude.

Here’s an excellent piece of ancient truth can help you manage your stress. This stress management process has been effective for over two thousand years.

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing.

Be saturated in prayer daily, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.

Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.

Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable, and admirable, beautiful, and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.

Put into practice the example of all that you have heard from me or seen in my life, and the God of peace will be with you in all things.

Philippians 4:6–9 TPT

If you need help, give me a call 505–343–2011 or shoot me an email at john@johnthurman.info. Let’s set up a free telephone consult and see if I can help . www.johnthurman.info