Day 2

Welcome to the Wellow method - Day 2! How did your first day go? Did you recognize certain signs of anxiety, or even discover symptoms that you didn't even imagine were related to anxiety? Take stock and listen to your feelings.

Today, we are going to go further by identifying the stressors more precisely. We will also refer you to some good books on the subject if you are interested in different methods. The objective is to create a toolbox for you, not ours. That is why we have suggested several tools, try them out and keep only those that are useful to you. Being an expert in your health also means reconnecting with yourself and choosing what is best for your well-being. Just as a mother knows very well what her child's needs are and the difference between a gripette and the flu, learn about yourself and how to manage anxiety effectively. All of this has the sole purpose of increasing your well-being!

A little reminder.

What is stress?

• a state of mental tension and worry caused by your work, your routine, etc.
• a situation that generates a significant feeling of anxiety or worry.
• physical force or pressure.

But then, what is anxiety?

• fear, nervousness, worry about what might happen
• a feeling when you want something badly.

So not all stress creates anxiety, but anxiety can be generated by stressors. That's why it's important to demystify the stressors in your life. Understanding this principle helps to pinpoint the situations that cause anxiety, so the more specific you are, the more empowered you will be in managing anxiety.

1- PausePose

First, a simple reminder. We can experience two types of stress:

Absolute: anyone in such a situation would experience anxiety.

Examples: earthquake, fire in your building, etc.

Relative: depending on your personal background, you will experience stress, while your partner, colleague, does not even understand that it can be a stressor.

Example: a man is standing next to two people. For one, this man has strong resemblances to his father, who was also his best friend; for the other, he resembles his coach who always left him on the bench as a child.

Unless you are experiencing a truly atypical situation in your life, it is likely that you are surrounded by relative stressors instead. Relative does not mean unimportant! However, we will help you focus the issues when you are facing a stressor.

Question 1 - do I live the ciné^[1] ?

C: contrôle

• Do I feel like I lack control?

I: imprévisible

• Do I have the perception that this situation was downright unpredictable?

N: nouveauté

• Was this a new situation? New procedures, etc.?

É: égo

• Do I feel diminished, not up to par?
  • Ego does not mean that you are narcissistic, on the contrary, wanting to do well is to your credit. You have the right to be who you are and you will see, taking care of yourself doesn't hurt that much.

In fact, the idea is to guide the questions to prevent anxiety from taking over and confusing your mind so that you give up. In addition, this helps you focus on immediate actions to take to ease the state of mental pressure that is taking over and make way for the lull. As we said yesterday, if you find that certain stressors are repeated day after day, it would be healthy to address them consciously, as the objective of this program is to increase your control over your daily life, without depriving you of the beauties that surround you.

2- FUN

Stress has a beginning and an end. While physical activity is extremely good for you, regardless of your anxiety level, some activities are more appropriate during times of high stress. In fact, if you think you might be going through a stressful period (end of term, handing in assignments, busy period at work, etc.), high intensity interval training is not your number one choice. Furthermore, in our experience, they have been found to increase certain types of panic attacks. You are your own best health expert and go back to how you feel. If you feel that you need to self-flog to finish the workout, consider more gentle workouts such as pilates, walking, biking, martial arts, swimming, strength training. Everything is good, you just have to dose it.

Because physical activity is an excellent and enjoyable strategy for managing anxiety, today we will identify three enjoyable activities to do every day. It's better to spend a few minutes getting back into the here and now, than an hour not completed.

Here are some suggestions:

Photos ou reels: squat / marche / vélo / yoga / musculation.

3- Productivity without burning out

Earlier, we identified the stressors of the day. Now, how to manage them.

Question 1 - est-ce que je vis le ciné ?

C: contrôle

• What are the elements of your routine that are reassuring and over which you have control? Write them down and don't change them if they are compatible with your life.
• What are the things you have no control over that impact your well-being because you are constantly anxious about them? In the short term, this week, what could you do differently to increase your perception of control?
  • 1)
  • 2)
  • 3)

I: imprévisible

• Does your life involve real unpredictable events? If so, it will be all the more important to establish a stable routine in all aspects of your life that you can so that you don't constantly burn out.
• Do you experience false contingencies? Situations that seem unexpected, but are rather secondary to an organization that simply doesn't consider them!
  • a note to people who are always late... not everything takes 15 minutes! 😉

N: nouveauté

• Are you starting a new job? Do you have to include a new protocol at work or even at home? If so, anxiety is your friend. It will ensure that you are prepared! However, once the event is over, it will be important to give yourself some rest.
• Does your job involve new things every day. If so, and it probably will for many of you during a pandemic, review the elements that remain stable despite the changes. The idea is not to shun the new, but to avoid taxing your body with stress, constantly, in all spheres. So, what do you do every day at work that is repetitive?

É: égo

• Do you feel comfortable with your colleagues, your friends? Respect your own limits and name your feelings rather than avoiding and isolating yourself. No one can understand if you keep everything in your head.
  • A client once told us: the paint will never dry if I only do it in my head and nobody will understand that I was doing something…
  • Nommer votre ressenti, mais continuer d’avancer en respectant votre propre rythme et vos besoins.

4- Consciously moving on

Now that you've taken a moment to take stock, simply write down the actions you need to take tomorrow and go do something else. It's important to take the time to worry, but it has a beginning and an end. The more you repeat at the same times, the more your mind will deprogram itself to hypervigilance, because it will know that you are now committed to taking care of yourself.

When is it most relevant in your situation to perform this type of Worry time?

Let go to get better.

The Wellow’s team

^[1] Ressources additionnelles: Stress humain (Lupien, S).