Dealing with Stress: The Year That Was, How Did You Deal With It?

March 2020: Like many others, I found myself unexpectedly caught up in the pandemic and at a standstill instead of teaching new yoga classes in brand new studios as part of my new career move from yoga to HR. My stress levels during the lockdown were not excessively elevated as I was fearful of making the right decision to postpone my career before the lockdown. The 10-day Vipassana meditation routine at the beginning of 2020 helped me navigate the lockdown. Summer 2020 I was faced with reliving past negative racial experiences that became stressful. Dr. Gail Parker, Ph.D., author ofRestorative Yoga for Ethnic and Racial Stresssays, "My hypothesis is that people suffering from the ongoing stress and trauma of systemic oppression and daily experiences of racial trauma can benefit from a practice that balances the nervous system by emphasizing lightness. Restorative Yoga is presented as a practical self-care method for treating the resulting emotional wounds." This awakens my deep connection to Restorative Yoga Life that continues to support me since 2007.

Stress Awareness Month (the month of April) is certainly not the only month to rest and reflect on how your body and mind deal with anxiety, but it seemed like a good time to connect with some people who know about stress.

I reached out to people in the yoga and mindfulness space to find out what it was like before and after lockdown and how they dealt with stress. I spoke to two people to get their personal experiences of dealing with stress before and after lockdown, as well as expert opinion on stress and the pandemic and what everyone will do for “the new normal”.

Helen Attle, Preschool Teaching Assistant

Helen's stress levels pre-lockdown were extremely high as she had made a big decision to end a long-term relationship the week before the pandemic after trying to maintain it for 4 years. Helen had left the family home 3 years ago with her two sons aged 6 and 3 and is proud of where she has arrived now and happy to share her story as it has been quite private on her journey and hasn't really been shared with anyone until now.

Helen had two very different experiences with homeschooling in March 2020 and January of this year. In March 2020, Helen wanted to enjoy time with children while adjusting herself and told teachers that she had decided not to homeschool. Helen did other non-academic things with sons; looking for wildlife, projects on frogs and tadpoles and baking. This prevented Helen from “feeling like a failure” trying to keep up with academic homeschooling, which had no virtual resources provided during the first lockdown. Helen also muted the WhatsApp Parents Homeschool group as it was stressful seeing the comparisons and found it definitely reduced her stress levels.

Helen will navigate the “new normal” by “preserving habits from lockdown…” Yoga has been huge for me. It's ironic that this interview is for Yogamatter since this is the website where I purchased my first yoga mat and equipment. Yoga helped me deal with my stress “Helen found that taking time out was a new habit and didn't realize how important it was and will say no when she wants to say no when she doesn't want to meet friends when the lockdown is lifted no.

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Kenny Gold Jr., yoga instructor

Kenny moved from a retail manager to a yoga teacher during lockdown as his leisure/hospitality role was declared redundant. "I only found work stressful when it was busy, but I got into it because I love being active. I had previously asked a therapist for help with anxiety, but I never imagined I would be as stressed as I'm often made out to be. My yoga practice kept me balanced and felt like a refuge from everything going on in the world. Social life and exercise have always keeps me busy.

When the redundancy process began at the beginning of the year, I didn't think it would happen to me. As he walked around I was clearly shocked and hurt as I had been there for almost 10 years and there were others in other departments with less years at the company. I took the layoff and decided to focus on my yoga training (Kenny completed a 350-hour teacher training in 2019). I only realized I was stressed when I noticed I wasn't being as active as every blog or social media personality said I was to maximize the blackout period. “

Kenny will move into the “new normal.”Continue to practice mindfully, write down, and remind yourself that it is not on the schedule, but rather that you are taking the time to better connect with yourself.

Heather Mason, Founder and Director of the Minded Institute

Heather foundedThe Minded Institute, a leading yoga therapy training organization, after years of deep depression, PTSD and anxiety.Heather chose a non-traditional healing approach and moved to Southeast Asia to begin an intensive meditation practice in Buddhist monasteries, where she spent three years developing and transforming her mind. During this time she also completed training to become a 500-hour yoga teacher.

Q: What is your definition of stress awareness?

A: "It is the knowledge that external phenomena have an influence on mental and physical processes or physiological processes. Above all, this includes the knowledge that it is realthe reactionto the external phenomena that cause the state of tension. “

Q: What are your insights into how people have been coping with stress before, during and during the current lockdown?

A: "In the community I work with; before the pandemic, people managed stress through substance abuse, with alcohol being the most socially acceptable form of management. People cope with stress through; distraction, watching TV, doing things that take their attention away from the here and now, through psychotherapy, meditation, going to the gym, many people who go to the gym do yoga. “Stress management is one of the main reasons people come to yoga.”

Coming into the pandemic, there was a surge in alcohol sales, but also an increased interest in body practices that can be done in the comfort of home.

Heather shared that the 11% of the US population with mental health issues has increased to 44% during the pandemic because people are not managing their stress. This is a 2 or 3 fold increase in European countries.

Q: What can people do to better identify their stress?

A: "Using mindfulness practices; you can recognize when you're feeling excited and calm. Being willing to face what you're feeling is a great first step."

Heather's 3 top tips for managing stress in the 'new normal'

Feeling a sense of connection, even without there being a connection like it was before. Heather admires Dr. Stephen Porges on the Social Engagement Network. This is consistent with the parasympathetic part of our nervous system, the vagus. When we engage in activities that trigger vagal stimulation, we support the social engagement network that allows us to feel connected even in the absence of another person. Dr. Porges also says that by lengthening your exhale, which affects the vagus, your perception of others will be more positive and your perception of how they perceive you will also be more positive.

These activities can be part of the Social Engagement Network and are Heather's top three tips:

1. Auf melodiöse Weise singen / singen. Der Hals hat eine Verbindung mit dem Vagusnerv. Wenn wir also den Hals vibrieren, kann dies das Social Engagement Network stimulieren.
2. Gesichtsbewegungen – Heather lehrt eine Löwenhaltung, indem sie die Zunge herausstreckt, um alle Muskeln im Gesicht zu stimulieren. Gesichtsbewegung ist etwas, was wir im sozialen Engagement tun, daher schlägt Heather vor, Lion’s Pose zu Ihrer Yoga-Praxis hinzuzufügen.
3. Augenbewegungen / Augen Yoga – Augenbewegungen sind mit der Kommunikation mit anderen verbunden. Wir schauen in die Augen, um zu überlegen, was gesagt wird. Wir schauen nach unten, wenn wir überlegen, was wir als nächstes sagen sollen. Sanfte bilaterale Bewegungen der Augen von links nach rechts unterdrücken das Gehirn.

Heather says she knows these tips aren't obvious yoga tips and that's why she offers them because they aren't obvious! She also reminds us that stress is a part of life and that the most important thing is to take care of our well-being.