Understanding the FREEDOM model to relieve stress ~
Editor’s note: This article comes from the WeChat public account “Li language professional beauty” ( ID: crystal_words) , author: brown sugar curd.
Write in front:
With the tide of resumption of work, many friends left a message with us in the background, and a representative one is selected as follows:
-
“Teacher, I have resumed work, but there is too much work and too much pressure, and I feel manic and restless every minute … the leader said I want to improve my stress management ability, and I’m wondering, how can this thing be improved? Is there any book recommendation? “
Speaking of pressure, everyone must be familiar.
Have you ever experienced this:
-
You are about to show all your colleagues at important meetings, but you are extremely nervous, your heartbeat is fast, your hands and feet are shaking, and your brain is blank;
-
An important exam is about to take place the next day. You are fully prepared, but before going to bed, all kinds of disastrous thoughts continue to flow. You start worrying about the exam and induce insomnia.
In the above scenes, you should have the freedom to handle your emotions and complete the task smoothly, but the surge of tension has hijacked you and made you behave badly.
And if you ca n’t always control your emotional response to stress, your career and relationships will be affected.
So, what can we do to calmly think and play normally when the pressure is coming?
Clinical psychologist Julian Ford, based on many years of clinical treatment and research experience, summarized a set of effective methods, and wrote this method into a book “Brain Science Stress Management Act.”
-
The author describes when pressure is coming, How the brain is hijacked, so that we cannot think clearly and make rational decisions;
-
The two concepts of “surviving brain” and “learning brain” explain the interaction of instinct, emotion and reason in the face of stress;
-
And tell the reader that the ability to manage stress depends on whether we can optimize our brain, let the learning brain control and guide the survival brain, and focus on what really matters.
Based on explaining the mechanism of stress generation, the author introduces the FREEDOM model of stress management, which can help us optimize the brain.
01 The source of stress
Brain scientists have discovered that stress comes from the roar and warning of the “alarm system” in the brain. It feels a strong crisis and enters a high alert mode.
The alarm system is the result of human evolution over thousands of years, and is an important part of human “survival brain”. In the crisis-ridden primitive jungle, a highly alert alarm system allows people to quickly secrete adrenaline when faced with possible danger, thereby adopting a “fight or flight” mode to respond to the threat of the enemy and strive for survival opportunities.
But in today’s society, the factors that threaten our survival are not as many as in the primitive jungle. If our alarm system is still too active, it may overestimate the severity of the danger, which will cause excessive stress on ourselves. .
-
The danger of stress is that it reduces our brain’s ability to think clearly. Once the brain loses the ability to think soberly, our sense of self-control will also decrease, which will lead to over-reactions. For example, you yell at your child under pressure, tremble with restraint before the public speech, and sleep nervously before important exams. Can’t wait.
These overreactions will undoubtedly have a negative impact on our profession and family.
All in all, the problem that most people face in modern society when dealing with stress is that “a variety of stimuli keep coming on, making the brain think we are always in trouble.”
Facing the roar of the alarm system, some people’s approach is to turn off the alarm, numb themselves, and escape the pressure.
Common behaviors include comforting yourself “without any problems”, or escaping stress through drinking, eating, shopping, indulging, or attributing stress to yourself or others’ mistakes, thereby blame and blame others.
-
This way of dealing with stress will not cure the symptoms. People who use this method mistake the brain’s frantic “alarm response” as a problem, but don’t solve the real problem.
This will not only cause our alarm system to fail, making it impossible to see what the real threat is; it will also accumulate small problems and eventually accumulate into large problems that we can hardly solve.
So what is the right way to deal with stress?
02 Relieve stress and play the role of learning brain
To manage stress, we need to develop the ability to consciously focus on key things.
In addition to the “surviving brain”, the “learning brain” is also an important part of the brain. The reason why some people cannot manage stress is because the alarms sent by the TA’s survival brain are too active, leaving TA out of control and unable to use the learning brain to solve problems. Therefore, the key to alleviating stress is to let the learning brain take control of the body.
The so-called “learning brain” is the physiological source of human rational thought. It consists of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and is the brain’s thinking center and memory and retrieval center.
The most important step to managing stress is to resort to the power of the “learning brain.”
So how does the learning brain help us manage stress?
First of all, let’s understand how the alarm system makes us mad: the alarm system causes panic, which is mainly achieved by calling the form of “wrong memory”.
Compare the different ways in which the thinking center and the alarm system retrieve memory: Thinking center retrieves memory through careful retrieval of the memory center to find the most useful information. When the alarm system needs to retrieve memory, the brain’s memory center will panic and grab the first memory it can find, even if it is not correct.
For example, you are sitting on a plane, and suddenly the plane is bumpy. You immediately feel nervous, the alarm system smells danger, and it starts to take over your brain. At this time, all you can recall are reports of plane crashes that you have seen before, and ignore the basic fact of the proportion of plane crashes.
In fact, the probability of death from a plane crash is one in 11 million, which is equivalent to an average person flying once a day for 4 million years to die in a fatal air crash. But regardless of these facts, the brain in alarm state catches a false memory and begins to roar. So you get into anxiety, panic, despair.
The good news is that learning the brain can help us clear out the cluttered memories and ideas brought by the alarm system, so thatWe get rid of the false sense of crisis and help us gain calm and self-control.
-
If we understand the “survival brain” and “learning brain” in a more popular way, then we can draw a cliché conclusion: to control stress First, let rationality overcome perceptualness, and let rationality take over the brain.
But it’s easier said than done. In the face of pressure, why people lose control, is it because we have difficulty controlling ourselves? If it is so difficult to control our emotions, how can we let the learning brain take over the brain?
The author summarizes effective ways to relieve stress, but this method requires learning and continuous practice, so that we learn to consciously optimize the brain.
03 3 ways to relieve stress
The core way to relieve stress is to let the thinking center dominate the brain so that we can clear the alarm and focus on what really matters.
How to let the thinking center dominate the brain?
Julian, one of the authors of this book, summarizes a set of techniques based on clinical and research work-the FREEDOM model. FREEDOM is the initials of 7 steps, they are:
-
Focusing——focus
-
Recognizing triggers——Identify stressors
-
Empowering your emotions-empowering emotions
-
Evercising core values——Practice core values
-
Determining your optimal goals-determining optimal goals
-
Optimizing your choices
-
Making a contribution——Contribute
According to the FREEDOM model, I have summarized 3 core methods to relieve stress:
1, focus
The so-called focus means that when you realize that the pressure is coming, you need to focus on it to prevent the “alarm system” from becoming too active.
To do this, the author introduces three methods: pull-out, orientation and self-test.
The so-called pull-out refers to temporarily stopping and slowing down when pressure strikes, thus turning on the alarm and learningLearn the pathways between the brain.
Pausing for 10 seconds out of thin air is difficult for most people, but we can use some techniques: one technique is to interrupt by pouring coffee, listening to music, taking short walks before feeling the pressure. Emotional process, forcing the brain to pause for 10 seconds; another technique is to shift attention to the perception of the surrounding environment and interrupt the intense emotional response through distraction. Of course, if you have already learned meditation, then that is also an excellent way to “get out”.
Orientation refers to focusing on the most important things in life, remembering the ideas that bring hope and value to life, such as the most important people in your life, the old places you love and remember, your hobbies , What you want to do, your future vision, and more. Recalling these questions can help keep your thinking center clear and soothe your alarm bells.
For example, when you want to lose your temper with TA because of your child’s naughtiness, it is best to first ease your emotions by “drawing out” and then think about your love for your child. At this time, you will realize that wanting to get angry is just a moment of emotional excitement. If you can’t restrain it, you will regret it later.
-
The so-called self-test is to score your own degree of tension and self-control. After completing the “get out” and “orientation” mentioned above, you’d better rate yourself and see if you’re calm down.
If you have n’t calmed down, please repeat the above two steps until your tension is reduced, at which point the thinking center can begin to work.
2. Identifying stressors
A stressor is something that allows us to respond quickly without thinking. For some people, stressors are work deadlines; for some people, stressors are traffic jams; for others, stressors are insulting words spoken by others, and others question and blame themselves.
When a stressor appears, our alarm system is activated, which can lead to emotions such as anger, fear, guilt, despair, etc. In extreme cases, our learning brain even has time to respond, and we have been swallowed up by emotions and made irrational behaviors.
I once read a story about Starbucks employee Travis. This story is a good illustration of how “identifying stressors” can help us perform well in stressful situations.
Travis owns one
“Teacher, I have resumed work, but there is too much work and too much pressure, and I feel manic and restless every minute … the leader said I want to improve my stress management ability, and I’m wondering, how can this thing be improved? Is there any book recommendation? “
Speaking of pressure, everyone must be familiar.
Have you ever experienced this:
-
You are about to show all your colleagues at important meetings, but you are extremely nervous, your heartbeat is fast, your hands and feet are shaking, and your brain is blank;
-
An important exam is about to take place the next day. You are fully prepared, but before going to bed, all kinds of disastrous thoughts continue to flow. You start worrying about the exam and induce insomnia.
In the above scenes, you should have the freedom to handle your emotions and complete the task smoothly, but the surge of tension has hijacked you and made you behave badly.
And if you ca n’t always control your emotional response to stress, your career and relationships will be affected.
So, what can we do to calmly think and play normally when the pressure is coming?
Clinical psychologist Julian Ford, based on many years of clinical treatment and research experience, summarized a set of effective methods, and wrote this method into a book “Brain Science Stress Management Act.”
-
The author describes when pressure is coming, How the brain is hijacked, so that we cannot think clearly and make rational decisions;
-
The two concepts of “surviving brain” and “learning brain” explain the interaction of instinct, emotion and reason in the face of stress;
-
And tell the reader that the ability to manage stress depends on whether we can optimize our brain, let the learning brain control and guide the survival brain, and focus on what really matters.
Based on explaining the mechanism of stress generation, the author introduces the FREEDOM model of stress management, which can help us optimize the brain.
01 The source of stress
Brain scientists have discovered that stress comes from the roar and warning of the “alarm system” in the brain. It feels a strong crisis and enters a high alert mode.
The alarm system is the result of human evolution over thousands of years, and is an important part of human “survival brain”. In the crisis-ridden primitive jungle, a highly alert alarm system allows people to quickly secrete adrenaline when faced with possible danger, thereby adopting a “fight or flight” mode to respond to the threat of the enemy and strive for survival opportunities.
But in today’s society, the factors that threaten our survival are not as many as in the primitive jungle. If our alarm system is still too active, it may overestimate the severity of the danger, which will cause excessive stress on ourselves. .
-
The danger of stress is that it reduces our brain’s ability to think clearly. Once the brain loses the ability to think soberly, our sense of self-control will also decrease, which will lead to over-reactions. For example, you yell at your child under pressure, tremble with restraint before the public speech, and sleep nervously before important exams. Can’t wait.
These overreactions will undoubtedly have a negative impact on our profession and family.
All in all, the problem that most people face in modern society when dealing with stress is that “a variety of stimuli keep coming on, making the brain think we are always in trouble.”
Facing the roar of the alarm system, some people’s approach is to turn off the alarm, numb themselves, and escape the pressure.
Common behaviors include comforting yourself “without any problems”, or escaping stress through drinking, eating, shopping, indulging, or attributing stress to yourself or others’ mistakes, thereby blame and blame others.
-
This way of dealing with stress will not cure the symptoms. People who use this method mistake the brain’s frantic “alarm response” as a problem, but don’t solve the real problem.
This will not only cause our alarm system to fail, making it impossible to see what the real threat is; it will also accumulate small problems and eventually accumulate into large problems that we can hardly solve.
So what is the right way to deal with stress?
02 Relieve stress and play the role of learning brain
To manage stress, we need to develop the ability to consciously focus on key things.
In addition to the “surviving brain”, the “learning brain” is also an important part of the brain. The reason why some people cannot manage stress is because the alarms sent by the TA’s survival brain are too active, leaving TA out of control and unable to use the learning brain to solve problems. Therefore, the key to alleviating stress is to let the learning brain take control of the body.
The so-called “learning brain” is the physiological source of human rational thought. It consists of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and is the brain’s thinking center and memory and retrieval center.
The most important step to managing stress is to resort to the power of the “learning brain.”
So how does the learning brain help us manage stress?
First of all, let’s understand how the alarm system makes us mad: the alarm system causes panic, which is mainly achieved by calling the form of “wrong memory”.
Compare the different ways in which the thinking center and the alarm system retrieve memory: Thinking center retrieves memory through careful retrieval of the memory center to find the most useful information. When the alarm system needs to retrieve memory, the brain’s memory center will panic and grab the first memory it can find, even if it is not correct.
For example, you are sitting on a plane, and suddenly the plane is bumpy. You immediately feel nervous, the alarm system smells danger, and it starts to take over your brain. At this time, all you can recall are reports of plane crashes that you have seen before, and ignore the basic fact of the proportion of plane crashes.
In fact, the probability of death from a plane crash is one in 11 million, which is equivalent to an average person flying once a day for 4 million years to die in a fatal air crash. But regardless of these facts, the brain in alarm state catches a false memory and begins to roar. So you get into anxiety, panic, despair.
The good news is that learning the brain can help us clear out the cluttered memories and ideas brought by the alarm system, so thatWe get rid of the false sense of crisis and help us gain calm and self-control.
-
If we understand the “survival brain” and “learning brain” in a more popular way, then we can draw a cliché conclusion: to control stress First, let rationality overcome perceptualness, and let rationality take over the brain.
But it’s easier said than done. In the face of pressure, why people lose control, is it because we have difficulty controlling ourselves? If it is so difficult to control our emotions, how can we let the learning brain take over the brain?
The author summarizes effective ways to relieve stress, but this method requires learning and continuous practice, so that we learn to consciously optimize the brain.
03 3 ways to relieve stress
The core way to relieve stress is to let the thinking center dominate the brain so that we can clear the alarm and focus on what really matters.
How to let the thinking center dominate the brain?
Julian, one of the authors of this book, summarizes a set of techniques based on clinical and research work-the FREEDOM model. FREEDOM is the initials of 7 steps, they are:
-
Focusing——focus
-
Recognizing triggers——Identify stressors
-
Empowering your emotions-empowering emotions
-
Evercising core values——Practice core values
-
Determining your optimal goals-determining optimal goals
-
Optimizing your choices
-
Making a contribution——Contribute
According to the FREEDOM model, I have summarized 3 core methods to relieve stress:
1, focus
The so-called focus means that when you realize that the pressure is coming, you need to focus on it to prevent the “alarm system” from becoming too active.
To do this, the author introduces three methods: pull-out, orientation and self-test.
The so-called pull-out refers to temporarily stopping and slowing down when pressure strikes, thus turning on the alarm and learningLearn the pathways between the brain.
Pausing for 10 seconds out of thin air is difficult for most people, but we can use some techniques: one technique is to interrupt by pouring coffee, listening to music, taking short walks before feeling the pressure. Emotional process, forcing the brain to pause for 10 seconds; another technique is to shift attention to the perception of the surrounding environment and interrupt the intense emotional response through distraction. Of course, if you have already learned meditation, then that is also an excellent way to “get out”.
Orientation refers to focusing on the most important things in life, remembering the ideas that bring hope and value to life, such as the most important people in your life, the old places you love and remember, your hobbies , What you want to do, your future vision, and more. Recalling these questions can help keep your thinking center clear and soothe your alarm bells.
For example, when you want to lose your temper with TA because of your child’s naughtiness, it is best to first ease your emotions by “drawing out” and then think about your love for your child. At this time, you will realize that wanting to get angry is just a moment of emotional excitement. If you can’t restrain it, you will regret it later.
-
The so-called self-test is to score your own degree of tension and self-control. After completing the “get out” and “orientation” mentioned above, you’d better rate yourself and see if you’re calm down.
If you have n’t calmed down, please repeat the above two steps until your tension is reduced, at which point the thinking center can begin to work.
2. Identifying stressors
A stressor is something that allows us to respond quickly without thinking. For some people, stressors are work deadlines; for some people, stressors are traffic jams; for others, stressors are insulting words spoken by others, and others question and blame themselves.
When a stressor appears, our alarm system is activated, which can lead to emotions such as anger, fear, guilt, despair, etc. In extreme cases, our learning brain even has time to respond, and we have been swallowed up by emotions and made irrational behaviors.
I once read a story about Starbucks employee Travis. This story is a good illustration of how “identifying stressors” can help us perform well in stressful situations.
Travis owns one
-
-
-
-
-
-