The quieting response is a brief coping skill for use as an instant response to stressors. It combines elements of both mental and physical relaxation, and has the advantages of being very brief. It takes about six seconds, and so it can be used on the spot with minimal interruption to the flow of your activities.
You may find that a quieting response is enough to cope with minor stressors, or at least that it gives you breathing space to prepare a coping self-statement and plan a constructive response to a larger stressor. Here is how to use it.
As soon as you notice an increase in your stress level (for example, increased muscle tension, especially in your face, change in your breathing, anxiety, annoyance, or other distress): -
- Smile inwardly (that is, imagine yourself smiling, especially with your eyes)
- Think:- “alert mind, calm body”
- While exhaling, relax your muscles (first your face, then shoulders, then feel a wave of relaxation and warmth flow down to your toes).
If you are then able to resume your normal activities, do so. Give yourself a pat on the back for coping. If the quieting response is not enough, go on with the full mental relaxation procedure, by thinking a coping self-statement and backing it up with constructive action.
Through practicing the quieting response regularly, it should become a quieting reflex, automatically triggered by increases in your stress level.
Copyright Louise Shalders
