RELAXATION TECHNIQUES AS PREVENTION OF PSYCHOPHYSICAL DISCOMFORT An experience of training in an elementary school Dr. Silvia Corucci - Psychologist
Dr. Alessandra Capozza - Psychologist Introduction When we say "I feel stressed", we usually mean expressing a situation of psychophysical discomfort. In fact, the term stress, from the English "pressure, strain", has entered common language and is commonly associated with feelings of fatigue, anxiety, and muscle tension due to overload of stimuli. In a situation perceived as threatening, the body reacts quickly, just as it would have done thousands of years ago, mobilizing all energies. However, an open fight or flight response today is not always possible and the energies remain unexpressed, accumulating. We have, in fact, learned to inhibit some actions and emotions to adapt to the demands of the psychosocial environment. On the one hand, the inhibition system may serve adaptively to prevent ineffective behavior, but on the other hand, if prolonged over time, it has the consequence of the onset of psychosomatic illnesses, emotional disorders, muscle tension, and negative thoughts. In addition to the major life events, everyday problems also act as stressors. This means that causes of stress can accumulate day after day and give rise to a series of warning signs and somatizations. It is important to pay attention to the various indicators of stress. Symptoms such as fatigue, neck and shoulder pain, headaches are often not considered illnesses and therefore neglected. Alongside these, emotional signals such as anxiety, restlessness, isolation, and aggression may appear. Why propose a relaxation techniques course to teachers? If we try to examine what external conditions generate tension, we find that one of the most common situations we live with daily is stress in the workplace. Every profession, but especially those requiring responsibilities and helping relationships, can be a source of tension: both psychic, where all mental energies are constantly mobilized to overcome difficulties and manage interpersonal relationships, and physical, consequent to the first.
It is now scientifically established that, in an individual constantly subjected to excessive environmental demands, the capacity to tolerate stress gradually wears out, creating the premises for the onset of burnout.
Burnout syndrome, which consists of a dysfunctional response to stress whose symptoms affect the psychic, physical and relational side, manifests mainly in people working in the social field.
Teaching is defined as a profession which, in the transmission of knowledge, is based on the ability to establish an authentic and positive relationship with one's students.
The effectiveness of the educational intervention largely depends on the figure of the teacher, their qualities, skills, motivations and availability.
The very nature of this profession can be a cause of stress, even where the teacher is motivated and satisfied with their work.
It is therefore particularly important to learn relaxation techniques with which to discharge tensions and anxieties through "healthy" methods, enhancing our ability to tolerate stressful situations. All this with a preventive perspective. Why propose relaxation games to children? To activate primary prevention interventions and teach strategies which, experienced as a game, constitute an important individual resource. In fact, very early on, in preschool and school age, children can learn to regulate their own rhythm, to relax and to regain concentration
The goal is to offer each child the opportunity to develop their own style to be able to calm down, to cheer up, recharge their strength and react more calmly to stress and difficulties.
Through these techniques, not only the children's consciousness is addressed, but also their unconscious, their intuition, their imagination. Each child, in their own way, can draw the most useful conclusions for themselves from the gaming experience, can become aware that inside themselves there is a secret place, where they feel happy, aware of their own value and competence. The course The person living in a stressful condition can re-educate themselves to listening to themselves, their body, personal rhythms and learn to pay attention to warning signs.
Relaxation techniques can be learned, aimed at loosening muscular and psychic tensions through a series of specific exercises: starting with finding a deep, calm and complete breath, then proceeding with muscle relaxation exercises and image visualizations to regain feelings of fluidity, energy and well-being. Regular use of relaxation techniques not only offers the possibility of recovering from the consequences produced by stress, but also constitutes an effective prevention strategy. The predominantly operational nature of the course allows for a phase of application in the classes:
a path with guided games and fantasies for children will be developed.
For this purpose, moments of collaboration and meetings of the expert with the classes are foreseen upon request of participating teachers..
Since the intervention takes place in the school setting, it does not have psychotherapeutic purposes, but prevention and education for health and well-being and, as such, is aimed at all children. Conclusions The course aimed to provide teachers with knowledge and skills on the main relaxation techniques, with a focus on health and well-being education, addressed to themselves and their students.
Five meetings of two hours each were held, every two weeks, with the teachers.
Each meeting included a theoretical part which provided basic knowledge on some topics related to stress, mind-body relationship, burnout syndrome, a practical part during which participants experimented with relaxation techniques on themselves and a discussion part that allowed for comparison and common reflection on what was happening.
At the beginning of the course, some stress self-assessment tests were proposed, which facilitated an initial contact with this issue, in relation to personal experience.
During the meetings, both with adults and children, a fundamental theme emerged: the ability to listen. The difficulty we usually encounter in giving authentic listening to what happens in our body and mind was emphasized. We can maintain our state of health and well-being if we learn to stay in touch with ourselves, with emotions, desires, thoughts, fears and bodily signals.
Relaxation techniques represent an effective tool for refining this ability starting from the self and thus favoring the authentic listening of others.
From the evaluation sheets proposed at the end of the course, it emerged that participants experienced this experience positively, with curiosity, interest and emotional involvement, overcoming in some cases an initial sense of distrust towards techniques never used.
On a personal level, they had the opportunity to pay more attention to themselves, to re-establish contact with the body and mind, progressively learning to let go and use the techniques learned also at home.
A positive and non-judgmental atmosphere was emphasized, which was created with colleagues and among the group and the leaders.
From a training and professional point of view, what was proposed is considered stimulating and enriching, as an additional resource to face widespread and increasing problems among children such as tension, concentration and attention difficulties, fears, stress….
Material representing a path of play activities and relaxation to be used with children was provided to teachers.
Each teacher requested the intervention of experts in their class, so meetings were held with 17 classes. The children participated positively in the games and relaxation phases, even where classes were particularly numerous or students expressing discomfort on the cognitive, affective and relational level were present.
The participating teachers expressed the desire to continue training next year as well, deepening educational paths, but focusing especially on teachers' well-being. |
