When psychology works like a vaccine

Sometimes it seems that stress is a necessary addition to life, like salt in soup: you don't want it, but you can't do without it. Work, children, traffic jams, news - every day tries to throw you a portion of "nerves". And now imagine: you go into the stress ... and he was like, "Oh, sorry, it's already inoculated here."

There it is - the psychological miracle of the century! It was invented by Canadian Dr Donald Meichenbaum - one of those people who didn't just study stress, but decided that we'd had enough of suffering.

What is "stress inoculation?"

It's not a shot or a pill (sorry, of course). It's a psychological technique whose essence is to prepare you for future stress so that it doesn't crush you, but skips past you like a mosquito past your ear.

How does it work?

1- Training. First you learn what stress is and how it works. Without the arcane stuff. Like, "If you're yelling at your husband, it's probably not because he didn't take out the trash, but because you're burned out." Acknowledging it is half the battle.

2. Rehearsal. Next, the fun part starts: you start replaying potential "stressful" situations in your head or even out loud. Just like an actor before a play. Like, "Now the boss is going to say that the report is wrong - and I will NOT throw a stapler at him, but calmly reply that I will clarify the details".

3. Reinforcement. Then you learn the inner self coach, "Breathe. You're ready. You're smart. And you don't have to solve everything for everyone." Gradually, such mantras become embedded in your nervous system.

Why is that cool?

Because it's preventative. You're not putting out a fire - you're building a house out of non-combustible materials. Yes, it takes a bit of work at first (and no laughing when you practice dialogue with your mother-in-law out loud), but the effect is powerful: your anxiety is reduced, your sleep improves, and you don't react to every nonsense like it's the end of the world.

But does it work?

Meichenbaum is not a YouTube guru. He's one of the most quoted psychologists in the world. His techniques are used in therapy for anxiety disorders, the military, people going through major life changes. And you know what, it really helps - to become steadier, calmer and, pardon the pathos, wiser.

Bottom line:

Stress is not the enemy. It's just an indicator. But if you know how to handle it in advance - it stops breaking you down. So do the "inoculation" while it's calm. Then even in a storm you will remain a captain, not a passenger with panic in your eyes.

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