As part of my role as a Welfare Advisor within the Police Service, I delivered regular stress management training to groups and individuals. Often the tricky part for people was being able to engage with and identify feelings of stress within themselves, how to spot ‘triggers’ and find what I refer to as ‘emotional tools’ to treat emerging feelings.
I have developed an easy method that everyone can use to help differentiate normal feelings of pressure versus overwhelming thoughts/feelings/patterns.
I call it …….. RUTT
You can be anywhere and bring this word to the forefront, then simply break it down into the 4 letters which are my acronym for stress identification,
R.. Recognise, think about what is going on for you, how are you feeling, what do you notice about yourself say for example breathing, posture, facial tension?
U.. Unique, we are all different and therefore react to situations differently. Life is not a competition of mental strength. Being able to decipher what makes us tick is very useful!
T.. Trigger, so what is my trigger today, what is making me feel this way, has this happened before, is there perhaps a pattern?
T.. Treatment, what do I need to help and support me? (Check out the gentle reminders on the Stressfulday to-do list). Do I need something more? Could speaking with someone be a help?
Give this a go and I’d love any feedback
