No, it’s not all in your head! Stress affects both the body and the mind. Understanding and experiencing it provides fundamental techniques for better managing panic episodes. This is especially valuable for teenagers. While some naturally find the right resources to cope with stress, others feel overwhelmed, and some develop improvised coping strategies that may prove harmful in adulthood. Let’s start from the beginning.
Hurray for Stress!
Stress is a vital psychological and physical reaction. Without it, our species would have disappeared from the surface of the earth long ago. It is a survival reflex that activates our mental and physical resources at the right moment, mobilizing them for existential emergencies: fleeing a predator, facing a challenge, declaring one’s love… We experience it from the very beginning of our lives. A baby confronted with a need undergoes stress, mobilizing all their resources—crying, moving—until satisfaction is achieved.
As adults, we are supposed to better understand our environment, the challenges we face, and how to overcome them. However, stress remains a useful spur, directing our attention and energy toward what is “important.”
So What’s the Problem?
Excessive stress and/or its consequences can be difficult to endure. Many people seeking shiatsu treatment mention stress as the cause of their poor sleep, addictions, neck tension, digestive issues… Stressed individuals describe a nearly constant tension, disproportionate reactions to trivial matters, or a paralyzing stress rather than a stimulating one. Muscles tense up, the stomach tightens painfully, breathing becomes shallow, etc. Being aware of it is not enough to break free.
Shiatsu, a Japanese therapeutic massage, is particularly recommended to relieve this type of tension. However, it remains a treatment applied after stress adaptation mechanisms have already been well established. Prevention is even more beneficial.
Stress and Adolescence
Adolescence, a period of heightened exposure to stress, is also an opportunity to learn how to manage it. This phase is a prime time for learning and major physical transformations. Don’t teenagers often seem elastic to us? Their posture often surprises or even irritates adults, as it is perceived as a sign of laziness. However, this trait is actually a practical adaptation to the shock of physical growth and also reflects their awkwardness in controlling their own bodies. The sky seems to weigh on their shoulders. Simply put: they lack verticality and alignment. This is precisely what needs to be worked on to help them master their stress.
Stress and Alignment
Alignment between Heaven and Earth, achieved through the spine, allows for deep, powerful, and calming breathing. When experienced in stillness, it becomes obvious, as well known to meditation practitioners. It is the perfect posture for regaining composure and self-control. But how can this verticality be maintained when we are in motion?
The challenge of alignment work is to provide individuals with reference points so they never stray too far from an ideal verticality. An “aligned” person feels the spur of stress and responds appropriately, only for as long as necessary. By controlling their physical posture, they listen to their emotions without being overwhelmed and can express them without harming those around them. In short, they face challenges with the necessary focus—nothing more, nothing less.
Stress Management Workshops
Anyone who practices yoga, athletics, martial arts or dance has already encountered these concepts, even if expressed differently. They understand the benefits. However, many young people go through adolescence without this opportunity, facing both physical discomfort and the emotional turmoil of uncontrolled stress. These are the primary targets of my stress management workshops, based on my personal experience and various practices such as Do-In (self-shiatsu), Qi Gong, Aikido, etc.
The physical activities offered differ from sports as they exclude notions of performance and competition. The focus is on listening to one’s own body to develop awareness of alignment and the ability to withstand stress.
A 6-Session Program
My proposal: two sessions per month over a trimester, totaling six sessions. This pace ensures that participants retain the benefits from one session to the next and quickly recognize the advantages of the practice.
These workshops are preferably conducted in small groups, always in a respectful and supportive atmosphere. Some activities are repeated in each session, while others vary. They do not require excessive effort but do demand concentration. Such workshops can be organized on request for groups of three or more people. Feel free to contact me to set up new sessions.
