Finding a Balance Between Tension and Relaxation

For weeks or even days on end, the same images keep racing through your mind, the tension in your body builds, and you feel yourself gradually losing your balance: Over time, negative thought spirals can drain a lot of our energy and take a heavy toll on us in our daily lives. Our stress levels keep rising until we often find ourselves in a state of constant stress. We have therefore put together a few tips on how you can break free from those energy-sapping thought spirals and the tension that comes with them.

Our bodies react with stress and tension as soon as we perceive a situation as threatening or stressful. When we think negatively about a situation, an object, or a person, it triggers negative feelings within us, and on a physiological level, stress hormones are released, leading to restlessness, nervousness, sweating, etc. The longer and more intensely we dwell on negative thoughts, and the more we find ourselves trapped in a cycle of thoughts, the more energy it takes from us. To break this cycle, the following three steps may be helpful:

1. Reflection or Mindfulness

Often, we aren’t even aware of the mental strain. Therefore, consciously acknowledge your negative thoughts and reflect on whether these thoughts are good for you and are currently leading you toward your desired goal.

2. Acceptance of these ideas

Accept that these thoughts arise and try not to get upset about them—if you get upset about the negative thoughts, you’ll have even more negative thoughts.

3. Change

When you accept your current state and acknowledge your thoughts and feelings, you’ll be better able to take action and more open to change: You’ll be able to assess situations with greater composure, subject your view of things to a reality check, and consciously steer your thoughts in a different direction or shut them off.

An effective way to quickly relieve mental tension is the “stop-thinking” method. In principle, you can do this exercise anytime, anywhere—whether you’re at work, out shopping, or having trouble falling asleep. Here’s how it works:

The “Stop Thinking” Method

The goal of this exercise is to immediately break the cycle of negative thoughts. Every time a negative thought arises, you should send a stop signal to your brain. To do this, you can shout “Stop” or just think it, depending on where you are at the moment. You can also picture a red stop sign.

You can further reinforce this “stop signal” by clapping your hands or giving yourself a light pinch on the hand. This sends a signal to the brain, distracting it from the train of thought and breaking the tension. View the interruption as a positive response.

Since it is impossible “not to think,” it is important to replace negative thoughts with something else. You can actively replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts or images. To do this, you can think of a wonderful past event: a great vacation or a wonderful family gathering. Perhaps you also have inspiring visions of the future or a goal that you’re determined to achieve.

Anything that makes you feel good can serve as a distraction from negative thoughts.

Finding the “Off Button”

In addition to mindfully reflecting on your own thought patterns, it’s just as important to completely switch off and relax from time to time. Your body has a natural, fundamental need to maintain a proper balance between tension and relaxation. The longer a person is under mental and physical stress, the more energy is expended, and the longer it takes the body to recover. However, the way people relax and unwind varies greatly from person to person. Everyone should therefore develop their own strategies.

Especially in highly stressful situations, it’s important to have a suitable strategy ready so you can take a step back quickly. To figure out what strategies might work for you, you can ask yourself the following questions, for example: