Stress Reduction and Emotional Well-Being

We all get stressed.  And often, it seems as though this stress is imposed on us from the outside.  But the Alexander Technique helps us see that this is not the case.  Stress is really not something outside ourselves. It actually is all about how we are reacting to conditions, whether the conditions are created by the outside world, or by ourselves.  We create habitual reactions to conditions by the way we think.

Seen from this angle stress can becomes manageable. We can take full responsibility for stress or non-stress because we can manage our reactions.  We can learn via Alexander Technique lessons to respond but not react to whatever the stimulus may be.  In doing this we can behave in a lucid reasonable manner in the face of what used to be a disruptive negative situation for us. 

Let me give you an example.  Let’s say that I have a history of conflict and disharmony with someone in my family.  He is not stressful.  I react with stress. This person may be indeed very difficult but I cannot change him (Lord knows I have tried and so have all the other family members, let’s say).  So I have to change myself.  I have to focus on my response and refrain from reacting and getting stressed.

I must like who I am when I am with others and if I can’t find any way at all to do that, then I better not be around those people. It is never about them. It always comes back to being responsible for how I myself behave. This is how we build character. And this is the really deeper meaning of the Alexander Technique. And yes, your posture and your attitude toward yourself and others will definitely improve.