Managing Stress Skillfully

How can people best avoid stress-related illnesses and stress as well as handle being under extreme pressure? Researchers and psychotherapists from the Universities of Freiburg and Trier have together published a new guidebook called "Ratgeber Stress und Stressbewältigung" ("A Guide to Stress and Stress Management"). Using a range of exemplary cases and practical exercises, the book clearly presents scientifically proven techniques for coping with pressure. "After 25 years of stress research, we can offer people affected by stress so much more than classical relaxation training – ranging from ways to improve recovery to actively changing the triggers for stress to breathing techniques that work rapidly," says Prof. Dr. Markus Heinrichs, who with Dr. Tobias Stächele runs the Outpatient Clinic for Stress-Related Disorders ("Ambulanz für stressbedingte Erkrankungen") at the University of Freiburg. Their colleague at Trier University is Prof. Dr. Gregor Domes. He is the head of the "Forschungsambulanz für Stress" ("Research Clinic for Stress") there.

A few years ago, the authors prepared a handbook for stress management to support specialists in the fields of psychotherapy and medicine in treating patients. Heinrichs, Stächele, and Domes are using their latest guide to reach directly those impacted by stress as well as families and friends of those taking the strain. "By using tested, active strategies, everyone has the opportunity to improve their own stress management. This also applies to people subjected to a high degree of stress," explains Stächele. The central points of the guide are aids for handling acute stress triggers as well as tips to develop skills for balancing stress in the long term. "Patients benefit considerably from being able to perceive individual signs of stress early on and actively using targeted measures positively to influence high levels of everyday stress," says Stächele. During their work, the specialists have observed that insufficient stress management can rarely be traced back to one cause, he adds. "It's a matter of having broad diagnostic understanding and a collection of effective measures that are tailored to individuals," Heinrichs emphasizes. It's important to the authors that readers can quickly and specifically implement active exercises for individualized stress management. At the same time, this will effectively protect them at times when they are under stress in the future.

Book publication
T. Stächele, M. Heinrichs, G. Domes (2020). "Ratgeber Stress und Stressbewältigung." ("A Guide to Stress and Stress Management") paperback, 103 pages.