Good Stress to Improve Mental Health Workshop with Sarah Hunt

Good Stress to Improve Mental Health: How to Use 3 Types of Physiological Eustress to Improve Mental Health Outcomes Workshop w/ Sarah Hunt

Minimising stress has become a primary goal in our quest to support our mental health. And yet there are certain types of physiological ‘stress’, known as Eustress, that activate healing pathways in the body and mind and can support our mental health.

We might have heard how cold water immersion is being used as a support for many people to immediately improve their mental health. But how and why does this work, and how can we engage with eustress safely and effectively?

The truth is that the types of ‘stress’ that our body used to encounter in our evolutionary history are very different than the types of stressful events we experience on a daily basis today. Because our bodies have co-evolved with these more natural or ancient forms of stress, they elicit a process in the body called Hormesis, where a low exposure to certain physiological stressors actually makes the body stronger and more biochemically balanced. Overtime, these practices can not only drastically improve mental health outcomes but help the body create long-term resilience to stress.

This workshop will discuss the science behind eustress and specifically how it activates health pathways in the body which can re-establish biochemical and nervous system balance and improve mental health experiences. It will focus on 3 simple types of eustress that are accessible for everyone — specific forms of physical movement, cold water immersion and gentle oxygen restriction with breath holds. We will discuss the science behind each form of eustress, how it works in the body, and protocols for safe practice.

Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event

• an understanding of the science of eustress in the body
• a clear perspective 3 types of eustress and how they work physiologically
• an experience of 2 types of eustress during the workshop including specific movement practices and breathing exercises
• Protocols for the 3rd type of eustress, cold water immersion, and how to get started if you’ve never tried this before
• a chance to discuss ways to share these practices with clients

Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?

• This workshop is open to all therapists and those interesting in learning more about how short exposure to Eustress can improve mental health and create physiological resilience to stress.

How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?

• This workshop will give participants new level of understanding of 3 types of eustress including specific body movement, cold water immersion and breath holds that they will be able to use for themselves and their clients to improve mental health, active healing pathways in the body and increase resilience to stress.