2.2 Managing the stressful situation

How to release the symptoms of the stress

The symptoms will release when the overloaded life situation eases. As an asylum seeker, you have many different factors to cause stress. You can´t always influence those factors.

It is important to find your personal way to adjust to the overloaded situation
It is important to find habits of such kind, which bring joy and mental as well as physical wellbeing
We can do many things to support our wellbeing
If the symptoms are heavy, seek help from the nurse or doctor

What can you do by yourself in a stressful situation?

Practice 1: “My own safety place”: With this “safety place” practice, you can calm and steady yourself when you are feeling anxiety or being unsafe.

Imagine in your mind a special and very safe place, where it is good to be.
The place can be somewhere where you have actually been before. Alternatively, you can imagine that place too.
Explain to yourself that nothing can cause any harm to you in that place
Close your eyes, try to imagine, and see the place in your mind: How does your safety place look like? What kind of voices is it possible to hear and listen there. What kind of lights and shadows are there? How does it smell? Are you there alone, or do you have someone with you? Try to sense your imagined place with all of your senses.
Breath inside and outside very carefully
Enjoy the peacefulness and relaxed being
Go back to your safe place every time you feel bad or anxious. Tell yourself: you will be safe in your own safety place.

Listen the same practice here: https://youtu.be/CW_lBdFGtDU

You can find safety place practice with different languages (in Arabic, farsi, dari, English) the project of Serene You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3HzVrLpXXsOTQIV1eQnpjw

The source: (Lähde: Turun kriisikeskus, Serene-hanke 2012-2016.)

You may find helpful by trying some of these matters:

The meaningful doing and tasks:

It is important to find routines of such kind which bring joy and good feelings
Sometimes this can be difficult if you are feeling bad or hopeless
Try different things and join with other people

Regular day rhythm:

Regularity in your everyday life supports managing and surviving in difficult situation

Rest and sleep:

You need sleep enough to give rest to your body and soul

Nutrition:

Good and balanced food and nutrition help your body system´s well being.
In a new country, you probably don´t find the food products, which you have used before in your home country.
Try to get to know the new products and find out how to make good meal from them.

Exercise, music and reading:

Exercising is good for your health.
Try to walk and exercise outside every day.
Listen to your own country´s music. Listen your new country´s music as well.
Read news, books and papers as well as magazines.

Socializing with the other people:

In overloaded life situation being with other people usually helps.
It is important and helpful to speak about your feelings and thoughts.
Don´t stay alone. It is important to belong to a community and to society.
If your own community stayed behind your own country try to find new communities in Finland.
You will find other people from reception center, hobbies, multicultural centers, immigration associations, church etc.

Practice relaxing and tranquilize your mind:

Ability to relax support to survive and manage everyday life.
Try to find your own ways to relax.

Walking in a nature

It is possible to find different beliefs and thoughts related to the nature in different cultures.
Nature is experienced good and empowering in Finland.
People in Finland often seeks relaxation when they feel anxious.
According to different research being close to the nature helps you to bring up and sustain well being.

Practice 2: “Resources in my life”
All of us have things in our lives, which brings happiness and joy, as well as support ourselves to manage in difficult situations. Sometimes we forget these resources. It is good to remind yourself, which are your strengths and what is your own power:

Draw the image of your hand to the paper
Write down or draw to every finger one thing which brings joy and well being to you
Cut down the picture of your hand and put it on the wall at your room
From this picture you can see which are matters helping you to manage your everyday life

Material progressed

1 Everyday life in Finland

1.1 Welfare and well-being1.2. Participating and influencing the environment1.3. Health, wellbeing and culture1.4. Activities of daily living1.6. Equality and discrimination1.7. A child and everyday living in Finland1.8. Child´s protection and child welfare

2 Coping and sustaining wellbeing

2.1 Stress and crises2.2 Managing the stressful situation2.3 Nature as a support of wellbeing2.4 Relaxation2.5 Self-destructive thoughts and self-destruction2.6 Where to seek help?

3 Work in Finland

3.1 Working culture in Finland3.2 Education3.3 Labour legislation3.4 General work life skills3.5 Job seeking3.6 Stages in a job seeking process3.7 Job application and CV

4 Professional Competence and competence development

4.1 Earning and proving your competence4.2 Assessing your own competence4.3 Professional competence4.4 Demonstrating the competence4.5 Recognition and comparing the degrees earned previously in countries of origin4.6 Developing your own competence

Digital Material

Car MechanicElectrician

2.2 Managing the stressful situation

How to release the symptoms of the stress

The symptoms will release when the overloaded life situation eases. As an asylum seeker, you have many different factors to cause stress. You can´t always influence those factors.

It is important to find your personal way to adjust to the overloaded situation

It is important to find habits of such kind, which bring joy and mental as well as physical wellbeing

We can do many things to support our wellbeing

If the symptoms are heavy, seek help from the nurse or doctor

What can you do by yourself in a stressful situation?

Practice 1: “My own safety place”: With this “safety place” practice, you can calm and steady yourself when you are feeling anxiety or being unsafe.

Imagine in your mind a special and very safe place, where it is good to be.

The place can be somewhere where you have actually been before. Alternatively, you can imagine that place too.

Explain to yourself that nothing can cause any harm to you in that place

Breath inside and outside very carefully

Enjoy the peacefulness and relaxed being

Go back to your safe place every time you feel bad or anxious. Tell yourself: you will be safe in your own safety place.

Listen the same practice here: https://youtu.be/CW_lBdFGtDU

You can find safety place practice with different languages (in Arabic, farsi, dari, English) the project of Serene You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3HzVrLpXXsOTQIV1eQnpjw

The source: (Lähde: Turun kriisikeskus, Serene-hanke 2012-2016.)

You may find helpful by trying some of these matters:

The meaningful doing and tasks:

It is important to find routines of such kind which bring joy and good feelings

Sometimes this can be difficult if you are feeling bad or hopeless

Try different things and join with other people

Regular day rhythm:

Regularity in your everyday life supports managing and surviving in difficult situation

Rest and sleep:

You need sleep enough to give rest to your body and soul

Nutrition:

Good and balanced food and nutrition help your body system´s well being.

In a new country, you probably don´t find the food products, which you have used before in your home country.

Try to get to know the new products and find out how to make good meal from them.

Exercise, music and reading:

Exercising is good for your health.

Try to walk and exercise outside every day.

Listen to your own country´s music. Listen your new country´s music as well.

Read news, books and papers as well as magazines.

Socializing with the other people:

In overloaded life situation being with other people usually helps.

It is important and helpful to speak about your feelings and thoughts.

Don´t stay alone. It is important to belong to a community and to society.

If your own community stayed behind your own country try to find new communities in Finland.

You will find other people from reception center, hobbies, multicultural centers, immigration associations, church etc.

Practice relaxing and tranquilize your mind:

Ability to relax support to survive and manage everyday life.

Try to find your own ways to relax.

Walking in a nature

It is possible to find different beliefs and thoughts related to the nature in different cultures.

Nature is experienced good and empowering in Finland.

People in Finland often seeks relaxation when they feel anxious.

According to different research being close to the nature helps you to bring up and sustain well being.

Practice 2: “Resources in my life” All of us have things in our lives, which brings happiness and joy, as well as support ourselves to manage in difficult situations. Sometimes we forget these resources. It is good to remind yourself, which are your strengths and what is your own power:

Draw the image of your hand to the paper

Write down or draw to every finger one thing which brings joy and well being to you

Cut down the picture of your hand and put it on the wall at your room

From this picture you can see which are matters helping you to manage your everyday life

Practice 2: “Resources in my life”
All of us have things in our lives, which brings happiness and joy, as well as support ourselves to manage in difficult situations. Sometimes we forget these resources. It is good to remind yourself, which are your strengths and what is your own power: