First of all, there are many tools you can use for different types of distress. It depends on whether you are distressed over having nowhere to go, nothing to eat, you have a hard time dealing with a situation or individual, or a project at work you feel goes above your head.I am not sure that this tool works for everyone, but as a PTSD sufferer I found the following method calms me down when I feel distressed. Yes, Yoga does work, but I only use certain aspects of the practice. For me a simple reality check (read: acceptance of the moment) in combination with compartmentalization does the job just fine. It took some practice but eventually it became one of my habits.
The previously mentioned Dr. Lazarus (building on Dr. Selye's work) suggested that there is a difference between eustress, which is a term for positive stress, and distress, which refers to negative stress. In daily life, we often use the term "stress" to describe negative situations
Stress responses are normal reactions to environmental or internal perturbations and can be considered adaptive in nature. Distress occurs when stress is severe, prolonged, or both.
