Increasing Stress Resilience in Difficult Times: Integrating Proven Practices from Biofeedback and Psychotherapy

Abstract

People across the country are experiencing significant levels of stress across most areas of life, including economic (jobs and inflation), health (epidemics), social and relationship issues, and international conflicts and political strife. People want to cope better but the amount of information available on stress management is staggering, confusing, and sometimes contradictory. Drawing from empirically supported intervention research that integrates biofeedback and psychotherapy approaches, three simple practices can help clients build stress resilience: balancing life demands with equanimity, becoming more aware but less worried, and actively engaging in flexible coping strategies. These three practices are straightforward to learn and easy to do as part of daily life. Although these approaches are typically administered individually in psychotherapeutic settings, there is significant potential in using a community approach to intervention. Most importantly, these techniques are proven, cheap, and have no side effects and can be easily administered using online website instruction and smartphone assessment technology.