Myth of Stress Workshop, 7 Dec 2010, 2pm-4.30pm

Run down of Programme:
2.00-2.45pm Myth of Stress [Intro, 7min game (given 5min to discuss), debrief of activity]
2.45-3.15pm Types of stress [10min discuss, 5min each group to present]
3.15-3.45pm Sources of stress [10min discuss, 5min each group to present]
3.45-4.00pm Seeing through stress [compare types and sources of stress on different halves]
4.00-4.05pm Tensed then released activity [aware of what happened when stress and relax]
4.05-4.20pm Deep relaxation [lying down and listen to soothing song]
4.20-4.30pm Singing and doing hand movements for the song "Happiness is here and now"

To improve:
1. For the 7min game, need to clearly instruct the minimum height, define what is a stable structure, 1 monitor for each group (instead of i monitor for 2 grps)
2. For the segment of "Sources of Stress", facilitator had difficulty guiding the participants to clearly list it out as every group easily conclude big concepts, like expectations, attachments, etc. It would be good if each group can choose the top three most stressful things and slowly go through it by using 5 levels of WHYs in search of the sources of stress. [this exercise is to guide the participants to break down their so-called sources of stress by going through their own discovery journey, starts with being aware of stress]
3. For the segment "seeing through stress", facilitators faced difficulty in guiding it.
4. Conclusion, facilitators managed to link the whole process to The Four Noble Truths, but it would be good that The Noble Eightfold Path could be shared with the participants too.

Highlights:
During the segment discussing on sources of stress and seeing through stress, it was chaotic as in the discussion seemed to have gone out of control.. Discussion went into abstract discussions, like "if we could eradicate stress, does it mean that we could then have happiness?", "does attachment bring stress?", "we already know the source of stress is due to expectation, there is nothing to discuss", "i think that attachment is fine, it does not give me stress", etc. Facilitators did some damage control by sharing that this workshop is not an academic session in which we are searching for an answer to a query, it was a session to be aware of your own stress, the sources. If you have found the sources of stress, so what? Have you done something about it? This would be something that everyone of us, as unique individuals, need to address it ourselves.