September 20, 2010 – “If there is a solution, why worry; and if there isn’t, it’s no use either! This is what the Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard launched from the outset when he spoke of the “remedy” against stress that the Dalai Lama also very often evokes during the conference. SOS Stress! Is there a solution?, held at the Montreal Science Center, on September 181.
Matthieu Ricard recalls that in general, stress comes from not accepting a present situation. Which hardly makes sense, according to him, because it is already there; so, it is better to try to use all the resources that one has to prevent or to remedy the vagaries of existence.
It’s important to give yourself a break to build a mental immune system, he insists. This is why he suggests learning to cultivate an inner space through meditation, for example, to be less taken aback and less vulnerable to the unpredictability and novelty that present themselves to us.
“One of the elements of meditation aims to better understand the way in which thoughts and emotions are linked together and can multiply, until they completely invade us. From the moment we become aware of the disturbing emotion or anxiety, it has a natural tendency to fade away instead of invading us. It’s a natural process because, as we stop putting wood on the fire, little by little – without repressing it or letting it invade us – it fades by itself, ”he illustrates.
In fact, he believes that meditation allows one to become familiar with one’s inner qualities, such as selflessness, mindfulness and inner freedom. “These new ways of being and of experiencing the outside world make it possible to translate circumstances into constructive mental states that contribute to our subjective well-being,” emphasizes Matthieu Ricard.
Be present at all times
Pierrich Plusquellec, François Lespérance, Matthieu Ricard
Psychiatrist François Lespérance, who also took part in the conference, reminded that stress is not always bad in itself since it is a response to an external threat. On the other hand, you have to make sure that this threat is real before you start to mobilize your energy to defend yourself against it.
To prevent stress from invading us too much, he suggests, as an antidote, to “develop the capacity to be present at all times”. “We notice that people who are able to be very present have great resilience as well as a great capacity for adaptation and creativity,” says the one who is also assistant director of clinical research at the CHUM research center.
This conference, moderated by Ariel Fenster – professor of chemistry at McGill University -, was a prelude to the Neurogym workshops which deal with the plasticity of the human brain.1. The co-director of the Center for Studies on Human Stress, Pierrich Plusquellec, also participated in the event.
Carole Boulé – PasseportSanté.net
1. For more information: www.centredessciencesdemontreal.com.
