Learn how to manage stress by controlling your emotions

Nowadays it is easy to feel overwhelmed and to think that we cannot manage our daily tasks. Stressful situations can manifest themselves both in our professional and personal life and it can be difficult to avoid conflict when we find ourselves in a stressful environment. In this course the participants had the opportunity, through theory and practical activities, to learn about the tools to manage and overcome conflict and stressful situations.
 
The new edition of the course “Stress and Conflict Management: the way to resilience and satisfaction​” took place in Palermo from 04/05/2025 to 10/05/2025. The participants came from all across Europe, with Lena from Paul-Gillet-Realschule plus Edenkoben in Germany, Katalin, Andrea, Áron, Ádám, Gabriella and Zoltán from Casa Corpului Didactic Csutak Vilmos Covasna in Romania, Dace, Ilze and Ieva from Rīgas PII Dzilniņa Preschool educational institution Dzilnina in Latvia and last but not least, Carla and Maria from Agrupamento de Escolas de Carcavelos and Ana and Maria from Agrupamento de Escolas de Anadia in Portugal.

To kick off the course, participants reflected on the meaning of the word stress by brainstorming in groups. Stress is caused by a series of stressors that can be related to different factors: physical, environmental, family-related or work-related. However, small amounts of stress can also have positive outcomes and push us to achieve our goals or to respect a deadline for example. For this reason the participants learnt to distinguish between Distress (negative) and Eustress (positive).
During this course the participants learnt about cognitive and behavioral strategies, designed to overcome stressful situations in the workplace. Through group activities they had the opportunity to increase their planning and time management skills. Breathing exercises, musical relaxation and visualization were also practiced to manage stressful situations.

To continue with the course an important topic was discussed: empathy. This is a fundamental skill when it comes to dealing with conflicts. It can be tricky sometimes to show an empathic response, especially when we haven’t experienced the same feeling as the person in front of us. However, it is possible to practice it and the participants learnt how to distinguish it from other types of responses.

Effective communication is also a key competence in order to solve conflicts. The participants discovered the different communication styles and were asked to do a group activity in which each member had to contribute in resolving a conflict. Although it can be difficult to solve a conflict, as this activity demonstrated, the team members saw how this situation could also be an opportunity to grow and learn. This method can also be applied to a workplace and a classroom.  
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To finish with the week, participants learned about mindfulness, a practice of being fully present and observing thoughts and experiences without judgment. It improves attention, self-awareness and emotional control. Mindfulness-based stress reduction is widely used for managing stress and mental health. Participants also practiced with mindfulness exercises and meditations. This type of exercise helps individuals become more aware of their senses, thoughts, and emotions, fostering a greater sense of presence and mindfulness.

Since participants came from different cultural backgrounds, they had the opportunity to confront themselves with each other and learn from their shared experiences. More importantly, this course showed them that not only they have the tools to deal with stressful situations, but that sometimes there can also be positive outcomes from an existing conflict.
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Discover more about this course here.