Mastering emotional balance: the key to stress and conflict management success

​In this day and age it is common to feel overwhelmed and believe we are incapable of handling stressful circumstances that can arise both in our professional and personal lives, making it challenging to navigate conflicts when under pressure: this is the reason why this course provided its members with theoretical insights and practical exercises aimed at equipping them with tools so as to effectively manage and surmount stress and conflict.
The recent edition of the course "Stress and conflict management: the way to resilience and satisfaction​" was held in Tenerife from 10/03/2024 to 16/03/2024. The participants came from all across Europe, with Ana and Deolinda from Agrupamento de Escolas Emídio Navarro in Portugal, Daiva, Audrone and Rita from Valstybės institucijų kalbų centras in Lithuania, Viola and Doreen from BSZ Karl Preusker Großenhain in Germany, Evanthia, Dimitra, Konstantina and Christina from 1st Lyceum Haidari in Greece, Laetitia from Oniris in France, Alenka from Os Marije i line umag in Croatia, Gäthlyn from Häädemeeste Secondary School in Estonia, Aleksandra and Agnieszka from Institute Wojciech Korfanty in Poland.

​At the beginning participants engaged in group brainstorming sessions in order to contemplate the concept of stress: in point of fact stress can stem from an array of stressors, spanning physical, environmental, familial or occupational factors. During these first days the members of the course learned to discern between distress, which is negative, and eustress, which is positive: as a matter of fact moderate stress levels can lead to positive outcomes, motivating us to achieve goals or meet deadlines, for instance.
Subsequently participants delved into an array of cognitive and behavioural strategies tailored to deal with workplace stressors: so group activities facilitated the enhancement of planning and time management proficiencies and in the meantime teachers practiced stress reduction exercises in order to master emotional balance.

​Throughout the course empathy emerged as pivotal for stress and conflict resolution: there is no doubt that demonstrating empathetic responses can be challenging, especially when one has not experienced the same emotions as the individual they are engaging with, however participants acquired techniques in order to cultivate empathy and distinguish it from other response types.
We must not forget that effective communication is indispensable for stress and conflict management: this is the reason why teachers explored a large number of communication styles while engaging in group activities aimed at resolving conflicts collaboratively and, despite the inherent difficulties in conflict resolution, they recognised these situations as opportunities for growth and learning.

​Given the diverse cultural backgrounds of its members, the course fostered intercultural exchange and mutual learning and, equally importantly, attendees realised that not only do they possess the tools to handle stressful situations, but that conflicts can also yield positive outcomes!

​Discover more about this course here.