Live balance for mental balance

Seminar of the AOK as a prevention program against burnout

18/10/2013

A taste of the prevention program „Live balance“, Professor Martin Bohus, together with the AOK for the prevention of mental stress, has had around 600 guests at the CongressCentrum in Pforzheim. The mindfulness exercise, where participants sat with their eyes closed on the front edge of their chair and focused on their breathing, served to focus on the moment.

The psyche is exposed to much more stress today
The prevention program „Live balance“ is scheduled to launch nationwide starting in November to help people better cope with everyday psychological challenges such as stress and stress in the workplace. Martin Bohus, Professor of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in Heidelberg and Mannheim, developed the exercises together with colleagues from the research on the resilience of people (resilience) and psychotherapy research for the health insurance AOK. „Lebe Balance is the world's first health program that combines the insights of these research approaches with the goal of helping people to be mindful of themselves and their lives and to actively embrace change“, reports Bohus.

„It's about not letting it come to a stress-related illness“, adds Siegmar Nesch, board member of AOK Baden-Württemberg.

While earlier work was more physical, it is much more intellectual today, Bohus explains. Overall, everyday life has become much faster and mentally exhausting. „The rapid increase in mental illnesses such as exhaustion, burnout or depression has now led us to offer a tailor-made, scientifically sound and lifelike prevention program also for the health of the psyche well in advance of a disease“, explains Christopher Hermann, CEO of AOK Baden-Württemberg on the background of „Live balance“.

„Live balance“ includes mindfulness exercises with focus on the moment
As Bohus explains, the mindfulness exercises of „Live balance“ to intensively experience the moment and then benefit from it in stressful situations. Because stress and worry are always focused on the past or the future. At the moment no stress can be felt, reports the expert. Those who fully concentrate on the moment are psychologically stronger.

„Live balance“ In addition to mindfulness exercises, it also includes seminars on personal values, self-care, analysis of one's own social environment, as well as the implementation of planned changes and the bumps that have to be mastered. In the final unit of seven times and a half hours then the successes should be evaluated and strengthened.

Bohus sees a great need, especially in self-care. Because the harshest critic is always one yourself, according to the expert. If you have a negative self-image, you are suffering from stressful situations in stress situations. Also the personal values ​​are an essential part of a balanced psyche. That's how people gain power when they implement something that is important to them. Those who do not know their personal values, on the other hand, need a lot of recognition and confirmation from outside, for example at work. But this kind of recognition could easily break away.

According to Bohus, the social environment (work, family and partners, friends, acquaintances and neighbors) also plays an important role in terms of mental health. Studies have proven that this aspect has the strongest impact on life expectancy. (Ag)

Picture: twinlili