In connection with stress, we want to use the neurological levels after dilts to identify stressors and activate resources that help us to counteract stress. At each level there are numerous NLP intervention techniques that help to bring about the desired changes.

Environment

• What in the environment triggers the stress?

• Answers could be: noisy office, argument with colleagues, meeting in the morning etc.

To reduce stress, it helps, for example, not to carry out certain tasks in noisy surroundings or to move them to another time of day when the office is still quiet. At this stage, one looks for lack of resources within the individual environment to help avoid stress.

Behaviour

• What about my behaviour contributes to stress?

• Answers could be I'm constantly changing my daily routine, taking appointments at the last minute etc.

After answering this question, we look for useful behaviours that can serve as a resource. For example, taking time to relax during the lunch break or doing sports after work. NLP has an extensive collection of tools for changing behaviour. Only by specifically influencing one's own physiology (e.g. by changing one's own posture, breathing, voice) can stress be effectively reduced.

Capabilities

• How do you carry out the activities, which internal processes and programmes are running?

• Answers could be I can't concentrate. I can't be on time because there's always something in between.

In order to activate resources at this point as well, it is helpful if the client learns to imagine how he can develop the missing skills, for example, to arrive on time for his appointments, and then to ask what he has done to achieve the positive goal.

At this level, strategies play a special role in NLP.

Values and Beliefs

• Which beliefs could cause stress?

• Answers could be I must be able to read the wishes of others from their lips. I always have to do everything perfectly.

These beliefs can be changed to healthier ones.

Identity

• Who am I (if I live these beliefs, abilities)?

• Answers could be I am a slave to my schedule. I am a servant to the others.

Healthy Self-confidence is a good source of energy to prevent stress. Self-confident people know who they are and therefore what they can do for themselves. Stress on this level arises when one's own personality is not lived. This can be expressed by hiding it and not showing feelings or by wearing a mask that protects you from others but also from yourself.

Here it is important to go deeper into the true personality. For example, one can consciously ask oneself: "Who am I really?" and "How am I? Also from the demarcation you can learn a lot about yourself: "How am I not?", "How do I not want to be? There are methods in NLP methods to explore your own identity more closely. In doing so, one becomes aware of one's qualities (e.g. passionate, patient, vulnerable, etc.), which are examined below: Where are reference experiences that "prove" that someone has these qualities? What does somebody prove it by? Are there also experiences where the opposite is true? These experiences are questioned. Piece by piece the own becomes clearer and clearer.

Spirituality

• Is there something, or someone or a group of people on the professional, private, idealistic, philosophical level that you know you belong to? What is my role in this world?

• The answers to these questions conceal very considerable resources.

Whoever finds good answers for himself and can live them will not feel his stress as such any more. He will be happy and grateful to live his destiny a little bit more every day. The boundaries of the present identity can be broken with this awareness and integrated into a comprehensive sense of self. This can be achieved in various ways, such as meditation, spiritual experiences, love, etc.