Take 5 to find calm

JANUARY can be a difficult month at the best of times but with Covid restrictions, life is especially challenging. So if you are feeling stressed, you are not alone.

But these simple tips are designed to help you rebalance yourself when you need it most – and they only take five minutes.

“Try picking one to start with – the tip that seems easiest or speaks to you the loudest,” said well-being expert Joanne Mallon.

“Once that’s embedded, add any others that appeal.

“These ingredients will transform your life and give you a fresh perspective on your daily routine.”

These simple techniques take no time at all to tackle stress and boost well-being

BREATHE IN CALM

This is a trick used by professional speakers to help them feel calm and confident. Place your dominant hand on your stomach and take relaxed, full breaths, feeling your abdomen move in and out.

Deep breathing like this slows the heart rate, making you feel centred and ready to face the world.

Practise this any time you need to reconnect with your most confident self.

TURN OFF, TUNE IN

Go through your phone settings and turn off as many app notifications as you can.

Notifications interrupt the flow of your day and suck up your attention by dragging you into the online world.

Wearing a watch will stop you picking up your phone to check the time.

POSITIVE MANTRA

Mantras are positive phrases that should be repeated out loud. You can use them to steer yourself back to centre.

Your mantra could be as simple as “be calm”, “all is well” or “stay strong”. Write one out and stick it where you can see it.

QUICK VENT

Decant your frustration into a journal, the air, or the ear of a loved one.

The aim here is to download those negative feelings out of your brain and leave space for something more productive.

Give yourself five minutes to process the emotion, then get rid of it and consider what you can learn from it.

FIND THE BEAUTY

If you’re working indoors all day, take taking five minutes to go outside.

Look around until you find something beautiful, then take a photo and share it with your friends.

MAKE A TODON’T LIST

Writing a list can help focus your thoughts on the things you want to do. But what about the things you don’t want?

Make a list of 10 things you’re not going to do tomorrow, this week, or ever. It could be things you’ve said yes to in the past but want to say no to in the future.

NEW CHARGE

Using your phone just before bed can interfere with sleep quality.

To combat this, decide on a new location for your charger, away from your bedroom, and make sure it is in its new home at bedtime.

Your mind and body will thank you in the long run.

LET YOUR BRAIN REST

Doing something easy and repetitive gives your brain a rest and helps you to process what’s happened throughout the day. Try knitting, folding laundry or dusting a bookcase. Activities that involve repetition are good for managing anxiety, as they help the mind to balance.

Your brain is shifted into a state of flow and will release worries it has been hanging on to.

STRETCH IT OUT

Stretching just before you go to bed helps to relax your muscles as you unwind physically and mentally.

While morning stretches may be dynamic and involve movement, evening stretches should be more static. You can stretch the same muscles you moved in the morning, but this time hold the stretch for up to 30 seconds.

Aim for evening stretches up to five times a week, as your muscles will respond better to this than they would to one long session.

Extracted by Debbi Marco from Change Your Life In Five Minutes A Day, by Joanne Mallon (£8.99, Summersdale).

Activities that involve repetition are good for managing anxiety