Three ways to ease stress and strain of the lockdown

Be selective Remove your phone Shoulder rub Head turns Shoulder roll Alternate nostril breathing Ujjayi breathing

1. BE MINDFUL OF TECH USE

We spend a significant proportion of our waking hours in front of screens, and what we watch, listen to and read has a huge impact on stress levels. Take stock of how you’re using technology and make sure it’s serving you. Observe how you feel while online and afterwards. Check the quality of your mind, how your body feels, your mood and your energy.

2. TRY A RITUAL OF SOOTHING TOUCH

Take your fingertips on to your shoulders, as you breathe in bring your elbows forward and upwards and as you exhale, take them back and down, six times. Feel how this frees your chest and shoulders and lifts you into a more upright posture.

3. PRACTICE BREATHING TECHNIQUES

We can use the breath in different ways to support us through each phase of a transition.

This can be calming and balancing, anchoring us while we are in the neutral zone and can be useful for tension headaches.

Place the first two fingers of your dominant hand between your eyebrows. You’ll use the pad of your thumb and the inner tip of your ring finger to alternately close one nostril. Begin by closing your right nostril and breathing in through your left. Close your left nostril and breathe out through your right. Breathe in through your right, then breathe out through your left. Breathe in through your left and out through your right again, changing nostrils after each breath in. Repeat this for up to five minutes and always complete the practice by exhaling through your left nostril. If sleep is elusive, try alternate nostril breathing.

This breathing can support you as you embark on a new beginning because it is both energising and comforting.

In ujjayi breathing, you breathe in and out through the nose with the back of the throat partially closed, as if you are saying with word “ha” but with closed lips, and the inhalation and exhalation are of equal length. You’ll hear a subtle sound like the ocean or perhaps akin to Darth Vader, feeling the breath delicately stroke the back of your throat, without any tension in your tongue, jaw, throat or neck.

Aim for a few minutes and turn to this practice wherever and whenever

you like.

Relish a social media cull of any accounts that set up the comparison trap, delete apps that don’t benefit you. Notice how you feel when your phone is in sight. Is the urge to check in irresistible? Screen addiction is real, with apps activating the same dopamine-driven neural pathways as slot machines and cocaine. Make the choice to leave your phone in another room to take an effective break. Touch, whether received from another or selfadministered, releases oxytocin, a stress-coping hormone critical to a sense of feeling safe. It facilitates social bonds, love and belonging, resilience and stress buffering, allowing the body to adapt and heal. Take your right hand across your left shoulder beside your neck, press your fingertips in and draw them across the ridge of your shoulder. Repeat this six times, moving further away from your neck with each repetition. Repeat on the other side. Relaxing your arms by your sides, keeping your chin parallel to the ground, look to the right, then look to your left. Do this three times each way, lubricating the neck.