3 top tools to help you deal with stress
Stress can affect you in different ways. Liz Connor discovers some simple exercises to help you control and conquer it
FROM a small annoyance like getting stuck in traffic, to a major crisis like a sudden change in your financial situation, stressful moments are a natural part of life.
But too much chronic stress can be detrimental to our health – experts say it can weaken the immune system and cause longterm health issues such as high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and even heart disease.
Four months in lockdown and the worry about your children, their schooling, your job and your parents – let alone your own health and those of your family and friends – has heaped more pressure on us than any other peacetime year.
While you can’t prevent stress from happening entirely, you can manage the way you respond to high-pressure situations. We asked experts to share a variety of stress-relieving tools you can try... 1 Visualise a safe place This easy tool is used in a number of psychotherapeutic techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) – a type of therapy used to help people overcome the effects of psychological trauma.
Active visualisation can help relieve negative symptoms associated with stress, said Dr Paul McLaren, a general adult psychiatrist and medical director at the Priory Hospital Hayes Grove (priorygroup.com).
“Essentially, you picture yourself in a place where you’ve previously felt content and relaxed,” said Paul, who added that this could be a favourite holiday destination, a garden or another place of comfort.
“Actively bring your destination to mind by trying to connect with the different senses you associate with the place. Start by closing your eyes and imagining what you can see around you, before taking in the imaginary sounds too – it could be softly crashing waves or birds in the trees. Next, bring to mind the smells you’d experience and the sensation of your feet on the ground.”
After 10 minutes, Paul said you should start to feel calmer.
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Loosen and affirm As soon as you recognise the symptoms of stress, like shortness of breath and a fast heart rate, psychotherapist Nick Davies (ndhypnotherapy.com) recommended taking a moment to physically address any tension.
He said: “Make your body go as limp and floppy as possible by sitting back in your chair or lying down and relaxing every muscle from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.”
He suggested trying to ignore unhelpful thoughts and focus on breathing diaphragmatically (taking deep breaths by contracting the diaphragm), as this can help activate the “parasympathetic nervous system’ in the brain, responsible for returning the body to rest. He said: “Slowly repeat the following affirmations five times each in your head, ‘I am calm and relaxed’, ‘I am safe and well’, ‘I’ve got through this before and will again’.” Offering hope of beating the blues, Nick added: “The most effective way I’ve found of overcoming stress is not to fight it but to allow the feelings to pass.”
3 Alternate nostril breathing
Focusing on your breathing can make a big difference to your overall stress levels, said Chatty Dobson, yoga teacher and owner of FLEX Chelsea (flexchelsea.com).
Chatty added alternate nostril breathing can cleanse the mind.
She said: “Take a seat, sitting tall and rest the left hand gently on the left thigh or in the lap. Bring your right hand into a ‘peace’ sign then switch the thumb and fingers so the index and middle finger are in your palm. Your thumb and little finger should be extended. “Take a deep inhalation and close the right nostril with the thumb. Exhale through the left nostril to the count of four. Close the left nostril with the little finger, release the thumb, and inhale through the right nostril to the count of four. Repeat this until you start feeling calmer.”