CLEAR YOUR MIND

Psychotherapist Jane Caro suggests these de-stress tactics:

• WRITE IT DOWN. Get it out of your head and on to paper, whether as a list or journal, to stop things whirring round in your head. You’re not forgetting about that problem or thought, but parking it gives you permission to take a break.

• DIARY UNRESOLVED ISSUES. Allocating a time, a few days ahead, to deal with a problem will allow you to take a break. In the intervening time, something often shifts and it can be resolved.

• USE YOUR SENSES. Coming into the here and now by using all five senses is a useful technique. Be aware of what you can feel, the weight of your body on the chair, listening to the sounds around you and so on. Connecting with your environment is a powerful calming mechanism.

• CHECK IN WITH YOUR BODY. We all hold tension in ways we’re not aware of. Notice jaw clenching, hunched shoulders, neck pain, or tightness in the face or forehead.