Stress-busting tips to help improve your well-being
After more than a year filled with anxiety and health concerns for many, and dealing with three national lockdowns, it is no surprise that stress, anxiety and depression levels reported were “significantly higher than we normally see in the UK”.
According to the UK COVID-19 Stress and Health Study conducted by the University of Nottingham and King’s College London, the early stages of lockdown resulted in 64 per cent of respondents experiencing symptoms of depression and 57 per cent experiencing anxiety, with women and younger people at particular risk.
Kavita Vedhara, professor of Health Psychology at the University of Nottingham said: “When we experience stressful situations for protracted periods of time, such as during this pandemic, it can have real implications for our health and wellbeing.”
It has also been reported that the stress hormone cortisol may affect COVID recovery, with a study conducted by Imperial College London finding that “COVID-19 patients with very high levels of the stress hormone cortisol are more likely to deteriorate quickly and die.”
Following recent Stress Awareness Month Yorkshire’s Amy Crumpton, certified neuro-linguistic programming expert, mindset coach, positivity queen, and founder of Social Cactus Social Cactus shares her top stress-busting activities.
Move your body
Whether this is your favourite exercise, taking the dog for a walk, lying on the carpet having a good stretch, wrestling with your children, or even a spot of horizontal dancing, moving your body gets the endorphins flowing, your heart pumping and helps to clear your mind so you feel happier and more positive.
Positive affirmations
Focus on the things that you’re doing really well right now, no matter how small those things are.
By taking the time to look at the bigger picture, we are
able to see that we are usually doing the best we can at the time – which is worth celebrating. So affirmations such as: ‘I’m doing the best I can right now and that’s OK’ can help to calm the mind and put us into a more positive state.
Breathwork
Often when we are stressed our breathing becomes short and shallow, which in turn leads to an increased heart rate and blood pressure.
When you feel this happening or if you sense overwhelm creeping in, take a minute to close your eyes, stop your activities and take several long, deep breaths, holding each one longer than the last.
Do this until you can feel your mind stop racing and your heartbeat slow down.
Speak to a friend
Have you ever felt so stressed out, overwhelmed
or panicky, but then spoke to a friend and felt instantly better? Often speaking to a friend or family member will trigger positive memories and associations, will act as a distraction for any negative triggers you are feeling, and will get those good feelings moving through your body again.
Pattern interrupt
This is a neuro-Linguistic Programming technique which basically means doing something to break your pattern of thought.
By breaking your pattern of thought, you will start to focus on something else instead of the thing that is causing you stress – an example might be to think about a time you felt totally relaxed and at ease. Bring up a picture in your mind of the time you felt in control and like you could achieve anything.
You will notice the stress disappear.