Wellbeing

7 ways to beat stress

Anxiety getting the better of you? Rachelle Strauss takes a look at some of the best self-help strategies to restore calm to your day

Anxiety getting the better of you? Rachelle Strauss takes a look at some of the best self-help strategies to restore calm to your day
Everyone feels stressed or tense at times; it’s a part of daily life in our fast-paced world. A little bit of pressure can be good in terms of motivating you and helping you to be more productive. However, prolonged stress or anxiety can prove to be harmful to your emotional and physical health.

CBT can help to change a negative mood

Dr Andrew Weil, a renowned pioneer of integrative medicine and the author of several bestselling health books, says that almost 90 per cent of visits to healthcare practitioners are due to stress-related problems. Indeed if you allow stress to get the better of you it could lead to all manner of physical conditions ranging from heart disease to a depressed immune system, insomnia, migraines and IBS. Conventional methods of dealing with stress include counselling, medication and stress management, but there are also many self-help techniques you can try. Here we take a look at some of them.

1. Cognitive hypnotherapy

This particular therapy combines cognitive and evolutionary psychology with neuroscience. Russell Davis, a cognitive hypnotherapist based in Ealing (russell-davis.co.uk) has created a simple technique combining Buddhist mindfulness and relaxing hypnotherapy. Use it to combat stress, re-energise or change a negative mood.

Breathe slowly and deeply from your stomach. Be aware of the speed and depth of each breath and the length of the pause between breaths.
With every exhale, say a word to yourself that represents the way you want to feel. For example ‘calm’.
As you breathe, notice the sensations in different parts of your body, starting with your feet and moving up. For example, how does one arm feel in comparison to the other?
Recall a relaxing memory from your past. Re-experience it, remembering the sights, sounds and smells.
Enjoy reliving this relaxing feeling. Practise this for three to five minutes twice a week and notice the benefits!

2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps you take a more objective view of yourself and the situations you find yourself in, so you can change negative patterns. Next time you feel stressed, write down your biggest worry then ‘score’ your symptoms out of 10. Ask yourself:

What is the worst that could happen?
When I’ve encountered this situation before, what has happened?
If a friend felt this way, what would I tell them?
What is the best that could happen?
What is the most likely, realistic outcome?
Now rewrite your worry in a more balanced way and score your symptoms again. You’ll probably find you feel much better and less stressed!
Learning to manage your inner self-talk can have a powerful effect on your mood and enable you to cope better with stressful situations.

To find out more, read Overcoming low self esteem by Dr Melanie Fennell (£10.99, Robinson Publishing).

3. Acupressure

Acupressure is like acupuncture without the needles! You add pressure to specific points on the body which have an effect on the body or mind. This therapy is used to treat many common ailments, including stress and you can do it wherever you are, at any time of day or night. You can even do it sitting at your desk! Try holding the following acupressure points gently for 30 seconds to one minute while breathing deeply:

On the top of your head, where a baby’s crown is (GV20). Apply gentle pressure with your fingers. This is a general stress-relieving point and helps to balance the body.
Just below the knee (S36) and to the outside of your leg is for stress of all types.
Finally, stroke very gently downwards on the sternum with alternating hands – just as you would stroke a dog or cat! The combination of these three points can provide rapid and effective stress relief.

4. Mantra therapy

Susan Jones, a mantra therapist from Essex (soundpractitioner.co.uk) says: “There are thousands of mantras, each with their own unique way of helping with the problems we experience. Sanskrit has been chanted by Buddhists for the healing of the world, making the Sanskrit word very powerful. When a mantra is chanted, you are tapping directly into thousands of years of collective intention.”

Susan continues: “There is one letter of the Sanskrit alphabet for each petal of the chakras. When you chant a mantra you activate and massage the chakras, allowing energy to flow more easily through the body and a sense of calmness and balance follows.”

5. Tibetan singing bowls

Tibetan singing bowls are an ancient tool used by different Buddhist traditions to help support meditation and other spiritual practices. Singing bowls have captured attention by the healing field for their ability to induce deep states of calm.

Singing bowls are made from various metals. Holding the bowl lightly in the palm of one hand you run a mallet along the rim of the bowl to make it ‘sing’. The different tones of singing bowls alter the active mind (beta brainwave) to a much more relaxed and calm state (alpha–theta brainwave).
Anthar Kharana, a sound therapy practitioner who works in Bristol and London, (lunasounds.com/anthar.html) says: “In my experience all clients show radical improvements with sleep patterns and enjoy a more relaxed and calm way to face the issues of life.”
Tibetan singing bowls can be used at home; simply hearing the sound helps you to become more relaxed and able to deal with stress.

“Singing bowls induce deep states of calm”

6. Crystals

Crystals are not just pretty to look at; they can reduce negative energy and balance energy patterns. Amethyst is an all-round stress reliever which reduces tension and transmutes negative energy. The effects of tension relief are so great that people wear amethyst to prevent migraines.

Clear quartz helps protect from negative energies and clears the mind. Hold a piece of clear quartz and breathe slowly for a few minutes to calm and relax you.
Rose quartz soothes anxiety and enables you to process situations from a place of love rather than fear. Hold a piece near your heart for a few moments and visualise negativity leaving your body, while love flows in.

7. Sophrology

“Sophrology is a method based on relaxation and breathing techniques, visualisation and simple movements,” says sophrologist Florence Parot Verrier. “It stands at the crossroads between meditation and life coaching, Zen and classic relaxation techniques.” Feeling stressed, overwhelmed or fighting with time? This is a great exercise to try in stressful moments. Breathe in, lift your shoulders and clench your fists. Then, while holding your breath, make several ‘pumping’ movements up and down with your shoulders. Then breathe out loudly and release your shoulders, arms and hands completely. Repeat three times. For more info go to sophro-florence-verrier.com.

Drink up

Try these tension-busting teas from theteahouse.co.uk to help you unwind.

Moli Long Zhu contains jasmine to relax and revive the body and mind.
Fenghuang Dan Cong is a light infusion with a delicate sweetness of orchids, which helps to de-stress with its soothing aromas
Tie Guan Yin helps to relax the mind and the soul with fragrant fruits and floral aromas.

Tried & Tested

Comfort Zone Tranquillity Ritual Treatment

If you’ve got a spare couple of hours then book yourself in for this ultimate stress-busting treatment. A glorious aromatic wellbeing ritual for face and body, it uses Comfort Zone’s soothing Tranquillity oil and organic lotions to deliver a deeply relaxing facial and full body massage. While the facial plumps out the skin to leave it glowing and radiant, the body massage loosens tight muscles, improves the circulation and tones the body. I walked into the glamorious Ena Salon in London’s Holborn feeling strung-out and on edge and emerged an hour and a half later fragrantly soothed and scented, meltingly relaxed and blissfully laid-back for the rest of the day. A thoroughly decadent way to banish tension.

Costs £90 at Ena Salon (enasalon.com) or for a list of salons nationwide call 01827 280 080.

Article by

Rachelle Strauss

Rachelle Strauss runs the website myzerowaste.com which chronicles her family’s journey to reducing their rubbish and living lightly on the planet.

Discover more

Article by

Rachelle Strauss

Rachelle Strauss runs the website myzerowaste.com which chronicles her family’s journey to reducing their rubbish and living lightly on the planet.

Discover more