7 ways to reduce stress in an instant

It’s National Stress Awareness Day today and we thought we’d share our 7 favourite strategies for managing stressful situations…

1. Breathe Deeply

Take TEN deep breaths into your abdomen. Most of us don’t breathe deeply often enough, Place your hands on your lower abdomen and try breathing so that your hands move outwards as you breath in, and then naturally draw inwards as you breath out. Repeat this 10 times and see how you feel calmer immediately.

2. Visualisation

Close your eyes and visualise a safe, happy place. Notice all the colours around you that you can see, be aware of how your skin feels, notice the sounds you can hear and anything you can smell or taste. Allow yourself to completely let go for a few minutes as you relax into this visualisation bringing all your senses to life.

3. Walking

Go for a brisk walk. Take yourself away from the stressful situation if possible. At least for a few minutes while you walk fast and let the energy flow throughout.

4.Ground Yourself

Get grounded. Walking barefoot on the grass, soil, sand or concrete is known as a way to help us be grounded and in tune with the earth. Go barefoot outside for at least half an hour and see the difference this makes.

5. Hum

A powerful yoga breathing exercise is Bhramari or Humming Bee. Sit up straight, close your mouth but relax your jaw & have the teeth slightly parted. Begin to make a humming noise. You can experiment with different notes and see if you can feel vibrations throughout your body. Do this for a few minutes to feel the benefits.

6. Yoga

Of course we couldn’t not mention this one… get on your mat! Yoga is proven time and time again to reduce the effects of stress.

7. Meditation

Research suggests that daily meditation may alter the brain’s neural pathways, making you more resilient to stress. Even a few minutes of practice per day can help ease stress & anxiety.