Stress Management Techniques

Stress has such a negative effect on the mind and body and in a study conducted in 2017 by YouGOV, the largest of its kind in the UK,  found that 74% of people have felt so stressed that they have been overwhelmed and unable to cope.  With the recent events such as the Coronavirus and its knock on effect on our jobs and well being, this figure is likely to be much higher.  At shaanti.wellness we are dedicated to alleviating stress and equipping our clients with the necessary tools to prevent stress from having a prolonged negative effect on both mind and body.

One of the ways is to bring our minds into the here and now instead of ruminating about the past and worrying about the future.  Stress is made worse by focusing on these two or believing a situation is worse than what it actually is.

The following mindfullness exercise may seem quite simple, but stay with us as we believe its one of the most effective ways to stop these thoughts and reduce stress levels.

Read the following first and when you are ready to begin the exercise sit in a relaxed position.  Make sure you deliberately slow down-this isn’t a race.

Now I want you to begin by honing into your senses one by one.  Begin with your ears. In your mind think of  five things you can hear; it maybe the birds chirping, or people talking, or the wind howling, or it maybe just pure silence.  Don’t worry if you can’t think of exactly five.  Take your time, really let your senses experience these sounds. Repeat this process five times with those five sounds.

So it might go like this: 1) birds chirping, people talking, wind howling, silence…….,2) birds chirping, people talking, wind howling, silence……. 3) birds chirping, people talking, wind howling, silence…….4) birds chirping, people talking, wind howling, silence……. 5) birds chirping, people talking, wind howling, silence…….

Now slowly shift your attention to what you can see around you.  Name five things you can see in the room around you very slowly.  Could be the chair, curtains, TV,  etc.  Repeat this process five times.

Now shift your attention to what you can feel. Your hands maybe on the arms of a chair, your legs maybe touching the side of the sofa, your feet maybe touching the ground.  Take your time, and repeat five times.

Now slowly shift your attention to your sense of smell.  What can you smell? Maybe its the smell of flowers or the smell of food.  Repeat again five times.

By now your focus will have shifted to only your senses, meaning you are in the here and now. Whenever you are feeling stressed, do this exercise and see what difference it makes.

For more ways to reduce your stress levels book in a free 20 minute consultation and let us help you become more resilient in handling stress.