How to Deal With Stress & Anxiety

April is Stress Awareness Month. Since 1992, the month of?April?has been dedicated to?raising awareness of stress?and the harmful effects it can have on us?mentally?and?physically. High levels of stress can affect us in many different ways, and will ultimately take a toll on our?mental?and?physical health, which can result in?anxiety,?depression,?loss of appetite?and?lack of sleep,?amongst other things.

Coach and happiness expert, Jo Robinson-Howarth , has studied?mindfulness?and?hypnotherapy?for over 20 years and, unlike many experts, she appreciates that dealing with?juggling family life,?busy careers?and?unexpected life events?can threaten to steal our joy from time to time.?Prior to her life as a?Happiness Expert, Jo was an Event Manager for over 12 years, and in that time dealt with a fair amount of?stress!

After undertaking?hypnotherapy?and?mindfulness?teachings, Jo learnt to change the way she thought about?life?and handled?stress. This was the turning point for her and she realised she needed to show other people how to do this too.

We asked Jo for?three simple tips?on handling stress that we can all engage in on a day-to-day basis to improve our lives…

Stress.?There’s a lot of it around these days isn’t there?

So, if you are concerned about your?stress levels?then please keep reading. I am going to share my top 3 tips for helping you deal with?stress?and?anxiety, methods that I have used regularly over the years myself.

Breathe…

The simplest and most effective way to?calm yourself down?when you feel?stressed,?anxious?or?wound up?is to focus on your?breathing. Lie down flat on your back with your legs straight out. Place your hands flat on your tummy, one above the other.

Now gently?breathe?in and out. Don’t try and manipulate your breath in any way, just breathe normally. As you breathe,?pay attention?to the movement of your hands as your tummy moves up with each breath in and down again with each breath out. Put your?full attention?and?focus?on the movement of your hands and your tummy.

If any thoughts about anything else come into your mind just gently?bring your attention back?to the movement of your hands and your tummy. Each time your mind wanders off, gently?bring your focus back?to your tummy going up and down.

Be Glad!

This is called?The Glad Exercise?and, very simply, you sit down and think about everything that has happened on that particular day. Then you must find as many things as you possibly can to be?glad?about or?grateful?for.

They don’t have to be enormous, exciting things. Simple things such as?seeing your friends,?having a hug with someone you love,?something nice somebody said to you,?eating some food that you like,?watching a programme you enjoy?– all of these every day things pass us by without us giving them the attention they deserve.

See if you can find at least?five things?every day to be glad about. Play this game?every night?and remind yourself of all the brilliant, wonderful things there are in your life.

Get more sleep!

Are you getting?enough?sleep?

Do you know how much?enough?is?

Do you prioritise getting?enough,?or is it pot luck how much you get?

Sleep?is ridiculously important for both our?physical?and?mental wellbeing. Sleep is nature’s healer, it is when your?body repairs?and?rejuvenates?but it is also when your?mind repairs?and?rejuvenates. Getting enough sleep improves your?memory?and your?concentration, it gives your brain the chance to?organise?and?process?the information you’ve taken on board that day and it sharpens your?focus?and?attention.

Make sure you get somewhere?between 7 and 9 hours sleep?a night and you will start to feel?calmer?and more?relaxed?as you go through your day.

Jo's top tips will help you to feel less stressed and anxious, helping both your mental and physical health.

Click here?to find out more about Jo and her workshops, or if you'd like to book Jo as a speaker for your next event, please drop our team an email at [email protected]