space to breathe
our thoughts
There is no ‘one way’ to practice daily gratitude; for some of you it will look like writing 3 things you’re thankful for each day, for others it could be filling a gratitude jar. Today we share the first of three simple gratitude practices from Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s brilliant book, The Stress Solution.
Good food = good mood is one of those memes that pops up in lots of places. And as we browse the images attached to this our mouth can start to water. Why? Because of something called the gut-brain connection. In today’s blog we explore the powerful impact of the gut-brain connection on our anxiety and stress levels and think about why what we put in our bodies can have a direct impact on our mood.
Relaxation is a key tool to help you cope with stress.
When you’re relaxed your breathing and heart rate slow, your blood pressure drops and it’s possible to find enough balance to be calm and think rationally and clearly. We featured relaxation as one of our Stress relieving techniques that we featured this week.
But we wondered what enables you to relax, when was the last time you felt properly relaxed and calm.
We chatted to a few friends this week and discovered a few things which have really helped them.
I relax when I take some time to do Yoga. I’m not an expert at all, I use a YouTube channel by a lady called Adrienne - but it really helps. Yoga helps me to find balance and calmness and for the time when I’m on my Yoga mat, I don’t have to think about anything else.
Getting outdoors is the priority for me. When I go walking I find my whole outlook changes. I get calmer almost instantly. Its been harder recently with the lockdown but I’m so grateful for the parks being open. They’re a real oasis for me right now.
I find it hard to be honest. Life has been very stressful right now and even your question made me feel nervous for a while. I guess I listen to music to destress. There are particlar tracks I know will help. You’ve actually prompted me to think about making more time for it so thanks.
How do you relax?
We’ve found a few helpful articles from the NHS, Mind and Headspace that may help you. Check out our question of the week and post a response in the comments or on social media if you’d like to. Make time, it’ll be worth it.
