Stress consciousness month: five ways to reduce stress now

April is Stress consciousness month and you can certainly say that the last 12 months our ability and our ability To deal with, have questioned! Covid-19 has turned our world upside down because we had to deal with things like home lessons, isolation, financial worries, loss of jobs, social distancing and numerous barriers.

The level of stress, depression and anxiety rose during the closure for supervisors and parents who were at home went. In addition, there is the increasing feeling of loneliness in Great Britain, in which every fourth adult finds that he has felt lonely in the past two weeks and is lonely "higher in young people, unemployed, full-time students and single parents" . Then stack on the rising cases of "Koronasomnie" , a new concept between increased stress due to pandemic. To mention unnecessarily that it was the prefect storm in which stress was manifested.

Personally, I dealt with the increasing stress and increasing fear last year, which resulted from the loss of work due to pandemic and the associated financial effects. For me, stress has been shown in many ways through sleepless nights, tension headaches, tight shoulders and the feeling of overwhelming. Just to name a couple.

Although at the end of the tunnel there is light and the blocking restrictions decrease, it is still of crucial importance that we continue to promote our mental, physical and emotional well -being so that we can maintain our resistance when stress occurs.

Here are my 5 ways to reduce stress now:

break and breathe

If you feel stressed or overwhelmed, take a moment to stop:

s. Top what you do. Give yourself a moment to pause and step back from the situation.

t. ake a few conscious deep breaths. Note that you breathe and exhale through the nose. You can put a hand on your chest and a hand on your stomach to feel your breath.

ö offer your experience as you include thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. Switch on and sit down with everything that is created for you without submitting a judgment.

p. proceed. Think about how you want to continue and go step by step.

try restorative yoga

The practice of restorative yoga enables the nervous system to get back into balance, deepen your breath and calm the mind. The postures are based on the ground and are kept for several minutes (5 to 20 minutes per pose), with props used such as upholstery, ceilings, blocks and tear bags to support the body to rest deeply. It is a step -by -step process of down switching the nervous system from our stress reaction, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), to the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) that is our relaxation reaction.

meditate

It has been scientifically proven that the development of a consistent meditation practice contributes to reducing stress. A study by Harvard University from 2016 resulted in this Meditation had longer -lasting effects on stress relief. If you are new to meditation Headspace or Insight Timer who offers free guided meditations. As soon as you have built up your practice, you can meditate without instructions.

integrate mindfulness into daily life

take the time to slow down and find a short daily activity that you can do carefully. It may be that you brush your teeth, drink a cup of tea or wash your hands. Concentrate on the activity and notice all the thoughts, feelings or emotions that occur from moment to moment.

connect to nature

A long walk in the forest or a visit to your local park can be a wonderful antidote against everyday stress. When we connect with nature, we connect to the source of Mother Earth. It gives us the opportunity to remove our technology, stretch our legs and breathe fresh air.

Tawny teaches 15 weekly remaining yoga courses at Zoom every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Further details and bookings can be made through you website.

My favorite accessories to rest and reset:

Yogamatter bolster -a must for every restorative yoga practice. Upholstery is incredibly versatile to either support the body or to put on the body as a weight to achieve more grounding.

Yogamatter's meditation cushion - it is a must to find comfort when sitting for meditation. These meditation pillows offer support and enable the pool to tilt forward to get a long spine.

wherever you go, there you are from Jon Kabat-Zinn -a wonderful introduction to the mindfulness mediation of Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of the MBSR program (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction).