How to reduce stress

If it's been ages since you last felt really relaxed, try these simple tips and you'll feet chilled out in no time

• Get dusting. It's official - blitzing those cobwebs can improve your mood. It's hardly news that exercise is good for us, but how much can make a difference and how often? According to recent research, just 20 minutes of daily, continuous movement - so long as it makes you slightly breathless - can improve your state of mind. You don’t have to be a sporty type either as even housework counts.
• Hum. One of the simplest ways to calm your mind and stabilize the rhythms of your body is through toning or humming. Sitting comfortably in a chair, closing your eyes and spending five minutes humming - not a melody, but a pitch that feels comfortable. Relax your jaw and feel the energy of the hum within your body. Bring the palms of your hands to your cheeks and notice how much vibration is occurring within your jaw. This five-minute exercise will release stress and help you to relax.
• Say no. Learning to say this magic word can help to reduce stress levels. Take a deep breath and refuse gently but firmly the next time someone makes a demand on your time or asks you to help them out when you are too busy. Tell them you'd like to be able to help, but you can’t and that you will happily give them a hand when you have more time.
• Eat regularly. Irritability and difficulty in concentrating can be caused by low blood sugar. You need starchy carbs throughout the day to fuel the brain. 'Too few B vitamins, which are found in bread, pasta and rice, or too little iron, found in meat, fish and eggs, can also leave you feeling low and lethargic. We tend not to eat enough fibre, too, which can cause constipation. The best way to get plenty of fibre is to eat a Mediterranean-styte diet, which is rich in fruit, veg cereals, fish (especially oily fish), pulses and nuts. Drink plenty of water
• Get in touch with nature. Being in and around nature is relaxing and reviving, and can be as effective as talking therapies for beating stress and depression, according to mental health charity Mind. And taking a walk in a park is 70 per cent more uplifting than walking through a shopping center. Allotments are also oases of tranquility in urban areas, perfect for reminding yourself there’s more to life than the daily grind.
• Slep well. Getting less than five hours sleep a night is bed news for your stress levels. You should be aiming for seven to eight hours sleep to help you feel relaxed. If you have trouble nodding off, try going to bed and getting up at the same time each day; the regularity will encourage a healthy sleep pattern. If you can't sleep after 10 minutes or so in bed, get up and do something absorbing - this can be as simple as a jigsaw. Use a table lamp in an otherwise dark room which will make your eyes I feel drowsy quicker then go back to bed. Also, try drinking a cup of camomile or valerian tea before bed. Both herbs are known for their soothing qualities.
• Have fun. Any activity that makes you laugh, such as watching funny film or chatting with a friends, helps to reduce stress by producing endorphins which can lift your mood. Moreover a “mirthful laugh” can reduce stress hormones. Keeping in touch with friends is key to lowering stress. So get some dates in the diary and have a giggle.
• Take time for yourself. A cliché we know, but it's true. As women, we're always multitasking, and rightly proud of that. But it's important to do one thing every day that's just for you. Have a moment enjoy a cup of real coffee out of your best china and sit down to sip and really savour it. My moment is to stop as I take my morning jog in the park and smell a different rose every day.
• Give yourself a face massage. Regular facial massage not only relieves stress, but also helps to keep skin firm and reduce morning puffiness. It only takes five minutes. Here's how you do it...
  • Using three fingers, exert light pressure along the hollow of your collarbone, twice.
  • Stroke your hand down your neck from below your chin to the collarbone, and then down either side of your neck, twice.
  • Press your thumbs lightly along your jaw line, beneath the chin, and work round with light pushes towards your ear, twice.
  • Place the pads of your fingers on each hand on your cheeks, either side of your nose, just below the eyes. Gently stretch by moving your fingers towards your ears. Repeat several times, each time moving your fingertips further down your face, still working from nose to ear.
  • Press gently just in front of your ears with two fingers, twice
  • Place your fingers above your nose on the forehead and gently massage across your brow, lifting and smoothing in an outwards direction. Repeat working up the forehead.
• Improve your posture. Breathing properly is an important stress-busting technique, and to do this you need to have good posture as this opens up the rib case and diaphragm (and has the added bonus of preventing or easing neck, back and joint problems). To check your posture, take off your shoes and socks and stand with your feet parallel to each other. Rock gently until your weight is distributed evenly through the feet with your toes spread. Gently tighten your thigh muscles without tensing your knees and make sure your pelvis is relaxed in a “neutral position” i.e. not thrust forward or pushed backwards. Pull the navel into the spine and lengthen, so you lift through the body and expand the chest, with shoulders down and arms by your side. Aim to walk tall, as if a string were pulling you up from the crown of your head. Adjust your posture this way whenever you think of it, and eventually, it will come naturally.