Stress Management techniques- VYM’s Top 5 tips!

Stress Management techniques

Our stress-reduction expert & VYM’s founder, Nathalie, gives 5 simple ways to clear our minds, increase focus and let go. 

Stress… we’ve all been there, we’ve all done it, and we’ve all certainly got that damn t-shirt. I don’t think I’ve come across a single person on the planet that hasn’t been through a time when stress management has felt impossible. I mean it’s not surprising right? Life is ‘stress’ full, what with the demands on our attention from colleagues, friends and family members, the ‘must make money’ ethos that is inherently in us, the daily concern of one’s image, the dread as you realise another day has passed in barely a blink of an eye, the to do list that never seems to get shorter. And I mean that’s just the grind of daily life; throw illness, trauma or a serious life event into the mix and, well, you’re in a whole other stratosphere of ‘stressed.’ But fear not my friends there are a few simple tricks we have up our sleeve that are quick and easy stress management techniques.

Top 5 Stress Management techniques

1.  Eat bananas and sweet potatoes

These beauties are crammed full of all sorts of goodness for our minds and bodies, but most importantly they are quite literally nature’s chill pill. The Vitamin b6, Potassium and Tryptophan found in bananas help calm the nervous system, re-balance energy levels and get those happy hormones pumping. Whilst the crazy amount of magnesium found in sweet potatoes restores cell productivity and relaxes the muscles. In fact, research shows when we’re stressed or anxious we use up a substantial amount of the magnesium stored in our body. Low levels of magnesium affects our sleep, our concentration, our energy levels and mood, consequently worsening the problem. Check out a perfect magnesium restoring recipe here.

2.  Shift your routine around

Research shows that our minds and bodies function a lot better in the mornings compared to the evenings. Unfortunately most of us tend to spend evenings catching up on emails, on the computer, eating late and not getting to bed until at least 11pm; a big no no for our brains. Instead try waking up that little bit earlier (start with 20 minutes and see if you can gradually increase it to 40-50 minutes earlier). Do some light self-care for 10 minutes or so to wake your body and mind, (have breakfast, shower, meditate, yoga , get dressed etc.). Then spend 20 minutes or so doing a couple of those tasks that you would usually do in the evening, i.e. emails, laundry, paying a bill etc. Come the evening spend that extra 20-30 minutes you’ve given yourself taking a bath, reading a book you’ve been meaning to start for a while and/ or going to bed a little earlier. Trust me I used to think ‘what getting up earlier and losing out on 30 minutes extra sleep time, no way!’ But using that time to do my yoga and a couple of tasks actually leaves me feeling more alert, proactive and energised than if I had slept on through. As stress management techniques go, this really is a winner. 

3.  Find your calm place

Now this one can be harder than it sounds, especially if you live in a flat share in a city or have young children and so a little bit of pro activeness may be required. It doesn’t need to be a dedicated room or anything, just a little spot where you can have 5 minutes zen time. A) it needs to have limited distractions, i.e. no phones, computers, televisions, B) It’s relatively quiet, i.e. no music, children shouting, TV’s on, C) You can be there for 5 minutes without being disturbed (which may involve waiting until the children have gone to bed). A great example of this is the bathroom; here you can take a bath, maybe light a candle and take 5 minutes to just be by yourself; or perhaps a space within the bedroom where you can sit for 5 minutes and look out of the window or just close your eyes and enjoy the silence; me, I have a corner of the bedroom with a cushion (and a blanket for those colder months) where I will go sit for a few minutes, and be still. You could use somewhere outside, but it needs to be somewhere you can access quite easily. Once you’ve decided on a spot BE STRICT ABOUT IT and follow the a, b & c above. Some people actually find it helpful to say a mantra to themselves as they enter their space to help keep them boundaried about it; for example, ‘this is my calm place, I’m letting all else go for the time i’m here.’ Remember you can pick up on all those nagging thoughts in a few minutes; they won’t go anywhere but right then, in that moment, it’s just about you. Using the breath to focus you to the moment is also a great technique (see next point)….

4.  Do some yoga (and breathing)

As stress management techniques go, yoga’s got it down to a T; it anchors you to the present moment and encourages you to let go of all that is out of your control, as well as having a positive physical impact on the body, releasing tension in the muscles and calming the nervous and circulatory systems. Here’s a couple of go to postures that are the cream of the crop in terms of stress management. Doing these at the end of your day will go a long way, and hey whilst your there, why not tag on a few other postures. Practise that routine a few times a week and not only will you be reaping the short term benefits but the long term ones too! (For other stress management postures take a look in our yoga catalogue and/or watch our 10 minutes stress busting yoga tutorial): 

Prasarita padottansana A / Wide legged forward bend – (releases hip tension / eases pressure on heart through inversion). This is not only a great stress management technique but great for improving flexibility. Standing with the feet 3 to 4 feet apart. Bring hands to hips. Ensure feet are parallel to each other and weight is on the outer edges of the feet. Inhale look to the sky open the heart/ chest. Exhale, draw navel in and slowly bend forward from the hips with a flat back. Release the hands from the hips and place them on the floor. Slowly walk the hands back so they are inline with the feet. Tip the weight forward into the toes as if you could almost lift your heels off the floor. As you bend deeper into the posture, aim for the crown of the head to touch the floor and to create a shelf with a 90 degree angle bend in arms. Use the inhale breath to find length in the spine and the exhale breath to fold deeper. Remain here for as long as you choose (5-10 breaths recommended). An option is to use a wall behind you for balance and alignment, bringing heels and buttocks against the wall. 

Viparita Karani / Legs up wall pose – (calms nervous system with no muscle engagement required). This is one of my favourite stress management techniques. Find some wall space.Come to lying on your back with your legs up the wall. Move your seat as close as you can to the wall, preferably so that there is no space between you and the wall but making sure you are keeping the whole of the back and hips on the floor. Close the eyes and place one hand on your tummy and one hand on your chest. Bring your attention to your breath, inhaling and filling the belly and then the chest, exhaling and releasing the air slowly from the chest and the belly. Repeat this process for as long as possible. When your thoughts become distracted slowly bring them back to the movement of the breath.

5.  Listen to audio books on the go

 Sometimes it’s hard to distract yourself from the daily grind of life. Having a good audio book as one of your go to stress management techniques can be a great distraction, (audible is my life saver). Perhaps on your commute back from work you find yourself thinking about the day and struggling to switch off? This can be the perfect time to allow your brain to switch gears and be absorbed into some gentle escapism. Knowing a tendency of mine is to overthink, I find this a particularly helpful tool after a difficult client session or meeting; Instead of spending the journey replaying the previous interactions in my mind, over and over, and over again, I just stick my book from audible on and by the time I’ve got home my day has been forgotten and I’m ready for some ‘me time.’

So, there it is, my Top 5 stress management techniques. Of course some of these may be applicable to you, some not; but if there’s one take away I hope you’ve gleaned from this, it’s that stress management is about MAKING TIME FOR YOU! It’s about checking in, slowing down and giving yourself some care.

As the Dalai Lama summarises perfectly here,  “if you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralised and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.”

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