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Stress relief tips

Magical woodlands in Oxford
  • Slow down
  • Go home
  • Make a hot chocolate
  • Use some gentle candlelight
  • Take a long bath
  • Don’t watch The News
  • Don’t read The News
  • Say ‘no’ if you want to
  • Sit still
  • Learn to meditate
  • Slow down your breathing
  • Breathe deeply
  • Do manual tasks
  • Cut down on caffeine
  • Make a cup of tea
  • Knock off the sugar
  • Avoid alcohol
  • Ditch the cigarettes
  • Bin the drugs
  • Give away your TV
  • Go for a walk
  • Smile at someone
  • Don’t judge your thoughts
  • Eat piles of vegetables
  • Eat vitamin C
  • Eat dried apricots
  • Eat sweet potatoes
  • Have a good workout
  • Go into the countryside
  • Write it all down
  • Close your eyes
  • Listen to music that moves you
  • Massage your temples
  • Don’t try to be perfect
  • Don’t procrastinate
  • Fulfil important tasks
  • Ditch unimportant tasks
  • Don’t compete
  • Be flexible
  • Get a massage
  • Give a massage
  • Play with your pets
  • Ring a friend
  • Cry
  • Touch your face
  • Don’t react. Move away
  • See the humour in everything
  • Remove yourself from negative people
  • Surround yourself with soft colours
  • Don’t expect anything
  • Don’t bother criticising anyone
  • Live like today is your model day
  • Ask yourself whether your thoughts are true
  • Wink at someone you wouldn’t usually notice
  • Relax. It deflates other people’s stress
  • Dream like your dreams create reality
  • Resign as General Manager of the Universe
  • Make your goals achievable
  • Watch your favourite comedy film
  • Remember you can’t change anything but yourself
  • Plan something you like at the end of the day
  • Notice nature
  • Get a takeaway
  • Curl up with a good book
  • Turn everything off at night
  • Go to bed early
  • Have a Reiki treatment

Meditation

Any amount of meditation is good for your mental health, especially so when you don't feel like meditating. If you are physically able, sit upright without your back being supported. And try one of the following.

Body scanning

Starting at the crown of your head, put your attention there. Very slowly, move your attention downwards, through your face, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, chest, torso, legs, feet, toes ... And then, just as slowly, move your attention back up to the crown of your head.

Breath

Focus your attention on your breath. If it is comfortable for you, breathe in through your nose and out through your nose. When you breathe out, do so fully, expelling all air from your body. Breathe in for a count of 2, hold for a count of 2, breathe out for a count of 4. Continue to do this but slow your counting down (maintaining the same ratios of in/hold/out), as far as it is comfortable for you to do so. Then reverse the process.

White light

Imagine a white light descending on you. Very slowly this white light fills every part of you, infusing your whole mind and body with a sense of peace. And picture any tension or negative emotions being dispelled in clouds of grey until there is only white light.

Tensing and releasing

Starting with your face, tense up every muscle and hold it there for a few seconds before releasing the tension. Work your way down your body with every muscle you can find, right down to your toes.

Blissful reading

And just because everyone should know about this ... The Work of Byron Katie is a mind-blowingly effective emotional healing tool. We ask ourselves four set questions about any painful situation in our lives. With Katie’s skilled guidance, the answers are often hilarious, always illuminating.