I’ve created three episodes on wellbeing and beauty for the Lorraine show on ITV.
The first episode was about exercise and how I’ve changed my routine completely in recent years. You can watch it along with my interview with Lorraine:
In the second episode, I talk about how I manage stress and was able to rid myself of anxiety. I don’t believe that there is any one magic bullet to get rid of anxiety, which is why I use a multi-pronged approach and find that very effective.
Here are all the strategies I use:
Meditation:
I meditate first thing on waking. Regular meditation has been shown to have a very positive effect on the brain, as well as keeping it calm. I’ve made a few meditation videos with my husband on my Youtube channel.
Mindfulness:
It helps me to be aware of my thoughts so I can rein them in when they go down a negative path. You can make an active choice to change the tune in your head. There are also methods to keep you in the present moment. When you are feeling anxious, set your mind a task: name 5 things you can see, 5 things you can hear, 5 things you can smell. This will help focus your mind on the present moment. There are many helpful books on mindfulness.
Cut out caffeine and alcohol:
Caffeine can make anxiety worse for some people and I found that cutting it out was very helpful. Alcohol, even though it can appear to relax you, can also work against you when anxious. I found that cutting it out for just a few months, made a huge difference to how I felt and crucially, to how I slept. I was able to gradually re-introduce them but have since decided to only drink decaffeinated coffee as the high amount of caffeine gives me the jitters. I’m unaffected by the lower amount of caffeine in tea. Green tea in particular is good because it contains L-theanine, which has a calming effect.
Albizia
I found that some herbs and supplements were very helpful. The adaptogens like Ashwagandha can be effective in alleviating stress and anxiety. However, I found a brilliant little-known supplement called Albizia (meaning the happiness herb) that is great for depression, anxiety and insomnia. It had a wonderful effect, that improved the longer I took it.
Breathing
This is a powerful tool that helps to reset our nervous system and take us out of fight or flight mode. I use an exercise specially designed for anxiety that I put on my Youtube channel. I suggest recording the exercise on your phone so you can do it with ease whenever you need it.
